In memory of our beloved President, Late Sanjoy Sen, who served in this esteemed position for several decades, we have been organizing the ‘Sanjoy Sen Memorial Lecture’ every year on 14th January, his birthday, since 2003.

Biography of Late Sanjoy Sen

Late Sanjoy Sen was born on 14th January 1926. He completed his Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the United States of America.

After returning from the U.S., he successfully expanded the National Tannery Co. Ltd., which had been founded by his grandfather, Sir Nil Ratan Sarkar. Under his leadership, the company grew into the largest tannery in India and became one of the country’s foremost exporters during the pioneering days of India’s export sector.

Mr. Sen was widely regarded as an authority on the Leather and Leather Manufacturers industry, especially in matters related to exports. He served as Chairman of the Export Promotion Council for Finished Leather & Leather Manufacturers, Kanpur, for over a decade. This organization is now known as the Council for Leather Exports. He also held the post of Chairman of the Leather Development Council, an institution set up by the Ministry of Industry, Government of India.

In addition, Mr. Sen was a stalwart figure in leather education and research. He was:

• President of the Indian Leather Technologists’ Association
• Chairman of the Governing Body of the College of Leather Technology
• Chairman of the Research Council of the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai
• President of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies, Geneva (1999)

He played a pivotal role on international platforms, notably as:

• Chairman of the Third Consultation Committee of the Leather & Leather Products Industry organized by UNIDO in 1984
• Expert and Consultant for Leather & Leather Products for UNIDO – Vienna, serving on multiple occasions
• Member of UNIDO’s Leather Industry Panel

His contributions extended beyond leather to the engineering sector. He:

• Pioneered the export of bicycles from India to various countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia
• Served as President of the Indian Engineering Association (now the Confederation of Indian Industry)
• Was Chairman of the Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search for nearly 25 years

Throughout his distinguished and versatile career as an entrepreneur, industrialist, and technocrat, Mr. Sen was recognized by both the Government and the industry as a leading expert in export promotion. His deep expertise led to appointments to the boards of:

• Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation (ECGC)
• Trade Development Authority
• India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)
• Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)
• Indian Standards Institution
• Chairman, ISO – Geneva
• Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO)

Late Sanjoy Sen passed away on 31st August 2001, leaving behind an inspiring legacy of excellence, leadership, and service.

Renowned Personalities who delivered Sanjoy Sen Memorial Lecture

• 2003 T. Ramasami, Director, CSIR – CLRI, Chennai
• 2004 Buddhadeb Chattopadhyay, Officer-in-Charge, GCELT, Kolkata
• 2005 Samir Dasgupta, Ph.D, FSLTC, Eminent Scientist of Leather Technology, New Zealand
• 2006 S. Rajamani, Scientist, CSIR – CLRI, Chennai
• 2007 Z. Kotasek, International repute Leather Technologists
• 2008 G. P. Das, Sr. Professor, Department of Material Science, Indian Association o of Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur
• 2009 D. K. Bhattacharya, Director, Camellia School of Business, West Bengal
• 2010 K. V. Raghavan, Former Director, CSIR-CLRI, Chennai & IICT, Hyderabad, Chairman, Research Council, CSIR-CLRI and Member of Atomic Enargy Regulatory Board.
• 2011 Samir Dasgupta, Ph.D, FSLTC, Eminent Scientist of Leather Technology, New Zealand
• 2012 Suparno Moitra, Regional Manager, Eastern Region, NASSCOM
• 2013 Buddhadeb Chattopadhyay, Principal, GCELT, Kolkata
• 2014 Pijush Kanti Ganguly, Former Director of Public Instruction & Ex-officio Secretary, Education Department, Govt. of West Bengal
• 2015 Siddhartha Dutta, Professor, Chemical Engineering Department & Ex- Pro-Vice Chancellor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
• 2016 Subhra Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Ex-Principal, Hooghly Mahasin College.
• 2017 Sib Ranjan Misra, Professor of Economics & Polities, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan
• 2018 S. S. Kumar, Chairman of the Governing Council, GCELT, Kolkata and Ex-Chairman of CLE
• 2019 Asok Kumar Banerjee, President, Calcutta Management Association
• 2020 Subir Chowdhury, Ex-Director, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata
• 2021 S. Rajamani, Chairman, Asian International Union of Environment Commission.
• 2022 Amit Roy, Managing Director, ORG (India) Private Limited
• 2023 G. M. Kapur, Business Development Consultant, State Convener, INTACH.
• 2024 Sivakumar T. D., Vice President, NaBFID, Mumbai
• 2025 Harsh Kumar Jha, former MD, Tata Metaliks Ltd. & former Chairman, Tata Metaliks Kubota Pipes Ltd.