Asian Rich List 8888 Russi Batliwala Aircraft chartering £53m NEW RUSSI BATLIWALA is one of a group of people behind the highly successful Chapman Free- born air chartering company. It has a global reach and is well-known among the business and celebrity community for providing private airplanes. They are re- garded as the world’s foremost aircraft charter service organisation. The company has wide experience in the field and provide almost any kind of air char- ter service. And it isn’t by all means high pow- ered business executives or indulgent celebri- ties; they also provide relief flights for chari- ties and other perhaps more critical interven- tions through the skies, sometimes airlifting people away from danger. Any kind of plane can be chartered from discreet jets to large transport planes, they say. Batliwala was among a trio, along with Shahe Ouzounian and Peter Joarder, who en- gineered a management takeover from Chris Chapman and Carol Norman but retained their interests. Batliwala, who is nearing 50, took over the Germany office of Chapman Freeborn in 1990 and comes from a family with an aviation background. Batliwala joined the company back in 1987 after having worked for a number of commer- cial airlines. During his 22 years with the group, he set up Chapman’s operations in the UAE, USA and Spain. In 2009, he took over as CEO and is now based in London from his na- tive Germany. Turnover at the group fell slightly to £456 million for the year ending December 2011, with a EBITDA of £14m. Batliwala has a sig- nificant stake in the business, which we value at £53m. 8989 Hotels 90= Rajinder & Jatinder Chatha & family Kishorekant “Vinu” Bhattessa £52m p£12m KNOWN as “Vinu”, Kishorekant Bhattessa has built up a considerable hotel empire. His flagship central London property is the Mandeville, located behind Oxford Street, and very much promotes itself as a luxury establish- ment at the heartbeat of London’s most popular and fashionable shopping districts. The hotel underwent a significant refurbishment two years ago, which is paying dividends. Further afield, Bhattessa also owns the Pendley Manor in Tring, Hert- fordshire; a four-star establish- ment located in 35 acres of land- scaped gardens. Bhattessa is a trustee of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London; Europe’s largest Hindu temple. The hotels have a strong asset value, and along with other private wealth, we value Bhattessa at £52 million. Wholesaling and Retail £50m q£60m THERE are essentially two arms to the fortune the Chatha family possess. The first belongs to Rajinder, who set up European Food Brokers (EFB), a wholesale cash and carry operation. The second is the network of retail outlets 90= Sukhjinder & Santokh Singh Khera & family Edible oils/food products £50m n KTC is a well-known brand among most Asian households, and while it started in edi- ble oils, the range of goods coming under the label has expanded. You are also likely to see KTC branded products in su- permarkets up and down the land, building on their first reputation with oils. KTC started producing its own la- bel products 15 years ago. Created by Sukhjinder’s and Santokh’s fa- ther, Jernail Singh, KTC began formally in 1973. The two brothers have been at the helm more or less from the start as their father de- creased his involvement fairly soon after setting up. The firm enjoyed spectacu- lar growth in the begin- ning; its oil drums were what the market was crying out for – with a five gallon drum being the first of its kind available to house- holds and profes- sionals alike. From that early success, KTC moved into other edi- ble oil products and be- came a mainstay of eth- nic catering. Sukhjinder said it was a “case of being in the right place at the right time”. the Chathas gained control when they bought off-licence brands such as Oddbins, Shop2Go and Drink2go – this arm is headquartered in Walsall and run by Chatha’s brother, Jatinder. EFB is a well-established wholesaler and its retail operations, though challenging, serve communities in the Midlands and No- rth of England. Turnover at EFB fell by nearly a third to £66.9 million, with operating profit at £3.5m for the year ending January 2012. We value the family at £50m. At every period, there was investment in in- frastructure as the company looked to in- crease production and efficiency. Today the firm operates from a main site in Wednesbury, just outside Birmingham, where it has a 225,000 sq ft warehouse. KTC lorries leave the extensive site every day. In a week, more than 3,000 tons of oil will leave Wednesbury for various parts of the country. KTC employs some 200 at the site and a further 60 at its factory close to Liverpool Docks. The firm shows little signs of slowing down as Su- khjinder, 62, and his older brother, Santokh, hand over to a new generation. Karan, Sukhjinder’s son, is an LSE graduate and worked in insurance before joining the family business, while Santokh’s son, Lucky, is also part of the new management team. The business is run day-to-day by Paresh Mehta, who has been with KTC more than 12 years and is also now a shareholder. The Kheras embody all the ideals of those early pioneer- ing entrepreneurs – they were bold, some would say, fear- less, extremely hard-work- ing, very customer orien- tated and focused on ex- pansion and growth, and not too caught up with enjoying the fruits of their labour. Turnover at KTC Edibles rose sharply for the year end- ing December 2011 to £228 million, delivering an EBITDA of £2.8m. The family have sub- stantial other assets which we add to give a value of £50m. ‘We were in the right place at the right time’ Sukhjinder Singh Khera March 2013 | Eastern Eye Asian Rich List | 75