Mr Idris Ahmad got Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Council for
Leather Exports and the Indian leather industry.
Kanpur : Life time Achievement Award Felicitation Janab Idris Ahmad Siddiqui was born in Kanpur on the 4th of July 1947, just weeks before India attained independence. In many ways, his life’s
journey has unfolded alongside the story of modern India: marked by enterprise, resilience, and a belief in building institutions that endure.
He received his early education at St. Aloysius in Kanpur and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University. Although the path of the family
business – in the form of CP Timbers – lay open before him, he chose instead to chart his own course. On the 27th of May 1976, he founded
Leatherage: a name that has since become synonymous with quality, integrity, and innovation within Kanpur and the Indian leather industry.
Idris Saheb was among the pioneers who took the Indian leather industry beyond its borders. In 1982 he established a tannery in Dammam in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, marking one of the industry’s earliest ventures into the Gulf. At the same time, Leatherage continued to grow rapidly,
capturing the largest share of the British market in industrial shoe uppers and supplying the British Coal Board for miners in the United Kingdom.
The company was also among the earliest and largest suppliers of finished leather to the Iranian Armed Forces and several other entities around the world. By 1990, Leatherage had achieved an annual turnover that placed it among Kanpur’s leading enterprises.
The following decade witnessed further
expansion, including the establishment of one of Asia’s largest integrated leather complexes in Nepal — the Leatherage Bansbari Tannery and Shoe
Factory — and the launch of Icon Footwear Pvt. Ltd. in Noida. Leatherage was also among the first companies from Kanpur to operate across multiple international centres, with offices in India, Nepal, Dubai and London.
Alongside building his own enterprises, Idris Saheb devoted extraordinary energy to strengthening the wider leather industry.
He played an important role in establishing the Saddlery Institute at Banthar in Unnao and contributed to the development of the Faculty of Business Management at Aligarh Muslim University. From 1978 to 2010 he served on the Council for Leather Exports, representing the Central Region for
many consecutive terms and often acting as a bridge between the industry’s different regional interests as well as with government.
His contributions were recognised by successive governments through numerous honours at both the national and international level.
In 2005 he established his final leather venture — a dog-chew manufacturing unit — and one can rightfully claim that he was one of the pioneers of
this segment of the industry in India. Yet in 2010, rather than compromise his principles in the face of unethical practices within that business, he
chose to step away from the industry he had helped shape for so long.
Even in retirement from business, Idris Saheb has remained deeply committed to public life — particularly to the cause of education.
Through his dedication to the Sir Syed Educational Society, he has played a leading role in establishing two schools, in Kanpur and Unnao respectively. These institutions have educated thousands of children over the years, many from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Today, it is our great privilege to honour his presence among us and to confer upon him the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Council for Leather Exports and the Indian leather industry.
For nearly five decades, Idris Saheb has been more than an industrialist to this industry — he has been a pioneer, a mentor, and a standard-bearer
for integrity in business. The institutions he built, the industry he helped shape, and the lives he has touched will stand as a lasting testament to his
vision and character.
It is therefore with deep respect and gratitude that we honour him today, and we wish him continued health, happiness, and many years of fulfilment
ahead.
Kanpur
