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{{Short description |Indian businessman}}
{{orphan|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jayesh Desai
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = c. {{birth year and age |1972}}
| birth_place = Paravdi in [[Bhavnagar district]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education =
| occupation = [[Entrepreneur]], [[businessman]]
| years_active =
| known_for = Founder of business conglomerate Rajhans Group
| notable_works =
}}

'''Jayesh Desai''' is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of the Rajhans Group, a business conglomerate based in Surat, Gujarat. Since the mid-1990s, Desai has led the group's operations in sectors including edible oil processing, real estate, cinema exhibition, and confectionery manufacturing.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Bhuva |first=Rajiv |date=2018-01-15 |title=Playing to a capacity crowd |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/playing-to-a-capacity-crowd/101451 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=Fortune India |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite news |date=2019-11-10 |title=Sweeter returns from darker shades |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/sweeter-returns-from-darker-shades/articleshow/71989175.cms |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== Early Life and background ==
Desai was born in the village of Paravdi in [[Bhavnagar district]], Gujarat. After completing his primary education, he moved to Mumbai, where he worked in an entry-level role at a ball-bearing shop. In 1989, he returned to his hometown to assist in his father’s grocery business.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Tyagi |first=Amit |date=17 January 2022 |title=Success Story: 300 रुपये महीने की नौकरी से लेकर 3000 करोड़ के कारोबार तक, जयेश देसाई ने किस तरह बनाया राजहंस ग्रुप |url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/business/business-news/rajhans-group-success-story-how-a-business-started-from-300-rs-reached-3000-crores/articleshow/88948966.cms |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=Navbharat Times |language=hi}}</ref>

== Career ==
Desai founded the Rajhans Group in 1994 with a small oil-processing unit producing filtered groundnut and cottonseed oil. By the late 1990s, the company had expanded its distribution network across [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and [[Maharashtra]].<ref name=":12" /> During the 2000s and 2010s, Desai expanded the group's operations into other industries. He later founded Rajhans Cinemas,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 6, 2025 |title=Retail India News: Rajhans Cinemas Raises the Bar with Surat's First IMAX |url=https://www.indianretailer.com/news/retail-india-news-rajhans-cinemas-raises-bar-surats-first-imax |work=indianretailer.com}}</ref> a multiplex chain that operates more than 160 screens across India.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Rajhans Cinemas expands with IMAX in Surat; 65 more screens planned across India by mid-2026 |url=https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/entertainment/rajhans-cinemas-expands-with-imax-in-surat-65-more-screens-planned-across-india-by-mid-2026/123164281 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=The Economic Times |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, the group entered the chocolate manufacturing market under the brands Schmitten and Hoppits.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Amin |first=Ruhail |date=May 29, 2025 |title=Rajhans Group Sets Sights on National Footprint with Ambitious Multi-Sector Expansion |url=https://www.businessworld.in/article/rajhans-group-sets-sights-on-national-footprint-with-ambitious-multi-sector-expansion-558223 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BW Businessworld |language=en}}</ref> A manufacturing facility was established in Surat with production technology sourced from several European countries.<ref name=":02" /> The company utilized brand endorsements from [[Priyanka Chopra]] and [[Sidharth Malhotra]] for its market entry.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ganguly |first=Shramana |date=2015-04-06 |title=Surat-based Rajhans Group ropes in Priyanka Chopra to promote premium chocolate Schmitten |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/advertising/surat-based-rajhans-group-ropes-in-priyanka-chopra-to-promote-premium-chocolate-schmitten/articleshow/46818779.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref name=":22" /> In 2005, the group entered the textile dyeing and processing sector through Rajhans Poly-Prints and Rajhans Silk Mills.<ref name=":0" />

=== Shareconomy ===
In 2017, Desai launched Shareconomy, a business-to-business (B2B) digital platform designed to facilitate the sharing of industrial manufacturing capacity between owners and third-party users.<ref name=":22" />

== Public profile ==
In 2011, Desai received national media coverage for his purchase of a [[Ferrari 360|Ferrari 360 Modena]] from cricketer [[Sachin Tendulkar]]. The vehicle had originally been presented to Tendulkar by [[Michael Schumacher]] in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahurkar |first=Uday |date=2011-07-02 |title=Sachin Tendulkar's Ferrari makes its new owner Jayesh Desai famous |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20110711-sachin-tendulkar-ferrari-makes-its-new-owner-jayesh-desai-famous-746713-2011-07-02 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Surat builder is new owner of Sachin Tendulkar's red Ferrari |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-surat-builder-is-new-owner-of-sachin-tendulkar-s-red-ferrari-1558626 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=DNA India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bhatt |first=Himansshu |date=2011-06-24 |title=Sachin Tendulkar sells his Ferrari to Surat businessman |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/new-zealand-in-india-2016/top-stories/sachin-tendulkar-sells-his-ferrari-to-surat-businessman/articleshow/8964225.cms |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== Recognition ==
In 2021, Desai was named among The Economic Times’ Leaders of Change.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 December 2021 |title=Economic Times Leaders of Change 2021 - Times Ascent |url=https://timesascent.com/articles/working-professionals-prioritise-health-are-less-likely-to-quit-job-if-employer-is-supportive/154100 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=Times Ascent}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Jayesh}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Jayesh Desai - Revision history

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