Manu Chandaria

Manu Chandaria

Manilal Premchand Chandaria OBE EBS (Elder of the Burning Spear) ^[1] is a Kenyan businessman of Indian descent born in Nairobi on March 1, 1929. Along with being the chairman and CEO of the Comcraft Group of Companies, a billion dollar enterprise that has a presence in over 40 countries^[2][3] , he is on the boards of several prominent East African companies. He has won several awards in East Africa and internationally in recognition of his entrepreneurial endeavours and is also a noted philanthropist^[4] . In 2003, Chandaria was awarded the OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.In December of the same year, he was awarded the Elder of the Burning Spear by His Excellency president Mwai Kibaki^[5], one of the highest civilian honours in Kenya. He has been hailed as "one of Kenya's leading industrialists" ^[6].

Early life

Chandaria's father, an Indian merchant from Saurashtra, Gujarat^[7], moved to Kenya in 1915 to start a provisions shop along Biashara street in Nairobi. He grew up in the Ngara area of Nairobi in a house that was home to three other families, where he assisted his father in his shop. Chandaria has conceded that though he wasn't "born with a silver spoon in his mouth, there were at least spoons in the house" an attestation to his humble beginnings. However, his father, a semi-literate, was determined on giving the young Chandaria the best education available ^[8] .

Education

Chandaria attended various schools in Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya from where he proceeded to India for his undergraduate studies. He graduated from Jamnagar India University, Bombay in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science from whence he proceeded to Oklahoma in the US. He graduated in 1950 with a BSc in engineering and continued with his Masters degree, which he obtained in 1951 from the University of Oklahoma^[9]. It was from here he returned to Kenya to find a prospering family enterprise and thus a platform where he would apply his swift business acumen to wrest a multinational conglomerate from the provisional shop that had once been.

Business

Shortly before Chandaria and his brother's return to kenya, their family had amassed some substantial properties that made it possible for their entry into the lucrative steel and aluminium industry ^[10] . Chandaria's future father-in-law had mobilised a group of ten individuals to acquire Kenya Aluminium, a saucepan manufacturer, a franchise that had folded from an Indian merchant in 1929 during the the Great Depression ^[11], although this group eventually broke up to pursue different ventures some twenty years later ^[12]. Such were the earnest beginnings of the future USD$2.5 billion Comcraft Group ^[13]. With the onset of the 1950s and 60s came the expansion of Comcraft to other countries such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Congo, India, Zambia and elsewhere with Chandaria being charged with business affairs in Uganda, and Congo. He is today the chairman of Comcraft Group, Bank of India Advisory Committee in Nairobi among others^[14] . His personal business interests are extensive and span the vast of the Kenyan economy and as well as 50 other countries^{[15] [16]}.

Philanthropy

Chandaria, a committed Jain, is concerned for all life, and in fulfillment of this principle he and his family set up the Chandaria Foundation to further this belief. As Comcraft operates in more than 11 African countries, the Chandaria family has set up charitable trusts in each country to assist in their philanthropic exploits^[17]. As the chairman of the Chandaria Foundation he is at the forefront of the charitable work of the family. He is the benefactor of numerous schools and clincs in Kenya and is or has been with involved with more than 25 organisations ^[18] . Chandaria cites John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford as the inspiration for his philanthropic streak due to their establishing the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundaton respectively^[19].

Personal life

Dr. Chandaria is Married to Aruna with whom he has two children-daughter Priti and son Neal and three grandchildren ^[20] . He lives in a quite suburb of Nairobi, Kenya.

References

1. ^ "MANILAL PREMCHAND CHANDARIA". October 1, 2011. http://namaskar-africana.com/content.php?r=201-MANU-CHANDARIA-OBE-EBS. 
2. ^ "Forbes India Magazine - Experiences of the Indian Diaspora in Africa". August 26, 2009. http://business.in.com/article/magazine-extra/experiences-of-the-indian-diaspora-in-africa/3762/0. 
3. ^ "Shah Rukh Khan acquires 26% stake in KidZania". July 5, 2011. http://www.planetsrk.com/community/threads/shah-rukh-khan-acquires-26-stake-in-kidzania.23396/. 
4. ^ "Biography of Manu Chandaria". June 26, 2008. http://www.whartoncapetown08.com/bio-chandaria.html. 
5. ^ "Biography of Manu Chandaria". June 26, 2008. http://www.whartoncapetown08.com/bio-chandaria.html. 
6. ^ "Manu Chandaria shares basics to getting ahead in life - Home ". August 3, 2009. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/633666/-/item/0/-/js86r9/-/index.html. 
7. ^ "Forbes India Magazine - Experiences of the Indian Diaspora in Africa". August 26, 2009. http://business.in.com/article/magazine-extra/experiences-of-the-indian-diaspora-in-africa/3762/0. 
8. ^ "Manu Chandaria - Hindustan Times". October 19, 2011. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Manu-Chandaria/Article1-3980.aspx. 
9. ^ "MANILAL PREMCHAND CHANDARIA". October 1, 2011. http://namaskar-africana.com/content.php?r=201-MANU-CHANDARIA-OBE-EBS. 
10. ^ "Manu Chandaria - Hindustan Times". October 19, 2011. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Manu-Chandaria/Article1-3980.aspx. 
11. ^ "Manu Chandaria shares basics to getting ahead in life - Home ". August 3, 2009. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/633666/-/item/0/-/js86r9/-/index.html. 
12. ^ "Manu Chandaria shares basics to getting ahead in life - Home ". August 3, 2009. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/633666/-/item/0/-/js86r9/-/index.html. 
13. ^ "Fedha: Manu Chandaria. Businessman & Philanthropist extraordinaire". September 9, 2007. http://fedha.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-our-own-manu-chandaria-businessman_09.html. 
14. ^ "MANILAL PREMCHAND CHANDARIA". October 1, 2011. http://namaskar-africana.com/content.php?r=201-MANU-CHANDARIA-OBE-EBS. 
15. ^ "Biography of Manu Chandaria". June 26, 2008. http://www.whartoncapetown08.com/bio-chandaria.html. 
16. ^ "Manu Chandaria shares basics to getting ahead in life - Home ". August 3, 2009. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/633666/-/item/0/-/js86r9/-/index.html. 
17. ^ "Philanthropy in Kenya". September-October, 2007. http://www.synergos.org/globalgivingmatters/features/0710kenyaphilanthropy.htm. 
18. ^ "MANILAL PREMCHAND CHANDARIA". October 1, 2011. http://namaskar-africana.com/content.php?r=201-MANU-CHANDARIA-OBE-EBS. 
19. ^ "Fedha: Manu Chandaria. Businessman & Philanthropist extraordinaire". September 9, 2007. http://fedha.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-our-own-manu-chandaria-businessman_09.html. 
20. ^ "MANILAL PREMCHAND CHANDARIA". October 1, 2011. http://namaskar-africana.com/content.php?r=201-MANU-CHANDARIA-OBE-EBS.