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{{Short description|Indian | {{Short description|Indian billionaire businessman}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} | ||
{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
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==Career== | ==Career== | ||
During his time at university, he launched his first business, a [[chit fund]] in [[Kollam]] on reportedly borrowed money.<ref name="Rediff">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-ravi-pillai-amazing-journey-of-ambani-of-the-gulf/20111007.htm#2 | title=Rediff | publisher=Rediff | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> Later, he started an engineering contract business and worked for some of the major industrial houses in Kerala such as [[Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore|Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited]], [[Hindustan Newsprint Limited]], and [[Cochin Refineries Limited|Cochin Refineries]].<ref name="Rediff" /> However, a [[labour strike]] forced him to close down his business, after which he went to Saudi Arabia in 1978 where he started a small trading business.<ref name="Rediff 2">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-ravi-pillai-amazing-journey-of-ambani-of-the-gulf/20111007.htm#4 | title=Rediff 2 | publisher=Rediff 2 | date=7 October 2007 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> Two years later, he moved into construction, and established Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH) with 150 employees,<ref name="Rediff 2" /> which has over the years grown to become the flagship company of his business group,<ref name="Kollam City" /><ref name="Rediff 2" /> RP Group, which is known to employ over 70,000 employees across its businesses.<ref name="Arabian Business">{{cite web | url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/100-most-powerful-indians-in-gulf-475970.html?itemid=475809 | title=Arabian Business | publisher=Arabian Business | date=2014 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> The shopping mall in South Kerala, [[RP Mall, Kollam|RP Mall]] at [[Kollam]] city is owned by Pillai.{{ | During his time at university, he launched his first business, a [[chit fund]] in [[Kollam]] on reportedly borrowed money.<ref name="Rediff">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-ravi-pillai-amazing-journey-of-ambani-of-the-gulf/20111007.htm#2 | title=Rediff | publisher=Rediff | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> Later, he started an engineering contract business and worked for some of the major industrial houses in Kerala such as [[Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore|Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited]], [[Hindustan Newsprint Limited]], and [[Cochin Refineries Limited|Cochin Refineries]].<ref name="Rediff" /> However, a [[labour strike]] forced him to close down his business, after which he went to Saudi Arabia in 1978 where he started a small trading business.<ref name="Rediff 2">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-ravi-pillai-amazing-journey-of-ambani-of-the-gulf/20111007.htm#4 | title=Rediff 2 | publisher=Rediff 2 | date=7 October 2007 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> Two years later, he moved into construction, and established Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH) with 150 employees,<ref name="Rediff 2" /> which has over the years grown to become the flagship company of his business group,<ref name="Kollam City" /><ref name="Rediff 2" /> RP Group, which is known to employ over 70,000 employees across its businesses.<ref name="Arabian Business">{{cite web | url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/100-most-powerful-indians-in-gulf-475970.html?itemid=475809 | title=Arabian Business | publisher=Arabian Business | date=2014 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> The shopping mall in South Kerala, [[RP Mall, Kollam|RP Mall]] at [[Kollam]] city is owned by Pillai.<ref>{{Cite web|last=admin|date=2020-10-12|title=Tracing The Success Story of Ravi Pillai and The Growth of RP Group of Companies as a Brand|url=https://www.brandzwatch.com/ravi-pillai-growth-of-rp-group-of-companies-as-brand/|access-date=2021-07-18|website=Brandzwatch|language=en}}</ref> | ||
Pillai has expanded his business to other countries including [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Qatar]], and [[Bahrain]], and has interests in construction, hospitality, steel, cement, and oil and gas industries.<ref name="Kollam City"/> RP Group is known to hold stakes in hotels such as Leela Kovalam, Hotel Raviz,<ref name="Raviz">{{cite web | url=http://theraviz.com/ | title=Raviz | publisher=Raviz | date=2014 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> Kollam, and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu,<ref name="RP hotels">{{cite web|url=http://www.rphotels.in/HotelHome.aspx?hid=3 |title=RP hotels |publisher=RP hotels |date=2014 |access-date=21 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221195916/http://www.rphotels.in/HotelHome.aspx?hid=3 |archive-date=21 December 2014 }}</ref> Kozhikode in his home state of Kerala.<ref name="Rediff 3">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-ravi-pillai-amazing-journey-of-ambani-of-the-gulf/20111007.htm#6 | title=Rediff 3 | publisher=Rediff 3 | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> He is involved in health care through Upasana Hospital and Research Centre, a 300-bed multispecialty hospital in Kollam.,<ref name="Kollam City" /><ref name="Upasana">{{cite web | url=http://www.upasanahospital.com/ | title=Upasana | publisher=Upasana | date=2014 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> | Pillai has expanded his business to other countries including [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Qatar]], and [[Bahrain]], and has interests in construction, hospitality, steel, cement, and oil and gas industries.<ref name="Kollam City"/> RP Group is known to hold stakes in hotels such as Leela Kovalam, Hotel Raviz,<ref name="Raviz">{{cite web | url=http://theraviz.com/ | title=Raviz | publisher=Raviz | date=2014 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> Kollam, and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu,<ref name="RP hotels">{{cite web|url=http://www.rphotels.in/HotelHome.aspx?hid=3 |title=RP hotels |publisher=RP hotels |date=2014 |access-date=21 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221195916/http://www.rphotels.in/HotelHome.aspx?hid=3 |archive-date=21 December 2014 }}</ref> Kozhikode in his home state of Kerala.<ref name="Rediff 3">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-ravi-pillai-amazing-journey-of-ambani-of-the-gulf/20111007.htm#6 | title=Rediff 3 | publisher=Rediff 3 | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> He is involved in health care through Upasana Hospital and Research Centre, a 300-bed multispecialty hospital in Kollam.,<ref name="Kollam City" /><ref name="Upasana">{{cite web | url=http://www.upasanahospital.com/ | title=Upasana | publisher=Upasana | date=2014 | access-date=21 December 2014}}</ref> | ||
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''[[Arabian Business]]'' ranked him as the fourth most powerful Indian in the Middle East in 2015.<ref name="Arabian Business" /> | ''[[Arabian Business]]'' ranked him as the fourth most powerful Indian in the Middle East in 2015.<ref name="Arabian Business" /> | ||
[[File:The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award winners, at the Valedictory Session of the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2008, in New Delhi on January 9, 2008.jpg|thumb|Pillai (2nd from right at front | [[File:The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award winners, at the Valedictory Session of the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2008, in New Delhi on January 9, 2008.jpg|thumb|Pillai (2nd from right at front row), other awardee stand with [[President of India]] after receiving [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]]]] | ||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Revision as of 11:59, 27 August 2021
B. Ravi Pillai | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 September 1953 Chavara, Kerala, India |
| Education | Cochin University |
| Occupation | Founder, CEO, RP Group |
| Net worth | US$2.9 billion (September 2020)[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Geetha Pillai |
| Children | 2 |
B. Ravi Pillai (born 2 September 1953) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder and managing director of RP Group of companies.
Early life
Ravi Pillai was born on 2 September 1953 at Chavara,[2] a coastal town in Kollam, in the state of Kerala in a family of farmers.[3] He has a degree in Commerce from Cochin University.[4]
Career
During his time at university, he launched his first business, a chit fund in Kollam on reportedly borrowed money.[5] Later, he started an engineering contract business and worked for some of the major industrial houses in Kerala such as Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited, Hindustan Newsprint Limited, and Cochin Refineries.[5] However, a labour strike forced him to close down his business, after which he went to Saudi Arabia in 1978 where he started a small trading business.[6] Two years later, he moved into construction, and established Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH) with 150 employees,[6] which has over the years grown to become the flagship company of his business group,[2][6] RP Group, which is known to employ over 70,000 employees across its businesses.[4] The shopping mall in South Kerala, RP Mall at Kollam city is owned by Pillai.[7]
Pillai has expanded his business to other countries including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, and has interests in construction, hospitality, steel, cement, and oil and gas industries.[2] RP Group is known to hold stakes in hotels such as Leela Kovalam, Hotel Raviz,[8] Kollam, and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu,[9] Kozhikode in his home state of Kerala.[10] He is involved in health care through Upasana Hospital and Research Centre, a 300-bed multispecialty hospital in Kollam.,[2][11]
Awards and recognition
Pillai received an honorary doctorate from Excelsior College, New York,[4] and was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the Government of India in 2008.[12] In 2010, the Government of India included him in the Republic Day honours list for the civilian honour of Padma Shri.[13]
Arabian Business ranked him as the fourth most powerful Indian in the Middle East in 2015.[4]

Personal life
Ravi Pillai is married to Geetha, and they live in Bahrain.[1] They have two children, a son Ganesh Ravi Pillai, and a daughter Arathi Ravi Pillai.[14]
He paid for his daughter Arathi's wedding with Adhitya Vishnu in Kollam in November 2015, at a total expense of Rupees 55 crores ($7.5 million). The wedding was organized by the production designer who worked on the film, Bahubali. This is considered to be the most expensive wedding in Kerala till date.[15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Forbes profile: Ravi Pillai". Forbes. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Kollam City". Kollam City. 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "IBN Live". IBN Live. 2014. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Arabian Business". Arabian Business. 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Rediff". Rediff. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Rediff 2". Rediff 2. 7 October 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ admin (12 October 2020). "Tracing The Success Story of Ravi Pillai and The Growth of RP Group of Companies as a Brand". Brandzwatch. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ↑ "Raviz". Raviz. 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "RP hotels". RP hotels. 2014. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Rediff 3". Rediff 3. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Upasana". Upasana. 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs" (PDF). Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Padma Shri" (PDF). Padma Shri. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "The Grand Wedding Of Arathi And Adithya Worth ₹55 Crore held in Kerela". Gabdig.com. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2017.