B. Ravi Pillai
B. Ravi Pillai | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 2, 1953 Chavara, Kollam, Kerala, India |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Businessman |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Known for | Founder and chairman of RP Group |
| Notable work | Establishment and leadership of RP Group; ownership of hotels and healthcare ventures in Kerala; recipient of Padma Shri and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards |
B. Ravi Pillai (born 2 September 1953) is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur based in Dubai, who established and leads the RP Group as its founder and chairman. As of May 2023, his fortune is valued at billion.
Early life
Ravi Pillai was born in Chavara, located in Kerala's Kollam, into the Kadappa Pillai Veettil lineage. He earned a degree in Commerce from the University of Cochin.
Career
During his time at university, Pillai initiated a chit fund operation financed through loans. Subsequently, he ventured into an engineering contracting firm, collaborating with prominent Kerala industrial companies such as Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited, Hindustan Newsprint Limited, and Cochin Refineries. After a labour strike led to the shutdown of his enterprise, he relocated to Saudi Arabia in 1978 and started a modest trading business. Two years afterward, he entered the construction sector by founding Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH), which began with 150 staff members. NSH grew to become the primary company within the RP Group, which currently employs over 70,000 individuals across various industries.
The RP Group under Pillai’s leadership has broadened its footprint to include operations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, with diversified business interests spanning construction, hospitality, steel manufacturing, cement production, and oil and gas sectors. The group owns multiple hotels in Kerala such as Leela Kovalam, Hotel Raviz Kollam, and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu Kozhikode. Furthermore, Pillai has invested in healthcare through Upasana Hospital and Research Centre, a 300-bed multispecialty hospital situated in Kollam. The RP Mall shopping complex in Kollam city is also part of his business ventures.
Awards and recognition
Pillai was conferred an honorary doctorate by Excelsior College, New York, and received the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award from the Government of India in 2008. In 2010, he was honored with the civilian distinction of Padma Shri during the Republic Day awards ceremony.
In 2015, Arabian Business ranked him as the fourth most influential Indian in the Middle East region.
Personal life
Ravi Pillai is married to Geetha, and they live in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The couple has two children: a son named Ganesh Ravi Pillai and a daughter named Arathi Ravi Pillai.
In November 2015, he spent ₹55 crores ($7.5 million) on Arathi’s wedding to Adithya Vishnu in Kollam, adhering to traditional Nair customs. The ceremony was organized by the production designer from Baahubali: The Beginning and is regarded as Kerala’s most lavish wedding to date. His son Ganesh married engineer Anjana Suresh in September 2021.