Raj Kumar Aggarwal (born 1949) is a Welsh-Indian pharmacist, public health expert, businessman and the first ever Honorary Consul for India with jurisdiction for Wales. In this role, he is responsible for helping to further links between Welsh and Indian business, educational establishments and cultural organisations, as well as looking after the needs of Indian nationals living and working in Wales. In March 2015, he was appointed president of the Consular Association of Wales.
As chairman of Kidney Wales Foundation, Aggarwal campaigned and provided evidence from 2007 onwards for a deemed consent or 'soft opt out' to increase the number of organs available for transplantation and save lives. The Human Transplantation Wales Act received Royal Assent on 10 September 2013. The law came into effect on 1 December 2015. In its first year the number of patients waiting for organ donation dropped 38% from 309 in 2010/11 to 193 in 2015/16 and it was said to represent "considerable progress". In December 2017 Theresa May called for a public consultation to extend the "opt out" law to England in order to reduce organ donation waiting lists.
He has been a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain since 1973, appointed a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in November 2013. In June 2007, Aggarwal was made an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in recognition of his contribution to the pharmaceutical industry and the life of the Asian community in Wales. Roy Thomas, chief Executive of the Kidney Wales charity, told the Western Mail: "He is a very modest man but the honour is more than deserved. He has promoted the need for diversity in business. The Welsh and Asian communities should be proud of him and what he has achieved."
He is a lay member of the Governing Body of Cardiff University and a board member of the Wales Millennium Centre. In October 2011, Aggarwal was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for South Glamorgan. As well as English, he speaks Swahili, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati and Urdu.
Early days
Aggarwal was educated at the Duke of Gloucester Grammar School in Nairobi, Kenya, before his family emigrated to Wales in 1967. He studied A-Levels at Bath College, Somerset, from 1967 to 1969, then won a place at the Welsh School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University from 1969 to 1972. He graduated with a B.Pharms (Hons) 2.1 in Pharmacology and joined Boots UK as a graduate trainee. He rose to become one of the company's youngest-ever regional managers, looking after high-profile stores including Oxford Street, London.
On a social visit to Cardiff in 1982, he was introduced to a pharmacy on City Road and decided that he would rather run his own business rather than work for someone else. Resigning from Boots, he bought this first shop. Over the next decade, Aggarwal built up a chain of six pharmacies, and a significant business, in and around Cardiff. In 2008 Central Pharmacy, which Aggarwal still owns and operates, was awarded the Best in UK Clarins Gold Salons Award. He believes the key to good business is in customer service, telling Pharmacy Business (9 March 2011): "I enjoy what I do. I have a lot of happiness in what we achieve. I've always had a strong head for business and I enjoy leadership and keeping customer service levels high. We want to make customers feel how we would want to feel."
In 2010 Aggarwal was named UK 2010 Pharmacy Business Entrepreneur of the Year. The award was presented by then Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley MP.
Advocate for community pharmacies
Aggarwal has been a staunch advocate of the benefits of community pharmacies and the support and advice they can provide to patients.
In November 2009, he wrote: "The community pharmacy network in Wales is made up of more than 700 pharmacies, ranging from the small independent pharmacy to the larger branches of well-known chains. They are located where people work, shop and live and to many they are the most accessible part of the health service. We are all aware of the role the pharmacy plays in providing patients with 60 million-plus prescription medicines every year. But, over the years, more and more people have been recognising community pharmacies as sources of help and advice – particularly about how to lead a healthier lifestyle – and a provider of health checks."