KAMPALA- Business mogul Sudhir Ruparelia has been voted the East African leader of 2018, with his experience in business leadership, picked as an inspiration to many people in the region.
Mr. Ruparelia, the founder and chairman of the Ruparelia Foundation was voted for the award by the East African by profilers – The East African Book of Records.
Mr. Ruparelia Similar joins a number of personalities including Presidents Museveni, Jakaya Kikwete, Uhuru Kenyatta, President Edgar Lungu of Zambia, who have received similar awards before.
An official ceremony to present the award will be organized towards the end of October and delegates from all the East African countries will read citations in Honor of Mr. Ruparelia.
The profiler has also announced that an annual Dr Sudhir Ruparelia lecture – “THE SILENT LION OF BUSINESS” will be soon launched where the business mogul will give inspiration to over 10,000 East African youth annually.
Born in 1956 in Kampala, Dr Ruparelia’s story of entrepreneurship is a great inspiration for reward to hard work and focus.
Coming from a family of Ugandan Asians who migrated to Uganda in 1903, Dr. Ruparelia and his family were not spared when the then President of Uganda, Idi Amin, ordered the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. The Ruparelias relocated to the UK in 1972 where the 16-year-old Sudhir did odd jobs in factories, supermarkets and butcheries while studying until he completed his A’ level education. His hard work from the odd jobs got him his first savings.
When he completed A’ level, he joined various companies and worked as an accountant. He returned to Uganda in 1985 where he has since invested in different sectors including starting the first ever foreign exchange bureau in Uganda.
Sudhir’s business empire today spans from hotels and hospitality industry, real estate, floriculture education and schools to media, insurance and forex and until recently banking, before his Crane Bank was controversially transferred to DFCU bank by the Bank of Uganda.
His businesses employ more than 10,000 Ugandans.
