Dubai: Dr. Ravi Pillai, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the RP Group of Companies, has been named as one of two Indian entrepreneurs based in the GCC region to be ranked in the top league in Forbes International ‘India’s 100 Richest People’ 2014.
With net worth of US$2.8 billion, Dr. Pillai scaled four ranks up from last year to No. 30 and tops the list of entrepreneurs from Kerala, who have a strong business presence in the GCC region. His net worth has increased 65% this year compared to US$1.7 billion in 2013, underling the strong growth of his business, particularly in construction, infrastructure development and mining.
“I am honoured and thankful to Forbes for the ranking. However, I am even more delighted at the strong representation of Indian entrepreneurs from the region in the list, which underlines the contributions of Gulf-based NRIs to promoting all-round development here and in India. RP Group of Companies will continue to focus on its business model of strategic diversification and geographic expansion,” Dr. Pillai said.
Dr. Pillai had always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and set the foundation for the RP Group of Companies with Nasser Al Hajri Corporation, specialised in industrial contracting in the GCC countries. Since then, he has expanded the company into diverse sectors including mining in Australia and commodities in Africa as well as strategic expansion to education, hospitality and trade, among other high-growth sectors.
A visionary entrepreneur with a strong commitment to the community, Dr. Pillai leads a business conglomerate that now has a remarkable footprint across the GCC region and growing presence in other high-growth markets in Asia, Africa and Australia.
RP Group is today one of the largest employment providers with over 80,000 employees across 26 different companies in five high-growth sectors including construction and infrastructure development, hospitality, healthcare, trading and education. The Group has delivered projects worth over US$20 billion worldwide.
Having defined strong competencies in these core economic sectors, Dr. Pillai is now also spearheading the Group’s expansion into real estate in Dubai. With an investment value of over US$1.5 billion, the property projects of RP Group in Dubai are envisaged as integrated, mixed-use developments featuring luxury residences, serviced apartments, five-star hospitality and high-end retail.
Dr. Pillai holds an MBA from Cochin University and honorary doctorate from Excelsior State University in the United States. He is the recipient of the Padma Shri honour from the Government of India in 2009. He won the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2007, in addition to being honoured with the Philanthropist Award from Bahrain Government (2009), Humanity Award from the Government of Kerala (2010) and PMI Award from the Minister of Works in Bahrain (2011). Nearly 25 to 30 per cent of the total profits of the Group are set aside for social service.