June 16 - Millionaire Indian entrepreneur Bhanu Choudhrie (pictured) has been appointed chairman of a newly-formed Business Advisory Board set-up by Commonwealth Games England (CGE), they announed today.

Choudhrie will be working with a group of eminent and respected sports minded individuals in order to rally support and secure vital funds to support England’s participation at this year's Games in New Delhi.

Choudhrie has been the executive director of C&C Alpha Group Ltd, a company that hasa vast portfolio of investments, from luxury award-winning spa hotels in India and Mauritius to care homes in the UK, since 2001.

Choudhrie, the 2008 Asian Entrepreneur of the Year, has recently diversified into Bollywood, launching a company in India involved in filming and distribution.

He was born in New Delhi in 1978 but studied International Business and Marketing at the University of Boston before moving to London.

Choudhrie's involvement follows on from last month’s announcement that CGE has raised over £100,000 ($148,000) through signing up small medium enterprises (SMEs) to become an ‘Official Friend of the England Team’ for Delhi 2010.

Choudhrie said: "I am really excited to come in as chair of the Business Advisory Board and am fully focused on the success of Commonwealth Games England.

"The team has over 400 of England’s top athletes heading to Delhi and we want to make sure they have everything in place to help make the Games a huge success."

Joanna Robinson, the Development Director for CGE, said: "It’s great to have Bhanu on board.

"He is a hugely successful businessman whose experience and contacts, both in this country and in India will be invaluable to the success of the team.

"We are very focused on impeccable preparations in order to deliver one of England’s finest performances at the Games in Delhi this year."

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One would think that it would be hard to find humility juxtaposed with success.
That its rare to see fervour and logic sail the same boat. Youth, sans the reckless- ness! But I did find this almost utopian seeming combination. It was at an interview with one of UK’s leading British Asian entrepreneurs. Any guesses?

We all know him as Bhanu Choudhrie of the C & C Alpha Group. With his group's pres- ence in majority of the sectors, like the avia- tion, hospitality, real estate, healthcare, agri- culture and water desali- nation plants, they have recently ventured into the financial sector in the US markets. Geographically present in the UK, UAE, Philippines, Singapore and India, this young entrepreneur is as global and mobile as his business.

When asked about his ‘young’ success, he joyfully admits to it making him happy, but quickly informs us of the great responsibility he feels it brings with it. Attributing his success to the people who he works with, his col- leagues and his senior management team of different companies he say, “They are the real pro- fessionals who have managed to take the dif- ferent businesses to the levels we have achieved today. My responsibility is to make sure that they are doing what they are there for.”

With a professional and scientific approach , his team and him take to deciding what invest- ments to take on and which ones to steer clear of, he tell us of a partic- ular business venture in the sports industry that seemed appealing at the face of it, but a detailed study showed them the clear downside.

Speaking of India, Mr. Choudhrie really feels that the upcoming Common Wealth Games are a great opportunity for not only India but its athletes also to show to the world that they can do wonders. He feels India could specially learn from the UK when it comes to sports. That not only cricket, but hockey, which is India’s national sport and oth- ers can be transformed into successful business- es like the Premier Leagues.

The very health con- scious Mr. Choudhrie told us how regular gym and exercise keeps him healthy and is a great stress reliever. He also told us how he loves watching mindless car- toon shows as a way of busting his stress away.

This article is just a snippet of the vast and well accomplished life of this young businessman and philanthropist. In his interview he talks about everything from sports to business strategies to the upcom- ing common wealth games in India and much more.

Our readers are promised a more detailed insight into this Asian achiever’s life in our forthcoming special issue of ‘The British Asians’ on July 10.

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One of Britain's most successful young entrepreneurs today backed the Evening Standard's Dispossessed Fund with a £10,000 donation.

Bhanu Choudhrie, 32, who is executive director of C&C Alpha Group, a company investing in healthcare, technology and property, was recently announced as chairman of the business advisory board for Commonwealth Games England.

The Indian-born businessman said today: "I am delighted to support the Standard's campaign. I was very moved to read some of the stories it has run over the past few weeks. The disparity in wealth in London is a terrible shame.

"Well done to the Standard for already passing the £1 million mark."

Mr Choudhrie is a board member of charity Path to Success, which distributes cash to underprivileged young people. His Dispossessed donation was funded through this charity.

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Bhanu Choudhrie is a busy man. And with investments that span healthcare, hospitality, travel, real estate, energy and aviation – not to mention several time zones – it’s no wonder. The 32-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist recently sat down with NetJets to discuss his work as director of global investment business C&C Alpha Group, and to explain how NetJets helps him manage his non-stop schedule.

Have you seen any signs of economic recovery after the downturn?
The green shoots of recovery are definitely there, providing you know where to look. We’re seeing success in a number of our investment areas, including healthcare, hospitals, hospitality and aviation training. People may have put off non-essential medical treatment or booking their holidays, but there’s now a great deal more consumer confidence than there was a year or so ago.

You have close links with India, both personally and professionally. What is the country’s potential for investment?
It has huge potential, so long as you don’t think in the short term. You have to really understand the country in order to do business there. India now has 300 million middle-class citizens, and that figure is growing at a rate of 20 per cent every year. To realise real growth there you have to look long-term. Many companies have gone into India looking to make money quickly and the country just doesn’t function in that way. Our company looks at doing business there in the long term and we’ve set up far-reaching deals for real estate, the hospitality industry and, most recently, the production and distribution of Bollywood films. Put it this way: we helped to set up Adidas in India in 1992 and, because they got the formula right from the beginning and came in with a 10-year plan, they are now enjoying great success.

You recently joined the board of New Century Bank in the USA, now known as Customers USA Bank. Why is community banking still relevant today? Do you see parallels with microfinance initiatives in India?
Absolutely, it’s a fascinating growth area. In the last six to eight months we have seen a considerable increase in our community banking investment. People are moving their money to community banks after being burnt by the near collapse of the global banking system.

We have seen a 50 per cent rise in deposits and now the Indian government has also announced that it plans to license community banks right across the country. We have applied for banking licences in six Indian states and see this as having huge opportunity. The importance and relevance of local knowledge in investment decision-making cannot be underestimated.

With a deep understanding of the aviation industry, what particularly informed your decision to fly with NetJets?
Being involved in pilot training means that I have a good take on the aviation industry and fully appreciate the excellent in-house training that NetJets gives to its flight crew. I’ve actually been using NetJets since its original incarnation, even before Mr Buffett came on board, and I’ve always found it to be an incredibly slick operation.

How does NetJets benefit your business?
If anything, NetJets actually saves me money, because if I couldn’t travel with such ease I’d have to employ many more staff to look after the international business that I’m covering.

What is your favourite thing about flying with NetJets?
NetJets gives me flexibility and freedom. I can fly to pretty much anywhere I please with a few hours’ notice and the service is second to none. Believe me, I have been approached by competitors, but no one can provide the level of expertise and quality you get with NetJets. My plans change on an hourly basis and my business simply could not cope without NetJets.

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Bhanu Choudhrie was Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards in 2008.

Born in Delhi in 1978, he studied International Business and Marketing at the University of Boston and moved to London.

He has been the executive director of C&C Alpha Group Ltd since 2001 and the group has a vast portfolio of investments, from luxury award-winning spa hotels in India and Mauritius to care homes in the UK.

Bhanu speaks to This is Money about Alpha's investments, his top tips for first time entrepreneurs and his passion for opportunity.

What made you come over to London rather than working in the US when you finished your degree?
I did an internship in the US in 1999 at JP Morgan but soon after I saw a huge opportunity with lots of new businesses and ventures to get into in London.
It was an interesting time and period of my life.

In 2008 you won the Asian Entrepreneur of the Year award, what did it mean to you winning this?
Being an Asian award and being born in India, it was very exciting to receive the award. It's been great to have the opportunity in a country where I wasn't born, to learn, develop business and meet people. It was fascinating to win, I was lost for words and it wasn't expected and it goes to show if I can go do it, a lot of guys out there can do it.

You direct investment strategy for C&C Alpha Group, a family run company that invests in many different areas, such as healthcare, hotels and restaurants. What area of investments do you personally take the most pleasure from?
I love all the different businesses we are in. Real Estate is exciting. Hospitality, opening hotels as you can imagine is amazing, meeting lots of different people at different events. Healthcare is tightly controlled and regulated in the UK and I get to interact with so many people in the industry.

For example, I went to an opening of a healthcare centre in Bury and I got to interact with the care assistants, doctors and even the patients, and it is great to hear what they have to say. I take great pleasure from all of that. Opening restaurants is great, taking people there and being part of it. The Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant in Covent Garden has recently won Restaurant of the year at the Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards 2010, which is great. I have told the guys there that I am wishing them a Michelin Star next.

Another venture that was great was aviation – we invested in Air Deccan in 2003, a low budget airline in India that consisted of one plane. By the time we sold it to Kingfisher in 2008, we were flying seven million passengers and had 200 flights a day.

Have there been any risks you've made that have been more successful than you thought it would be, and any that have been complete disasters?
The airline was a risk. Four of us invested and we said at the beginning, 'if if doesn't work out at least we can say we had an airline.' It ended up opening the airline industry in India, with a massive boom in aviation. One, two even three day journey's on trains for people to get from one village to another became an airline journey away.

Another industry that was risky was the dotcom boom. However, we invested in the website www.ebookers.com and that was very successful, we sold it for half a billion pounds. On average, for every five investments, three end in failure.

You've recently joined the board of New Century Bank in the USA, what has made you take that role up and what does it involve?
We felt we wanted to get back into financial services. My Great Grandfather ran the Punjab National Bank, which was the largest bank in India. Then in 1969, it was nationalised and taken away, so we wanted to steer clear of the financial sector. With the problems in America and Worldwide with finance, we felt now was the right time to get back in; America will recover. Systems have changed and this experience will be a huge learning curve for me.

I am delighted to be working with Jay Sidhu, who was the CEO of Sovereign Bank for 20 years where he built it up and sold it to Santander. He has invested in the New Century Bank. The bank is a small regional bank, but it is an opportunity to get back into community banking – where big banks have failed. In the 90's, the bank did have some troubles, but in the last six months since I have been involved, without much money being spent, it has grown organically by 50%.

You advise deals in emerging markets, for example your home country of India. Are these markets becoming more influential players in the world market?
When you talk to entrepreneurs and investors, everyone is now looking towards the East for growth and profits. There has been huge growth in China, India and the Far East. Local demand has never relied on outside investments in these countries and there is still huge room for growth. India, for example, will be a country of the future with huge opportunity for long term investments and projects, whereas a country such as Dubai was just after 'quick,' cash. The focus of our group is in India, with real estate, hotels and healthcare ventures. Each month, I spend at least one to two weeks in India.

You do a lot of charity work, is it important to you to be giving something back?
It is Hindu philosophy that the more you give, the more you get. When I was a child, we used to visit the blind, the handicapped and schools where kids were without parents. It is about taking care of other individuals and to cherish what you have, you must take care of them. Path to Success is a charity run by my mother and it is a very big success story. I help her as director to promote the charity and work with schools in the UK.

You are a lover of Asian Art setting up an Art Foundation. What is it in particular that you like about it and what does the art foundation entail?
There is a lack of Asian arts in the UK and I want to promote local individuals. There are some galleries and some museums with a couple of pieces here and there, but it is seriously lacking. My endeavor is to secure a location in Central London to bring in artists from Asia, bring in musicians into culture and show what Asian culture is all about. For example, M.F. Husain is the 'Picasso of India,' and he is still painting at 94 years old. I want to interact with children, governments and schools to showcase Indian talents.

You have invested in a Bollywood production – tell us more about this.
I have launched a company in India which is going into filming and distribution. We found that there are people with huge amounts of ability and there are organizations in India that fund small and large productions; however it is a disorganized structure. The middle scale productions are being left out and it is difficult for them to secure funding. We have stepped in and going to partner with medium sized production companies. I am working with famous Indian singer and producer Anup Jalota, with a film being launched Worldwide in April. I am actually flying out tonight to look through scripts in the next week. There is a lot of talent in India.

What is the secret to your success?
It is being able to be supporting and working with management teams, CEOs and professionals who run businesses on a day to day business.

Do you have any tips for someone looking to set up their own business, especially in the current tough climate?
This is the perfect opportunity and time for inspiring entrepreneurs to launch. There is a huge opportunity in this environment to shine, we have recessions all the time and if you can succeed in the middle of one, you ride the wave to when things are good again.

What was your first job and how much did you earn?
When I was 12 years old my father asked me to work in his garage. He owns many vintage cars, one of the biggest collections in India. Every summer holiday I would spend one month in the garage and one month travelling. The garage was hot, with many mechanics and carpenters inside. I look back now and I realise how exciting it was. I remember when my car broke down when I was studying in Boston and my friend said 'ring triple A,' but I got out of the car and fixed it myself, and that was all down to the time I spent working at the garage for free.

Who is your business hero?
Every entrepreneur is a hero to me. Richard Branson, Warren Buffett – whoever you take, they are great in their own way. If you could club every entrepreneur into one person, that would be my ultimate business hero.

What is the future for you and the C&C Alpha group?
Areas we are looking at investing in the near future are the hotel sector, hospitality and increase the charity work. We have an advisory board on an education foundation, with people starting to get help in London as well. They get onto courses and work hard to get there, but cannot proceed with the studies because of lack of funding, so we help them. The future growth of businesses is to venture into new countries. For instance we are opening a hotel in Vietnam which I am really excited about. We are investing in Thailand and Indonesia. We are looking into venturing into Japan – we will tend to go wherever we see a new opportunity.

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Bhanu Choudhrie’s boardroom table standing in his modern offices in London’s Victoria is designed by his wife Simrin. It was made so that everyone sitting around it can see one another. It symbolises the thought and sensitivity with which Bhanu approaches his work.

On the walls of the boardroom are several paintings by Indian’s famous artist, Paresh Maity. This is no coincidence; the Choudhrie family supported the painter when he was first starting out. Bhanu is showing me a limited edition book of art works by M.F. Husain, which he has helped publish.

“Paresh Maity, in his early days, painted our family car collection; we have vintage cars in India. He painted these cars in watercolour. You can imagine what these paintings are worth now. We were incredibly fortunate to be able to support this amazing artist at the beginning of hi career. My father saw so much talent, so much beauty and potential in his work back then. It is wonderful to see him recognized as one of the leading artists of India today,”says the gently-spoken Bhanu who won the Asian Voice’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2008.

Bhanu Choudhrie is Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group, which “backs high quality, entrepreneurial teams to develop new ventures or further expand their growing businesses,” according to their website. Air Deccan and Ebookers are just two of the group’s success stories.

CCAG’s portfolio of companies includes healthcare, hospitality, aviation, agriculture, real estate and utilities.

There is an unusual relationship between the Choudhrie clan and the Group. “The family takes a back seat in running of the business. The business is run by professionals. We have a group CEO and investment management team and then each company has its own CEO and professional management structure. The family concentrate on art and charity work.”

Hence the passion for exquisite work produced by artists from such diverse art movements and geographies. “We have just launched the stellar International Art Foundation to promote Asian art and culture in the UK,” explains Bhanu.

“For our first project, we have been shortlisted in a bid for space in London’s Hyde Park, very close to the Serpentine Gallery. We have realized that nobody is privately promoting Asian art and culture in the UK. The Idea is to promote and support these artists, forming a bond between the Foundation and the artist so that in future…if they have an event, the artist can show their work at the Foundation and feel really connected to that space and to the Foundation. The Foundation is here to last for generations.”

The Choudhrie family originally hailed from undivided India in Pakistan and later settled in Delhi. They were always successful entrepreneurs, be it in India or later in the UK where they have been doing business for over 30 years.

“My great-grandfather developed first township or residential colony in India, which still bears his name, Barnavsidas Estate in old Delhi. He was initially successful in real estate development before venturing into catering and other business. My father and uncle funded several films which became very successful,” reminisces Bhanu.

The family also own coffee and tea plantations, apparel goods companies and set up joint ventures with Adidas and the Taj group.

Bhanu studied at Modern School in Delhi before joining Boston University in the USA. In 1990 he decided to join the family business and soon became an Executive Director at their London headquarters.

“I worked with the CEO and the top management team of our company. Though I had acquired all the theoretical knowledge of how to run a business effectively, I still lacked the practical experience; the real touch and feel for what makes a business succeed or fail. Our top management team helped me quickly adapt to the realities of fast-moving business environment.

We put together a Group Corporate Strategy, to give direction o the family’s investments in the years to come and negotiated a grand plan that the family was able to agree upon.”

Clearly the plan is working well.

The Choudhrie group has managed to make profits even in the hospitality sector, where many companies have suffered in the economic downturn. “We launched a number of projects in the last twelve months. We are looking at the Maldives, the Seychelles, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam; countries where there is still an enormous potential in the tourism industry.”

Bhanu feels these countries offer “value for money” and “wonderful weather” and also present great opportunities in this sector.
In India, the group is launching hotels in the mid-market, two-star, four-star, and five-star properties as well as boutique hotels. “There is huge demand across India; the population loves to travel.”

Bhanu feels the healthcare sector also currently offers opportunities for growth over the next year or two. “We are strong in specialist psychiatric care and long-term geriatric care. Dementia is becoming a very serious problem in the UK and other countries.

We found that there is huge demand for specialist dementia services amongst vulnerable groups of people who otherwise simply wouldn’t be getting the care that they need.
We see the same thing in out provision of psychiatric services, for example, to young people or those who also have other disabilities to contend with.”

In an echo of the sentiment that went into the design of the boardroom table, Bhanu explains that they tried bringing pets to the care homes, to provide ‘pet therapy” to residents since “animals are very helpful in healing and help the elderly cope better when they have that sort of emotional connection.”

“Aviation is another area of the business that is high on my agenda today.” Says Bhanu. “I am very excited about the future of this business. We were the first in the world to launch Multi Pilot Licensing (MLP) training, taking a new recruit from start to finish in eighteen month.

The use of state-of-the-art flight simulators enhances the training process. We have a centre at Gatwick and we find that there is so much demand there. A lot of airlines use London as a hub, so it’s easy for them to use Gatwick as a training base.

We moved out 737 New Generation simulator to London and are seeing a lot of demand. We also have training centres in the Philippines and the UAE. I see much potential in aviation training.”

In addition to rapidly expanding in-house portfolio, Bhanu is also enthusiastic about ventures, which the inventors have successfully backed in the past.
Ebookers was an online travel agency concept “which became one of the most successful in Europe. We went public about six to eight months after we invested in that venture and the exit from that business was very successful for us.”

“We ere one of the seed capitalists for Air Deccan when they started – we, along with a group, helped to fund the business. It quickly became the largest low budget airline of India. Again, as a group, our investment into the airline was moderate but we knew that the potential for low-cost air travel in India was immense. I think our predictions have proven accurate.”

As with any true entrepreneur, Bhanu has many more exciting plans up his sleeve. “Outside our normal exciting business activities, we have launched a division to help finance Indian film production and distribution.

There is a lot that can be done, whether it is art, short film, or the typical Bollywood movie. These films need to be promoted and taken outside India.”

He also revealed that April 2010 will see the launch of the group’s first film, but is not prepared to divulge the actual subject of the big names involved. All he will say is that “it is a Bollywood movie but based on the life of a famous saint’”

And as if the intrigue around that isn’t enough, Bhanu ends the interview with another favourite topic, “Football is a sport which, since I moved to the UK, has really interested me, both as a business and in terms of its popularity. It is a sport that is so important to people here. In just the same way that every child in India dreams of becoming a great cricketer, British children dream of playing football for their country.

I really admire their passion for the game! I’m sure that given the right backing, that sort of passion for football could be felt outside the UK too. Maybe you will see us investing in the sporting world in the UK and in India very soon.”

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The Ista Hyderabad is fast building a reputation for being the hotel of choice for business people and tourists alike. And it’s no wonder. Located in Hyderabad’s main business district, the 17 acres of lush greenery are more reminiscent of a luxury resort than a business hotel.

The welcoming and spacious lobby leads into the fantastic Lounge Bar, where the beautiful floor to ceiling water features and live pianist provide a wonderful ambience. The chic rooms are stylishly furnished and are complete with full WiFi access and widescreen TVs. With comfort and convenience being the key to Ista, the rooms offer complete control of all the electronics right from the bedside – including air-conditioning and room lights. Some rooms even have terraces with views of the city, which is a lovely bonus.

Ista’s two restaurants, Collage and Deori, serve suberb cuisine. While Deori is an upmarket Indian eatery, Collage serves mainly international cuisine, an extensive breakfast selection and is a must for Sunday brunch.

Ista’s sister property Ananda in the Himalayas has won numerous awards for its luxurious spa, but the spa at Ista provides a range of treatments that are just as indulgent, with world-class facilities. There are other relaxation areas such as the steam room with a view, sauna and of course the outdoors temperature controlled swimming pool.

Being a quality business hotel, the conferencing and banqueting facilities are superb, and with an impressive business centre at your disposal, this hotel will no doubt soon become a favourite for business travellers and tourists to Hyderabad.

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Retirement villages will soon be dotted across India if a London based entrepreneur’s formula hits the spot with the country’s ageing population.

Bhana Choudhrie runs a successful chain of Alpha care homes in the UK and has just acquired 500 acres of land in north Goa. The Delhi-born tycoon told Eastern Eye, “There is a taboo against putting elders into care homes in India and we have to be very sensitive to that. But the reality is there is a huge ageing population in the country and with the younger generation employed all over the world, the community is changing."

“We have decided to pursue a very different model of a retirement village, which will offer villas and apartments where the elderly can come and go as they choose and also have visitors. Such a model will take strong family bonds into account. We have also tied up with Medicity [Dehi-based medical specialists] who will provide on-site medical care.”

The first such village is likely to come up towards the end of next year before being replicated in different parts of India, including the north and north east. The options will range from luxury villas on the beach with access to a golf course and smaller apartments to cater to every economic strata.

The business graduate from University of Boston has his sights set on the Indian market, with expansion plans for his luxury Ananda hotels and the more affordable Ista chain across major cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad.

“There is huge optimism in India and the market is constantly growing. The Ista hotels are modelled on the concept of providing the discerning Indian businessman with five-star luxury at four-star rates. It is, of course, open to international travellers but largely caters to a growing demand within India itself for hotels that offer a European feel”, he added.

Bhanu’s personal interest in promoting Indian art has also led to the creation of Stellar International Art Foundation, which hopes to acquire property in Hyde Park to create a haven for Asian artists. Future projects include a Bollywood production and distribution company under the name of Alpha Group India.

The Choudhrie family own approximately 150 properties around the world.

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Alpha Aviation Group, with ten international aviation academies, has launched Alpha Aviation Academy (AAA) in the UAE that will train students to fly commercial jets.

Based at Sharjah International Airport, the academy offers the multi-crew pilot licence (MPL), a first in the Middle East.

"There is a shortage in the market for pilots, especially with regional airlines expecting deliveries for their expanding fleets," said Mustafa Ali, general manager of AAA, UAE, adding that the MPL would change pilot training in the region.

"Most aviation courses train on small single-engine airplanes that enable one to get a commercial pilot's licence, but fall short on the skills and qualifications needed to fly present day highly sophisticated commercial jets. As the aviation industry evolves, the training programmes must be reflective of this," Ali said.

The course also received clearance from the General Civil Aviation Authority for the courses last December. In the coming months, Ali said that the company will either be acquiring or leasing four large aircraft for training purposes.

The academy has partnered with Air Arabia to train students with the airline's standard operating procedures.

The course is currently in the ground-training phase and has a capacity of 120 students yearly.

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