Loading ...... On cards is an investment of up to $10 million for promoting the brand and building a distribution network in India in the next couple of years, shopping for breweries and establishing a greenfield plant in Andhra Pradesh from where this Parsi beer baron hails. ...
The past week has been hectic for Karan Bilimoria. The NRI entrepreneur, who, after paying a brief visit to Delhi for the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, went to London and was back here again to attend another summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). And he seems all set for the luncheon sessions and business negotiations. Delivering speeches is not a problem now, quips Bilimoria, who acknowledges his membership at the House of Lords in the United Kingdom as the reason for his comfort level. “It’s fun being a member. I still remember the first note I delivered in the House… everyone was so welcoming and encouraging,” he says.
Besides scouting vineyards worldwide and making points at the Upper House, Bilimoria spends most of his time shuttling between London (his workplace and home), South Africa (from where his wife hails) to India and other countries where he sees his business brewing. “India has a prominent place in the list,” says the founder CEO of Cobra Beer Ltd., who is busy building business in the native land. On cards is an investment of up to $10 million for promoting the brand and building a distribution network in India in the next couple of years, shopping for breweries and establishing a greenfield plant in Andhra Pradesh from where this Parsi beer baron hails.
Apart from Cobra Beer, priorities in India include meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and trade bodies like CII to strengthen Indo-British trade links, another area of his concern. “We are soon bringing Britain’s biggest delegation of businessmen to discuss trade with their Indian counterparts,” says this global Indian.
Asked what makes him a contented man and confident master juggler of tight schedules and conflicting priorities, he points to the time spent with his family. “Before my current Indian trip, I spent some days with my family in South Africa. Days with kids are fun and frolic. During weekends back home, while working in my study, I keep the door open so that kids can come and go. There is noise all around with the oldest child working on the computer sitting next to me, while the little ones play around,” he says.
Father of four kids, Bilimoria finds the world in his children. Being with them not only gives him a break, but also rejuvenates him for the competitive business and responsibilities the Upper House showers on him. So was the House always an aim? He acknowledges his grandfather who served as a Rajya Sabha member as his inspiration. Bilimoria knows that the Upper Houses in the two countries are different in underlining the challenges faced by the human society. “In the UK, climate change is a huge concern. On one hand, we find the PM speaking on this, on the other we see intellectuals bringing out reports and reviews on the subject. In India, the concerns are different, but we, in the UK, believe that India in its current stage of development can grasp more of clean technologies and concentrate on the issue of climate change more than any other nation,” he says.
A tennis freak, Bilimoria loves horse riding, sailing and reading. And he tries to dedicate time to everything. “I try to give tennis some time every week. During weekends, I attend a training session of in-door tennis,” he says. A die-hard sportsman, Bilimoria also enjoys golf and water sports.
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