Indian Visionaries 2025: Ravi Pillai, Founder and Chairman, RP Group
By the nineties, Pillai had expanded the business to other GCC countries and began construction for oil and gas as well as petrochemical and steel companies, emerging as a leading regional general contractor.
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This article is part of Entrepreneur Middle East’s special edition: 33 Indian Visionaries.
Hailing from a family of farmers in Kerala, Dr. Pillai established RP Group in the 1970s after his small construction firm shut shop, prompting him to migrate to KSA. Between 1985 and 1990, the group expanded to 5,000 employees; procured business from a petrochemical major in KSA; and secured major contracts in Al Jubail. By the nineties, Pillai had expanded the business to other GCC countries and began construction for oil and gas as well as petrochemical and steel companies, emerging as a leading regional general contractor. And today, the group covers sectors including construction, infrastructure, retail, hospitality, and healthcare.
The group are a preferred partner for some of the largest companies in the world that are actively involved in developing the hydrocarbons industry across the Middle East. RP Group aims to strengthen its role as a leading diversified conglomerate, with ventures in construction, real estate, hospitality, healthcare, education, IT, and retail. Guided by principles of strategic significance, operational excellence, reliability, and community commitment, RP Group leverages its broad and service- focused business portfolio to position itself as a top global diversified entity.
With a firmly established foothold of over four decades in the Middle East region, across nine countries, extending in 20 cities, the group is well established across the hospitality sectors in both the UAE and India. Boasting over seven hotels in Kerala and the GCC region, Pillai has purchased two more properties in Pune, and are setting up a 200-villa luxury resort in the Maldives. The group’s successful subsidiary Taj RP International has completed the Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina, with RP Global also developing two projects in Business Bay and on Sheikh Zayed Road, worth $1.5 billion. The RP Group has underlined its exceptional competency in hospitality services in the UAE and India. The Raviz Group is an ancillary of the RP Group of Companies, with a portfolio of resorts and hotels in the UAE and India.
This article is part of Entrepreneur Middle East’s special edition: 33 Indian Visionaries.
Hailing from a family of farmers in Kerala, Dr. Pillai established RP Group in the 1970s after his small construction firm shut shop, prompting him to migrate to KSA. Between 1985 and 1990, the group expanded to 5,000 employees; procured business from a petrochemical major in KSA; and secured major contracts in Al Jubail. By the nineties, Pillai had expanded the business to other GCC countries and began construction for oil and gas as well as petrochemical and steel companies, emerging as a leading regional general contractor. And today, the group covers sectors including construction, infrastructure, retail, hospitality, and healthcare.
The group are a preferred partner for some of the largest companies in the world that are actively involved in developing the hydrocarbons industry across the Middle East. RP Group aims to strengthen its role as a leading diversified conglomerate, with ventures in construction, real estate, hospitality, healthcare, education, IT, and retail. Guided by principles of strategic significance, operational excellence, reliability, and community commitment, RP Group leverages its broad and service- focused business portfolio to position itself as a top global diversified entity.
