Wolverhampton coffee shop boss honoured by university
A much-loved businessman has been honoured by his former university.
Sham Sharma, owner of Zuri Coffee, has received an honorary fellowship from the University of Wolverhampton.
The 60-year-old was presented the award to mark his contribution to the university and his support of current students.
Mr Sharma, from Wolverhampton, graduated in the early-1990s with a teaching qualification.
He said: “I feel absolutely wonderful, over the moon, that my local university is giving me this honour.
“I am absolutely delighted. It is amazing. It is so difficult to put into words my emotions.
"It is a great honour to receive it from my university here.
“I have got all of my family here, my son, my daughter, my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter and my wife.”
Mr Sharma came to the UK in 1969, aged 12, and learned English before enrolling at the University of Aston in 1977 to study sciences.
He started a clothing business while studying for his degree – and by 1987 had nine successful outlets.
In the following decade, he became a member of Wolverhampton Council’s education committee and was inspired to train as a teacher.
He started Sunitek, an IT company, in 1997 and the business grew year on year, becoming a major supplier of hardware and software to schools and colleges in Wolverhampton.
During 2011 Sunitek was hit by the riots and the business took a downturn as it lost a lot of stock – but through hard work Sham was able to build the business up again.
He sold Sunitek in 2014 after opening the popular Zuri Coffee in 2013, on Lichfield Street, serving Indian inspired street food.
Mr Sharma, who has plans to establish a chain of coffee shops in the near future, told other graduates not be afraid of criticism or failure.
He said: “Success is not often measured by how much money you have, it can be determined in other ways.
“Think of being successful – don’t be afraid of criticism or failure, it’s part of the learning curve and we never stop learning.
"As you journey through life, be open-minded and collaborate with others.”
He added: “Education is the key to many things in life. Not only academic, it will also allow you think in a different perspective and get involved in life from a different point of view.
“Education is the most important thing in your life. Education will open many, many doors for you.”
Mr Sharma was one of many to be presented with an award by the university at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton on Thursday.
