B. Ravi Pillai Biography: Net Worth, Siblings, Awards, Height, Parents, Age, Children, Wife

Balachandra Ravi Pillai, also known as B. Ravi Pillai, a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist, is an Indian billionaire businessman based in Dubai, renowned for founding and chairing the RP Group of Companies.

His journey from a farmer’s son in Kerala to a global construction and hospitality magnate, often dubbed the “Ambani of the Gulf,” exemplifies resilience and strategic acumenand has made significant contributions to business and philanthropy.

Profile

• Full Name: Balachandra Ravi Pillai
• Stage Name: B. Ravi Pillai
• Born: September 2, 1953
• Age: 72 years old
• Birthplace: Chavara, Kollam, Kerala, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Occupation: Businessman, Philanthropist
• Height: Unknown
• Religion: Hinduism
• Parents: Balakrishna Pillai and Saradamma
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Geetha Ravi Pillai
• Children: Dr. Arathi Ravi Pillai, Ganesh Ravi Pillai
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $3.94 billion to $4.6 billion USD

Early Life

B. Ravi Pillai was born on September 2, 1953, in Chavara, a coastal town in Kollam, Kerala, India, into a modest farming family. His father, Balakrishna Pillai, worked in the fields, while his mother, Saradamma, was a homemaker and mother to support the family.

His early life was marked by determination to overcome adversity, inspired by his family’s agricultural roots and the challenges of rural Kerala. These experiences shaped his resilience, leading him to pursue education and business opportunities with unwavering ambition.

Education

B. Ravi Pillai graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Baby John Memorial Government College, Chavara, and pursued a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from Cochin University.

Career

B. Ravi Pillai began his career in the early 1970s with a chit fund in Kollam during his university days, followed by an engineering contract business in Kerala, serving major firms like Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited, Hindustan Newsprint Limited, and Cochin Refineries.

A labor strike forced its closure, prompting him to relocate to Saudi Arabia in 1978, where he started a small trading business. In 1980, he founded Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH), the flagship of the RP Group, with 150 employees, focusing on construction. The group expanded into a $5 billion conglomerate with over 120,000 employees across nine countries, operating in construction, hospitality, real estate, healthcare, steel, cement, oil and gas, IT, and retail.

Key projects include work for Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, SABIC, and Qatar Petroleum, with contracts worth over $30 billion. In India, RP Group owns RP Mall in Kollam and hotels like Leela Kovalam (acquired for ₹500 crore in 2011), Hotel Raviz, and WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu, Kozhikode.

Healthcare ventures include Upasana Hospital and Research Centre, a 300-bed multispecialty hospital in Kollam. Education initiatives include Upasana Nursing College and New Millennium School in Bahrain. In 2022, Pillai became the first Indian to own an Airbus H145 helicopter (₹100 crore). The RP Group continues to expand, with plans announced in 2019 to invest ₹11,000 crore in hospitality.

Awards & Nominations

• 2008: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, Government of India
• 2010: Padma Shri, Government of India (fourth-highest civilian honor)
• 2011: Businessman of the Year Award, Kerala State Forum of Bankers’ Clubs
• 2015: Ranked 4th Most Powerful Indian in the Middle East, Arabian Business
• 2014: Forbes World’s Billionaires List (#988 globally, #30 in India)
• Best Partner Award, Samsung Engineering
• Best Contractor Award, ExxonMobil

Social Media

B. Ravi Pillai maintains a limited social media presence.

Personal Life

B. Ravi Pillai is married to Geetha Ravi Pillai, and they reside in Dubai, UAE. They have two children: Dr. Arathi Ravi Pillai, who married Adithya Vishnu in a ₹55 crore ($7.5 million) wedding in Kollam in 2015, organized by the Baahubali production designer, and Ganesh Ravi Pillai, who married Anjana Suresh, an engineer, in 2021.

He owns luxury properties, including apartments in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, and in 2022 became the first Indian to own an Airbus H145 helicopter (₹100 crore). His philanthropy through the Ravi Pillai Foundation supports education, healthcare, housing, and disaster relief, including contributions to recovery efforts following the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake and the 2004 Tsunami.

Net Worth

B. Ravi Pillai has an estimated net worth of $3.94 billion to $4.6 billion USD, per Forbes, ranking him #979 on the 2025 Billionaires List. His wealth stems from the RP Group’s $5 billion turnover, with stakes in construction, hospitality (e.g., Leela Kovalam), healthcare (Upasana Hospital), and real estate (Burj Khalifa apartments).