Ashish J. Thakkar is a Rwandan-based entrepreneur.[1][2] He is the founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation, and he is a co-founder of Atlas Mara Limited. Thakkar was born in the United Kingdom, but he moved to East Africa as a teenager before founding Mara Group, a Pan-African conglomerate, at the age of 15.[3]Mara Group's operations and investments span 22 African countries.[4] He is the author of The Lion Awakes: Adventures in Africa's Economic Miracle.
In 2015, Thakkar was appointed Chair of the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council and in 2017, he was appointed Chair of the Presidential Youth Advisory Group at the African Development Bank
Thakkar's family emigrated from the Indian state of Gujarat to Africa in the 1890s.[9][10] Thakkar was born in Leicester in 1981.[11] He spent his childhood at Rushey Mead School as part of Belvoir S form group. His parents had moved to the United Kingdom in 1972 when Idi Amin enforced the expulsion of Asians from Uganda.[12] Thakkar and his family returned to Africa to live in Rwanda before they were again forced to leave due to the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The Thakkar family then fled to Burundi before settling in Uganda as refugees.[6][12] At 15 years old, Thakkar dropped out of school to start his own business with a $5,000 loan.[6]
Career
Thakkar founded his own company, Mara Group, in 1996 at the age of 15.[11] He began by importing computer parts including keyboards, mouses, and desktops from weekly trips to Dubai.[13] After Thakkar had received a $5,000 loan to start his company,[14] he opened the small IT business in a shopping mall across the street from his father's shop in Kampala.[15]
Over the next ten years, Thakkar expanded Mara Group into manufacturing, real estate, agriculture and IT services.[1][6] Thakkar later relocated the company headquarters to Dubai, but kept business in Africa.[12][16]
In 2013, Thakkar announced a partnership with Bob Diamond to launch Atlas Mara,[17] a company that invests in commercial banking institutions across Africa.[18] Diamond, the former chief executive of Barclays, and Thakkar met at a conference through their foundations, Mara Foundation and the Diamond Family Foundation.[14] Thakkar and Diamond raised $325 million in funding in December 2013, before listing the company on the London Stock Exchange.[19][20] The stock price has continued steadily declining and has lost 95% of its IPO price.[21] The ticker symbol in London is ATMA.LN, while in the United States, the ticker is AAMAF.
Other activities
Thakkar founded Mara Foundation, a non-profit company that mentors and supports young African entrepreneurs,[22] in 2009.[12] Mara Mentor, a mobile application that connects young entrepreneurs with business professionals, was launched through Mara Foundation.[2]
In June 2014, Thakkar participated in the "Global Accelerator" event hosted by the United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships to discuss entrepreneurships in UN objectives. Thakkar presented and worked at the event of over 100 entrepreneurs and UN officials including Michael Dell, Barbara Bush and Arianna Huffington.[23] In August 2014, Thakkar participated in the US-Africa summit, hosted by the White House, alongside former U.S. President Bill Clinton.[24] He has also participated in the UN Women Initiative,[25] and was a guest speaker at the Emirates Foundation Youth Philanthropy Summit in November 2014.[16]
^G. Seetharaman (26 January 2014). "Mara group's Ashish Thakkar: How he established a multi-million dollar, pan-African group". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^G Seetharaman. "Mara group's Ashish Thakkar: How he established a multi-million dollar, pan-African group". The economic times. Retrieved 24 October 2015. Thakkar's paternal great grandfather moved from Gujarat to Uganda in 1890 to trade in maize, cotton and other commodities. But his family had to leave Uganda in 1972 when the country's dictatorial leader Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of Asians. His parents moved to the UK, where they set up a business trading women's fashion goods and where Thakkar was born.
^ abBlas, Javier (22 June 2014). "Ashish Thakkar: Bob Diamond's African partner". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^ abcdMatt Symonds (9 March 2014). "Ashish Thakkar: Child refugee who built business empire". BBC News. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^Christina Farr (7 August 2012). "Genocide refugee, CEO, and astronaut-to-be gives back to Africa with accelerator". Venture Beat. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^ abKathleen Caulderwood (4 March 2014). "Mara Group's Ashish Thakkar on What Investors Get Wrong About Africa". International Business Times. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^Ayesha Durgahee; Jessica Ellis (24 April 2013). "Tycoon to fly African flags in space". CNN. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^ abRoberta Pennington (4 November 2014). "Businessman hopes to inspire youth". The National. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^Chad Bray (9 December 2013). "Robert Diamond Aims to Make Banking Comeback – in Africa". The New York Times Dealbook. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^Mfonobong Nsehe (5 September 2014). "Young African Millionaire Ashish J. Thakkar Launches Mara Mentor in Ghana". Forbes. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^Mfonobong Nsehe (14 May 2014). "Bob Diamond And Ashish J. Thakkar To Raise $400 Million to Fund Deals". Forbes. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^"Bob Diamond-backed Atlas Mara to expand in Africa via acquisitions". Reuters. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^"ATMA.LN - Atlas Mara Limited Stock Technical Chart".
^Mike Cassidy (16 May 2013). "Ashish Thakkar and the Mara Group Take A Flying Leap at Becoming The Skype Facebook, Google Talk of Africa". Silicon Beat. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^"Welcome to the United Nations Office for Partnerships". United Nations Office of Partnerships. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^"Ashish J. Thakkar, US-Africa Leader's Summit". C-SPAN. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
^Donna Fenn (11 March 2014). "How Ashish Thakkar Built an African Business Empire". Inc. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
External links
Official website
Harvard Business School Mara Group Case Study
January 14, 2023
ashish, thakkar, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, available, a. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as Reflinks documentation reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view Please discuss further on the talk page June 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ashish J Thakkar is a Rwandan based entrepreneur 1 2 He is the founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation and he is a co founder of Atlas Mara Limited Thakkar was born in the United Kingdom but he moved to East Africa as a teenager before founding Mara Group a Pan African conglomerate at the age of 15 3 Mara Group s operations and investments span 22 African countries 4 He is the author of The Lion Awakes Adventures in Africa s Economic Miracle Ashish J ThakkarBorn 1981 08 05 5 August 1981 age 41 Leicester United KingdomNationalityBritish RwandanOccupation s Founder Mara Group amp Mara FoundationYears active1996 presentOrganizationMara CorporationKnown forFounding Mara GroupCo founding Atlas MaraParentJagdish Thakkar amp Sarla Thakkar Wife krishna thakkar Children yagna thakkarWebsitewww wbr ashishjthakkar wbr comThakkar is a member of the World Economic Forum s Young Global Leaders 1 5 and was included in Fortune magazine s list of the top 40 Under 40 in 2013 6 He was awarded the Base Leadership Award at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards event 7 Esquire named him Middle East Man of the Year in 2016 8 In 2015 Thakkar was appointed Chair of the United Nations Foundation s Global Entrepreneurs Council and in 2017 he was appointed Chair of the Presidential Youth Advisory Group at the African Development Bank Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Other activities 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksEarly life and education EditThakkar s family emigrated from the Indian state of Gujarat to Africa in the 1890s 9 10 Thakkar was born in Leicester in 1981 11 He spent his childhood at Rushey Mead School as part of Belvoir S form group His parents had moved to the United Kingdom in 1972 when Idi Amin enforced the expulsion of Asians from Uganda 12 Thakkar and his family returned to Africa to live in Rwanda before they were again forced to leave due to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 The Thakkar family then fled to Burundi before settling in Uganda as refugees 6 12 At 15 years old Thakkar dropped out of school to start his own business with a 5 000 loan 6 Career EditThakkar founded his own company Mara Group in 1996 at the age of 15 11 He began by importing computer parts including keyboards mouses and desktops from weekly trips to Dubai 13 After Thakkar had received a 5 000 loan to start his company 14 he opened the small IT business in a shopping mall across the street from his father s shop in Kampala 15 Over the next ten years Thakkar expanded Mara Group into manufacturing real estate agriculture and IT services 1 6 Thakkar later relocated the company headquarters to Dubai but kept business in Africa 12 16 In 2013 Thakkar announced a partnership with Bob Diamond to launch Atlas Mara 17 a company that invests in commercial banking institutions across Africa 18 Diamond the former chief executive of Barclays and Thakkar met at a conference through their foundations Mara Foundation and the Diamond Family Foundation 14 Thakkar and Diamond raised 325 million in funding in December 2013 before listing the company on the London Stock Exchange 19 20 The stock price has continued steadily declining and has lost 95 of its IPO price 21 The ticker symbol in London is ATMA LN while in the United States the ticker is AAMAF Other activities EditThakkar founded Mara Foundation a non profit company that mentors and supports young African entrepreneurs 22 in 2009 12 Mara Mentor a mobile application that connects young entrepreneurs with business professionals was launched through Mara Foundation 2 In June 2014 Thakkar participated in the Global Accelerator event hosted by the United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships to discuss entrepreneurships in UN objectives Thakkar presented and worked at the event of over 100 entrepreneurs and UN officials including Michael Dell Barbara Bush and Arianna Huffington 23 In August 2014 Thakkar participated in the US Africa summit hosted by the White House alongside former U S President Bill Clinton 24 He has also participated in the UN Women Initiative 25 and was a guest speaker at the Emirates Foundation Youth Philanthropy Summit in November 2014 16 See also EditAtlas Mara Co Nvest LimitedReferences Edit a b c Young Successful And African Ashish J Thakkar CEO of Mara Group Forbes Retrieved 24 April 2013 a b Nsehe Mfonobong 7 August 2012 Young African Millionaire Launches Mara com Africa s First Online Mentorship Network Forbes Magazine Retrieved 1 August 2014 Ashish J Thakkar Shaking Africa s business universe African Business Magazine 4 April 2013 Retrieved 10 February 2014 Maritz Jaco 5 October 2014 Why Ashish Thakkar s Mara Group has its head office in Dubai How We Made It in Africa Retrieved 27 November 2014 Ashish Thakkar World Economic Forum Retrieved 24 April 2013 a b c d 40 Under 40 2013 19 Ashish Thakkar Forbes 2013 Retrieved 27 November 2014 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards winners Bizcommunity com 9 June 2014 Retrieved 11 June 2014 http www esquireme com content 19132 lessons from an entrepreneur ashish j thakkar G Seetharaman 26 January 2014 Mara group s Ashish Thakkar How he established a multi million dollar pan African group The Economic Times Retrieved 27 November 2014 G Seetharaman Mara group s Ashish Thakkar How he established a multi million dollar pan African group The economic times Retrieved 24 October 2015 Thakkar s paternal great grandfather moved from Gujarat to Uganda in 1890 to trade in maize cotton and other commodities But his family had to leave Uganda in 1972 when the country s dictatorial leader Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of Asians His parents moved to the UK where they set up a business trading women s fashion goods and where Thakkar was born a b Blas Javier 22 June 2014 Ashish Thakkar Bob Diamond s African partner Financial Times Retrieved 27 November 2014 a b c d Matt Symonds 9 March 2014 Ashish Thakkar Child refugee who built business empire BBC News Retrieved 27 November 2014 Christina Farr 7 August 2012 Genocide refugee CEO and astronaut to be gives back to Africa with accelerator Venture Beat Retrieved 27 November 2014 a b Kathleen Caulderwood 4 March 2014 Mara Group s Ashish Thakkar on What Investors Get Wrong About Africa International Business Times Retrieved 27 November 2014 Ayesha Durgahee Jessica Ellis 24 April 2013 Tycoon to fly African flags in space CNN Retrieved 27 November 2014 a b Roberta Pennington 4 November 2014 Businessman hopes to inspire youth The National Retrieved 27 November 2014 Chad Bray 9 December 2013 Robert Diamond Aims to Make Banking Comeback in Africa The New York Times Dealbook Retrieved 27 November 2014 Mfonobong Nsehe 5 September 2014 Young African Millionaire Ashish J Thakkar Launches Mara Mentor in Ghana Forbes Retrieved 27 November 2014 Mfonobong Nsehe 14 May 2014 Bob Diamond And Ashish J Thakkar To Raise 400 Million to Fund Deals Forbes Retrieved 27 November 2014 Bob Diamond backed Atlas Mara to expand in Africa via acquisitions Reuters 31 March 2014 Retrieved 27 November 2014 ATMA LN Atlas Mara Limited Stock Technical Chart Mike Cassidy 16 May 2013 Ashish Thakkar and the Mara Group Take A Flying Leap at Becoming The Skype Facebook Google Talk of Africa Silicon Beat Retrieved 27 November 2014 Welcome to the United Nations Office for Partnerships United Nations Office of Partnerships Retrieved 27 November 2014 Ashish J Thakkar US Africa Leader s Summit C SPAN 8 August 2014 Retrieved 27 November 2014 Donna Fenn 11 March 2014 How Ashish Thakkar Built an African Business Empire Inc Retrieved 27 November 2014 External links EditOfficial website Harvard Business School Mara Group Case Study Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ashish Thakkar amp oldid 1107506914, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
