Shital Adatia, is the President at the Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre in Leicester. The Temple was established in 1969 and was the first Hindu Temple in the UK.
He is Leicester Born, graduated from the University of Bedfordshire in Business Administration and Management Finance and outside of his temple duties, he is a Financial Adviser at Empire Finance Ltd.
Having worked in Commercial Financial Services for the last 21 years. Shital is married with two children, and he is passionate about working in the community and helping others.
Questions:
Which place or city or country do you most feel at home in?
Being Leicester Born and Bred, I feel most at home in Leicester. I did have a few years out of Leicester, whilst I was at university, but the love for the city bought me back home. Leicester is a great place, and I would not live anywhere else.
What are your proudest achievements?
The temple closed its doors for the very first time in March 2020, due to Covid 19. I was lucky enough to have a strong team around me, and we quickly set up a Foodbank facility to help the vulnerable and those in need within Leicestershire. We ran the foodbank for just over a year, and in total, we provided over 16,400 food parcels.
What inspires you?
I enjoy working in the community, helping people aspire to reach their dreams, this is whether this is in my community role as president, or in my day-to-day role as a Financial Adviser. There is no better feeling than to see people happy.
What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?
I would say doing too much alone. Being a perfectionist, I would like to oversee everything that has been done by my team and everyone around me. Over time I have accepted I must delegate and have faith in the actions of others if we are to succeed.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
I would say my parents, for guiding in in the right direction. Teaching me the ethics in life and giving me the foundation to excel as a human. They have always taught me to do right, with a clear heart. Help people where I can, if I cannot help, then definitely do not hurt anyone.
What is the best aspect of your current role?
I enjoy meeting people from all walks of life. Interacting with them on different levels, listening to them, and helping them with solutions from my practical experience and my life journey.
And the worst?
I would say the administration and paperwork associated with my roles. We have strict guidelines to follow and frameworks we must comply too. Luckily, I have the right team around me, who can help me in this department.
What are your long-term goals?
I have been involved at the temple now for just over 3 years, this has to give me an insight as to what is required in the community. We have identified that we need to get the younger generation involved in our culture and aspire to be confident and take our temple to the next level. We are therefore setting up an education centre to teach the younger generation about our culture and heritage.
If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I would look to reform the education system, provide free education in universities, and give the students practical training in all aspects of their study. We see a lot of students coming out of university with qualifications, and still struggling to find jobs, as they have not got any hands-on experience.
If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
If I were on a desert island, I would have liked to spend time with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Giving me the opportunity to get an insight into his way of thinking, his vision, and what drove him to achieve what he did for the nation.
