Page 50 - Arabian Business

INDIAN ACES POWERED BY:

B Dr Ravi
A

D Pillai
C

E
Chairman
F RP GROUP
G Construction
H

I
J
K

L
M
N
O
P
DR RAVI PILLAI WAS BORN TO A FAMILY
Q of farmers in Kerala, but today has a
R reported $3.5bn net worth. Moreover,
his private firm RP Group completed
S over $25bn worth of projects, covering

T more than one million sq ft of real estate
projects alone, despite the Saudi-based
U conglomerate covering eight sectors
V including construction, infrastructure,
retail, hospitality and healthcare.
W And the projects do not end there.
The group’s successful subsidiary Taj RP
X
International has almost completed the
Y Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina, set to open
this year, with RP Global also developing
Z two projects in Business Bay and on
Sheikh Zayed Road, worth $1.5bn.
But the sky is the limit for Pillai, who
told Arabian Business he has plans
to expand the company across the
GCC and abroad. In Saudi Arabia, he
made headline news when he revealed
he would hire 3,000 Indian workers
who lost their jobs in the Kingdom’s
construction downturn last year, when
the government suspended payments
due to budget curbs.
The billionaire, who started his first
business at the age of 14, resides in
Dubai, where he also made headlines
after spending $8.5m on his daughter’s
wedding in 2015. It was allegedly the
most expensive wedding to ever take
place in Kerala, India.
50 Vol. 19/04, January – February 2018