Rizwan Sajan’s journey is not less than a Bollywood movie. His life starts from crowded lanes of Ghatkopar in Mumbai to becoming Dubai’s richest Indian. Today the 60-year-old tycoon owns an empire worth Rs.16,709 crore (US $2 billion) with a personal net worth of Rs.20,833 crore ($2.5 billion).
Rizwan early life struggles
Rizwan Sajan was born into a middle-class Muslim family in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar. His early life was full of struggle when he was just 16; his father passed away due to which he had to drop his schooling and manage family’s finances.
Using a small kitty his father had managed to save from his workplace, Sajan began manufacturing box files to keep the household afloat. The first business of the Rizwan was successful, but it could not make enough money to meet daily needs for himself and family.
Two years later his uncle offered him a job in Kuwait. Rizwan told to Forbes India that “That was my lottery” Rizwan further told that in Mumbai he was earning Rs.6000 a month whereas in Kuwait he was paid Rs. 18,000, roughly 150 Kuwaiti dinars at the time. He started his career in Kuwait as a trainee salesman; he worked his way up to a managerial role. His salary in Kuwait from 150 to 1500 dinars, additionally he used to get monthly sales commission around 50,000 dinars.
But things don’t go well further he lost his job in August 1990 due to Saddam Hussain invasion of Kuwait. Rizwan was forced to flee back to Mumbai, leaving everything he had built there.
Rizwan told to Forbes India that “That was the second turning point in my life, I was back to zero.”
Rizwan’s comeback in Dubai
In 1993, Rizwan comes to Dubai with a few thousand dirhams and a vision. The same year he founded Danube Group, a modest trading firm dealing in building materials. It was a brokerage business, where he was making commission; he later transformed the company into full-scale building material trading. Rizwan’s decision proved to be transformative.
In 2006, Rizwan launched Milano, a brand offering sanitary solutions. Two years later he started Danube Home in 2008 marking his entry into home furnishing. In 2012 he expanded again with Alucopanel, this venture was specializing in Aluminum composite.
Today, Danube Group has evolved into a diversified conglomerate spanning real estate, building materials, and home decor. Rizwan’s flagship business includes Danube Home, Milano, and Alucopanel, his business operates across India, China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Canada, with exceeding an annual turnover of $2 billion.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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