Vijaypat Singhania is the chairman emeritus of the Raymond Group

Raymond Group

Incorporated in 1925, Raymond Group is one of India's largest branded fabric and fashion retailers. It is one of the leading, integrated producers of worsted suiting fabric in the world, with a capacity of producing 31 million meters of wool & wool-blended fabrics.The Group owns apparel brands...

 of clothing and textiles. and a former Sheriff of Mumbai

Sheriff of Mumbai

The Sheriff of Mumbai is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Mumbai. The current Sheriff of Mumbai is Indu Shahani, principal of H. R...

, from 19 December 2005 to 18 December 2006.

A keen aviator, Singhania holds the world record for highest altitude gained travelling in a hot air balloon

Hot air balloon

The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...

, notably carried out at the age of 67. Singhania also holds a world record for his solo microlight flight from the UK to India in 1998. Singhania has flight experience of over 5,000 hours. In 1994, he won the gold medal in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...

 air race covering a distance of 34,000 km spanning 24 days. To mark this occasion he was conferred the rank of Hon. Air Commodore

Air Commodore

Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

 of the Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

. In 2005, we has awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club

Royal Aero Club

The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...

, and in 2006, Padma Bhushan

Padma Bhushan

The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...

, the third highest civilian award by the Government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

.

In March 2007 he was nominated as Chairman of the Governing Council, IIM Ahmedabad succeeding N.R. Narayana Murthy