World of Billionaires: Dr Ravi Pillai

Indian entrepreneur and head of RP Group of companies Dr. B Ravi Pillai, a farmer’s son, whose net work $2.4 billion, recipient of 2008 Padma Shri Indian civil award, has expanded business to other countries like United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and India and has interest in hospitality, construction, steel, cement and oil and gas industries.  RP Group, which employs 250,000 people, is known to hold stakes in hotels like Leela in Kovalam, Hotel Raviz in Kollam and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadav in Kozhikode, and health care business through Upasana Hospital and Research centre and 300 bed multispecialty hospital in Kollam, schools and malls in Kerala India. RP Group generates more than three-fourths of its  $4.3 billion revenues from construction firm Nasser S. Al-Hajri corp, named after his Bahrain partner, and has presence in West Asia, Australia, Africa and the United States. He is building a 110-floor tower in Dubai.

Forbes listed him, in 2014, in The World’s Billionaires at 782 in the world and 40 in India, while Arabian Business ranked him as the fourth most powerful Indian in the Middle East in 2014.

Dr. Ravi Pillai, started a chit fund like a mini lottery which proved profitable, and he soon realised there was more to gained in the construction industry. In the early 1970s, he started sub-contracting work for companies in the chemical and oil refinery business. His business came to a sudden halt when the labourers went on strike.  In 1979, he moved to Saudi Arabia and worked with  Abdullah Jufana businessman which was a failure but then he teamed up with Nasser Al-Hajri with 120 employees and it clicked, as in 1983 first project was awarded to construct an underground parking space for aeroplanes for a French company. From then on he never looked back as he got a project for the Royal Terminal at Riyadh airport followed by several petrochemical plants and refineries. In 1976, Nasser Al-Hajri, whose clients included global players like Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Philips Conco, Chiyoda, Daelim and Rasgas, piggybacked on the Saudi Basic industries corporation and became the preferred contractor for them.