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As part of our August India issue, Gulf Business has produced a list of GCC’s most influential Indians.
Those on our Rising Stars list represent those still expanding their presence in the Bay Area, including entrepreneurs and heirs to family businesses.
Click on the links below to view the rest of the list.
read: Revealed: Influential Indians in GCC: Rich List
read: Revealed: Influential Indians in the GCC: Business Legends
read: Revealed: Influential Indians in GCC: Executive Elite
(Names are listed in no particular order)
Aisha de Pala
fashion designer
Depala launched her fashion label in 2002 and quickly gained a reputation for custom gowns. Bollywood A-listers and brides from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Europe have worn her creations, while also attracting the attention of Dubai’s international brands. Last year, she moved to a new space in Dubai’s Design District after eight years at a Jumeirah location and saw her gowns picked up by major retailer Harvey Nichols. Heading into 2018, she expanded her portfolio by venturing into ready-to-wear, including jeans, in her spring-summer collection.
john paul joy alucas
Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group
John Paul joined the family business after graduation, but initially chose an intern position to gain a better grasp of the business. He hit his stride after rolling out a series of marketing and retail initiatives to help the brand maintain its position and continue to expand. Looking ahead, his father, Joy Alukkas, has made no secret of his intention to retire in Thrissur City and pass increasing responsibilities to his son, who now manages the group’s international business.
Geet Bhalla, Digvijay Pratap
Founder of HolidayME
Bhalla and Pratap are the brains behind Dubai-based travel booking startup HolidayMe. Using their experience in software development, finance and IT, they have helped grow the company from a small business in a garage into one of the fastest growing travel platforms in the Middle East with over 200 employees in Dubai, Riyadh and Pune, 23 USD 1 million in funding to date, according to Crunchbase data.
Nisha Giatiani
Group Director and Chief Happiness Officer, Landmark Group
Nisha Jagtiani joined the family business in 2005 and has since played an integral role in the growth of affordable fashion brand Splash. In recent years, among other responsibilities, she has focused on employee wellbeing, leading company-wide initiatives including the Landmark Happiness Campaign, which creates happiness and positive environment of. India.
Rajat Malhotra, Joshua Cox and Hussain Moloobhoy
Co-founder of Sole DXB
In 2010, Malhotra, Cox and Moloobhoy teamed up with Kris Balerite to create a progressive music festival dedicated to streetwear and hip-hop. Attracting 1,000 people in its first year, Sole DXB has since become a major date on Dubai’s calendar and a key meeting point for streetwear brands, designers and artists. Malhotra told Gulf Business in a forecast letter at the beginning of the year: “There have been countless times when we felt that what we were building had no place in the city. It was the grace of those who gave us the opportunity that we went. That’s it.” Many in Dubai will be delighted that they are launching the next Sole DXB in December.
Kunal Kapoor
Founder of The Luxury Closet
Before founding The Luxury Closet, a marketplace for luxury second-hand goods, Kapoor worked for six years in his family’s sneaker business, then entered a management track as a sales manager at Louis Vutton in the Mall of the Emirates. In 2011, he used this experience to start his own company out of his apartment, which has grown to date with over 80 team members, 16,000 unique items and over $11.6 million in funding.
ben samuel
CEO and Founder, Fit On Click
Mumbai-born Samuel founded fitness, wellness and exercise startup Fit On Click in the UAE in 2015 after completing his studies in the UK and has overseen the rapid expansion of the online portal. The company now works with more than 100 companies in the UAE in areas including corporate fitness and wellness, team building and sports competitions, with a growing network of 2,000 fitness studios, 1,800 personal trainers and 45 healthy food restaurants.
alyssa moppen
Executive Director and CEO, Aster DM Healthcare
Alisha Moopen is a rising star in the healthcare industry her father founded more than 30 years ago, but surprisingly, she didn’t want to take over the industry in the first place. She started working as an auditor at British professional services firm EY, and felt the pull of the healthcare industry after her young son’s accident. Since joining Aster DM in 2012, she has become a leader in hospitals and clinics in the GCC. This year, her financial experience also came in handy after the company went public in India in February, after which she was named to the World Economic Forum’s 2018 class of Young Global Leaders.
Divyank Turakia
billionaire entrepreneur
UAE resident Turakhia founded a technology company at the age of 16 with his 18-year-old brother Bhavin. The business is the start of a partnership that will over the next two decades become technology group Directi, which has an enterprise value of $1.4 billion, according to its website. In August 2016, the conglomerate sold its advertiser products business, Media.net, to a consortium of Chinese investors for $900 million — the same year the companies were worth an estimated $1.3 billion. Their next focus appears to be Flock, an enterprise collaboration platform that they hope to turn into a partially paid service.
Rohan Yogesh Mehta
Business Development Manager, Petrochem Middle East and CEO, Raging Tiger Event Co
After finishing his studies in the United States, Mehta worked two years at a chemical plant in Texas, preparing him for life at his father’s multibillion-dollar Middle Eastern petrochemical company. Since joining the company, he has spearheaded several important initiatives and is expected to take over management someday, but in the meantime he has already embarked on his own entrepreneurial journey. Raging Tiger, the events management company he founded in 2013, has established itself in the South Asian entertainment market and sees a huge opportunity with Expo 2020 looming.
Gaurav Biswas
Founder and CEO, TruKKer Technologies
Biswas moved to the UAE from London in 2007 and worked as a structural engineer on projects such as the Yas Mall and the Warner Bros. theme park in Abu Dhabi. Three years after he founded Fruit Capital LLC, a U.S.-focused development firm with family investment, in 2013, he identified a gap in the regional trucking industry. In 2016, he co-founded TruKKer with childhood friend Pradeep Mallavarapu, and the truck aggregator network has since continued to receive venture capital backing. The company now serves more than 180 businesses and operates a fleet of more than 4,000 trucks in the GCC and Jordan.
Hamik Singh
Founder and Chairman of Plan b Group
Singh arrived in the UAE on a visit visa in 2003 after his family’s electronics business in India closed due to increased competition from China. His first job was with an advertising agency in Dubai, where he hit home, went on to work with several of his regular clients after 10 months, and increased his salary from Dhs2,750 to Dhs200,000 ( $54,449) for a month, according to reports. This business formed the basis of Plan b, the company he founded in 2004, and proved a solid foundation for rapid expansion, spanning advertising, events, social media, interior design and more. The company has offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Delhi and London.
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