PARAS SHAHDADPURI
“I believe Resting is Rusting. God Almighty has bestowed on us the capacity to generate wealth, so we must keep producing it partially for self and partially to use this wealth for the welfare of society at large. Keep working till you drop”
Paras Shahdadpuri is the founder of the Nikai Group, which has been awarded the status of being a ‘Superbrand’ in 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Under his leadership, the company offers an enviable lineup of over 400 home appliances and electronics that compete with major Korean and Japanese brands today. Till date, Nikai has exported to 60 countries and has over 60 million satisfied customers.
Prior to being the Chairman of Nikai Group, Mr. Shahdadpuri served the country in a different avatar. He was a diplomat with the Indian Foreign Services and served in various Indian diplomatic missions to China, the US, Saudi Arabia and Libya.
In 1987, the world of business piqued his fancy and he decided to take the proverbial mid-life risk and enter into new uncharted territory. He left his diplomatic career at a high and ventured into business in 1987. It was a sheer coincidence that he happened to stopover in Dubai and experienced ‘love-at-first-sight’ for this city. He soon moved to and set up his base here.
Today the Nikai Group has business interests in electronics, appliances, food products and FMCG, staffing & outsourcing, 3PL Logistics, IOT and digital transformation projects, with offices in UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Georgia and China to name a few.
With a view to giving back to the community, Shahdadpuri has taken a keen interest in developing India-UAE business relations. The business community, represented by the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC), which is the only recognized body by the Dubai authorities, elected him with the highest votes as its President from 2009 to 2011. The business community persistently urged him to return to IBPC, and he was re-elected to take up the Presidentship for another term from 2013 to 2015.
Mr. Shahdadpuri developed IBPC as a catalyst for the growth of the India-UAE economic, investment & trade relations, and nurtured close ties with UAE authorities and local business houses. It is one of the endeavors that have helped the UAE become one of the biggest trading partners of India and vice-versa.
In 2019, he also contributed as President of the Business Leaders Forum which comprises high net worth Indian businessmen in the UAE and Senior Emirati businessmen from UAE.
H.H. Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum has appointed Mr. Shahdadpuri as an Honorary Board Member of the UAE Billiards and Snooker Association for the period of 2017-2020.
H.H. Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum has currently appointed Mr. Shahdadpuri as an Honorary Board Member of the Rashid Centre for the Determined.
Currently Mr. Shahdadpuri has been appointed as a Council member of Superbrands.
Shahdadpuri is involved in community development not only in his native country India but also in the UAE. He has contributed handsomely to Dubai Cares, an initiative of the Dubai Government. In the education field, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Former UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Shahdadpuri instituted an “Award for Excellence in Innovative Teaching” to the best teacher and an “Award for Recognition of Outstanding Achievement” to the best student in the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE.When it comes to charity he has always led by example, by supporting groups like the Rashid Centre for the Determined, the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs, the Dubai Autism Group and other charities back home as well.
Shahdadpuri has been a case study subject as a diplomat-turned-entrepreneur in various universities and has appeared in various TV channels and other media in the UAE, China and India. The thought that befits his life work can be encapsulated in one sentence, Shadadpuri is truly a man of honor who is a gentleman at heart, and a statesman in action. For more information, please visit: www.nikai.com“I believe Resting is Rusting. God Almighty has bestowed on us the capacity to generate wealth, so we must keep producing it partially for self and partially to use this wealth for the welfare of society at large. Keep working till you drop.”
- General Trading
- Electronics
In recognition of his various achievements, Shahdadpuri has been awarded a plethora of awards. He has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Bharat Shiromani Award 2005’ in recognition of his laudable contributions and achievements. In 2012, he was conferred the coveted CEO’s Award for International Achievement.
These awards are broadly in two distinct categories : business excellence and community development.
In business excellence, the awards include:
- Top Indian Leaders Award by the renowned Forbes Group
- Bharat Shiromani Awards
- Recognition as a Superbrand for quality, by the world-renowned organization -‘Superbrands’
- Global Electronics Sector Award – by Middle East World Leaders Summit
- Industry Ingenious Award – by Power Brands Hall of Fame
- Bizz Award for ‘Inspirational Company’ by World Cob
- ISO 9001-2008 – by TUV Nord
In the community development category, Shahdadpuri has been bestowed recognition from many quarters and his awards include:
- Service to the UAE Community Award – by HH Sheikh Nayahan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan (then UAE Minister for Higher Education & Scientific Research)
- Dubai Quality Appreciation Award – by Department of Economic Development, Dubai
- Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award – by Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
He was also featured in the following:
- In the Book “100 Most Influential Indians In The World ” released in New York in 2012
- In the “100 Indian power list” – Showcasing the Gulf’s most Influential Indians by Arabian Business.
- In the “30 richest Indians list” in the Gulf.
- In Zee TV as one of the “Top Guns” in UAE.
- He was one of the very select Indian delegates who accompanied H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Bombay for the “Make in India” event at the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2016, and also a second time to New Delhi as a special guest for the Republic day celebrations during January 2017.
Shahdadpuri is clear how posterity will remember him – as an entrepreneur who pursued values, not merely profits. “I think a good entrepreneur is a good human being and such a person doesn’t grow at the cost of anybody else”.
