Aditya Surpal conferred Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite

H.E. Ms Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Minister of State for Development, Francophonie, and International Partnerships of France, today conferred the insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite on Mr Aditya Surpal, Director - Surpal Group, at a special ceremony at the Residence of France. The honour came in recognition of his longstanding commitment and contribution to developing Indo-French cooperation in the field of education.

As the Director of Surpal Education, Aditya Surpal has founded kindergartens and schools inspired by the French educational model. In so doing, he has helped make French language learning and culture accessible to children, nurturing the next generation at the earliest stage.

Starting with the Baby Doux crèche in 2018, Mr Surpal went on to open two more schools named “Au Grand Air” in 2022 in Gurgaon, and in July 2023 in New Delhi. The Au Grand Air Gurgaon is set to receive approval for officially being a part of the global network of AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad), consisting of 580 schools with 395 000 enrolled students in 139 countries.

Apart from education, Mr Surpal is a catalyst of cultural relations between India and France. He has developed numerous collaborative initiatives with France, and been a standard-bearer of French culture through the promotion of the Château de Versailles and the Château Chambord, for which he is an official ambassador. His company is also the official sponsor of France’s national ice hockey team.

• In her investiture speech, Minister of State Chrysoula Zacharopoulou said “It was a privilege to confer the Ordre National du Mérite on Aditya Surpal, a true Francophile and a special friend of France. His dedication to education, combined with his love for France and outstanding business acumen have led him to create amazingly successful bilingual kindergartens and schools that bring France that much closer to India’s younger generations. We also owe to him many other initiatives that build bridges between French and Indian cultures. I thank him for playing such a key role in nurturing the special ties of friendship and understanding between our two countries, and seeding new ones for the future.”

• Accepting the recognition, Mr Aditya Surpal said: “It is an absolute privilege for me to be conferred the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by Minister Chrysoula Zacharopoulou. I also express my heartfelt gratitude to Ambassador Thierry Mathou, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the Government of France for bestowing upon me this distinguished honour. I have had the pleasure of being a part of building a robust and enduring connection between our two nations by bringing in bilingual education in the foundation years through our schools Au Grand Air and Baby Doux. It is truly an honour to receive this prestigious award in the presence of Minister Zacharaopoulou, my family and friends on this splendid evening. I couldn’t have achieved this without the unwavering support of my loved ones and my team.”

About l’Ordre national du Mérite

L’Ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit), established in 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle, is awarded by the President of the French Republic to select individuals for distinguished service rendered in public, civil, military posts, or a private profession. This highly prestigious award is bestowed on very few foreign nationals.