B. Ravi Pillai(born 2 September 1953) is a Dubai-based Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder and chairman of theRP Group.As of May 2023, his net worth is estimated atUS$3.1billion.[2]
B. Ravi Pillai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 September 1953 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | University of Cochin |
| Occupation(s) | Founder, Chairman, RP Group |
| Spouse | Geetha Pillai |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Kollam K. Chandrasekhara Pillai(uncle)[1] |
Early life
editRavi Pillai was born on 2 September 1953 atChavara,[3]a coastal town inKollam,in the state ofKeralain Kadappa Pillai Veettil family.[4]He has a degree in Commerce from theUniversity of Cochin.[5][3]
Career
editDuring his time at university, he launched his first business, achit fundinKollamon reportedly borrowed money.[6]Later, he started an engineering contract business and worked for some of the major industrial houses inKeralasuch asFertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited,Hindustan Newsprint Limited,andCochin Refineries.[6]However, alabour strikeforced him to close down his business, after which he went toSaudi Arabiain 1978 where he started a small trading business.[7]Two years later, he moved into construction, and established Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH) with 150 employees,[7]which has over the years grown to become the flagship company of his business group,[3][7]RP Group, which is known to employ over 70,000 employees across its businesses.[5]The shopping mall in South Kerala,RP MallatKollamcity is owned by Pillai.[8]
Pillai has expanded his business to other countries including theUnited Arab Emirates,Qatar,andBahrain,and has interests in construction, hospitality, steel, cement, and oil and gas industries.[3]RP Group is known to hold stakes in hotels such as Leela Kovalam, Hotel Raviz,[9]Kollam, and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu,[10]Kozhikode in his home state of Kerala.[11]He is involved in health care through Upasana Hospital and Research Centre, a 300-bed multispecialty hospital in Kollam.[3][12]
Awards and recognition
editPillai received an honorary doctorate fromExcelsior College,New York,[5]and was awarded thePravasi Bharatiya Sammanby theGovernment of Indiain 2008.[13]In 2010, the Government of India included him in theRepublic Day honourslist for the civilian honour ofPadma Shri.[14]
Arabian Businessranked him as the fourth most powerful Indian in theMiddle Eastin 2015.[5]
Personal life
editRavi Pillai is married to Geetha, and they live inDubai,United Arab Emirates.[2]They have two children, a son Ganesh Ravi Pillai, and a daughter Arathi Ravi Pillai.[15]
He paid for his daughter Arathi's wedding with Adithya Vishnu atKollamin November 2015, at a total expense of₹55 crores($7.5 million), in accordance withNaircustoms and cultural traditions. The wedding was organized by the production designer who worked on the film,Baahubali: The Beginning., and is considered the most expensive wedding inKeralato date.[16]His son Ganesh Pillai married Anjana Suresh, an engineer, in September 2021.[17]
References
edit- ^https://web.archive.org/web/20111220133620/http:// mathrubhumi /online/malayalam/news/story/1345645/2011-12-20/kerala[bare URL]
- ^ab"Forbes profile: Ravi Pillai".Forbes.Retrieved28 September2021.
- ^abcde"Kollam City".Kollam City. 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^"Ravi Pillai: From farmer's son to construction tycoon".News18. 28 November 2013.
- ^abcd"Arabian Business".Arabian Business. 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^ab"Rediff".Rediff. 7 October 2011.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^abc"Rediff 2".Rediff 2. 7 October 2007.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^admin (12 October 2020)."Tracing The Success Story of Ravi Pillai and The Growth of RP Group of Companies as a Brand".Brandzwatch.Retrieved18 July2021.
- ^"Raviz".Raviz. 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^"RP hotels".RP hotels. 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 21 December 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^"Rediff 3".Rediff 3. 7 October 2011.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^"Upasana".Upasana. 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^"Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs"(PDF).Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 May 2014.Retrieved21 December2014.
- ^"Padma Shri"(PDF).Padma Shri. 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 October 2015.Retrieved11 November2014.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 30 November 2015.Retrieved5 November2015.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Kerala's richest man spends a massive ₹55 crores on daughter's wedding!".The Times of India.27 March 2023.ISSN0971-8257.Retrieved7 July2024.
- ^"The Grand Wedding Of Arathi And Adithya Worth ₹55 Crore held in Kerela".Gabdig.29 November 2015.Retrieved25 March2017.
