Page 8 - Faizal Kottikolan

Faizal & Shabana

HISTORY Foundation Snapshot

milestones

orn in Kozhikode, Kerala, Faizal Kottikollon is a civil engineering graduate of the high-ranked Mani-
B pal Institute of Technology, with an MBA awarded by the T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal.
He then pressed on to pursue a Master’s degree in industrial engineering at Bradley University, Illinois
(USA), after which he interned with Inductotherm Inc, USA, the world’s largest hi-tech steel furnaces
manufacturing company.

Following his return to Kozhikode, Faizal worked in the family business for two years and wed Shabana,
a psychology graduate of Mangalore University in 1992. However, determined to put his blue-chip
education to good use on a wider canvas, Faizal discerned excellent business opportunities in the
booming oil and gas industry of the Middle East of the 1990s. Therefore in 1995, he promoted Al Ah-
madi General Trading, Ajman and two years later Emirates Techno Casting, Ajman, a state-of-the-art
hi-tech foundry. In 2002, in a forward integration he established JC Middle East (JCME), a valves trading
company in the Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah, and a year later promoted Emirates Techno Casting FZE
(ETC) in Sharjah, which quickly grew to become an internationally renowned valve-castings company.

The year 2007 marked a turning point for Faizal and Shabana’s entry into philanthropy when the duo
invested US$5 million (Rs.35.5 crore) to establish the ETC Community Center to ensure the wellness
and skills development capabilities of the company’s employees. The impact that the centre created
prompted registration of the Faizal & Shabana Foundation in India in 2007. “Since then, the foundation
has expanded its activities to cover education, healthcare, sustainable development and promotion
of art and culture. We believe these philanthropic initiatives will contribute towards building a more
equitable, positive, happier and better tomorrow for all,” says Shabana, co-founder and director of the
foundation.

In 2012, the US-based Tyco International acquired ETC for $400 million (Rs.2,040 crore). With the sales
proceeds Faizal began a second innings in industry by promoting KEFHoldings with three subsidiaries Social Impact
in India — KEF Investments, KEF Infra and KEF Health. Since then, the group’s flagship KEF Infra Pvt. Ltd
(estb.2014), with its factory in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, has been developed into a globally comparable
off-site housing/commercial buildings prefabricated materials manufacturing company. In 2018, KEF
Infra merged with Katerra, a Softbank- backed Silicon Valley company. “The institutional objective of During the past decade since the Faizal & Shabana
the merged company is to revolutionise the global construction industry,” says Faizal. One of several Foundation was founded, its initiatives in education have
successful projects of the company is Meitra Hospital in Kozhikode which provides globally compara- positively impacted 2 million children and adults; regen-
ble healthcare services at affordable prices. erative sustainable development projects 5,750 people;
healthcare (7,250); humanitarian assistance (30,000);
community outreach & support (1,150) and arts & culture
promotion programme (30,000).

80 | 21 Leaders Transforming Indian Education