Ravi Uppal is an Indian businessman who was arrested in Dubai on 13 December 2023 due to his links with Mahadev online betting app. He has extensive business experience, having worked for over 40 years in the engineering, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors both in India and abroad. He held important roles such as Managing Director and Group CEO at Jindal Steel & Power Limited Group, Whole Time Director on the L&T Group Board and MD & CEO (Power) at L&T. Additionally, he held various positions at ABB Group, including President of Global Markets. Notably, he played a key role as the founding Managing Director of Volvo in India. With a diverse background, Uppal has spent over 15 years working in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Currently, he has launched a new venture, SISCOEL, focusing on steel-based civil and industrial infrastructure projects in India. He actively participates in various industry forums like CII, FICCI, AIMA and academic institutions. Additionally, he has a keen interest in contributing to social and community development in India. He has served on the boards of several companies in India and Europe, including BAE in the UK, Actis Private Equity in the UK, Riverina Bio Energy in Australia, Page Industries, Srei Finance and Suzlon in India. Additionally, he has been part of the Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Ravi Uppal was born in 1952 (age 71 years; as of 2023) in New Delhi. His hometown is Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. He studied mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi in 1973. In 1975, he joined the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Later, he enrolled in the Advanced Management Program from Wharton Business School, USA. He was born in an upper-middle-class family.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 7″
Hair Color: Gray
Eye colour: black
Family
parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
wife and children
Ravi is married to Geeta. They have a son Neil and a daughter Nidhi.
livelihood
After completing his schooling, he took admission in IIT. During his studies, he expressed his desire to go to America and also took admission in Stanford. However, his plans changed when a relative who was a professor at Berkeley passed away. This incident worried his parents and they advised Uppal not to go abroad. Then he chose the next suitable option and took admission in IIM, Ahmedabad. In 1975, he secured a job in BHEL through campus placement. After his stint at BHEL, he received a job offer from Libya. However, he was also selected for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), leading to a dilemma as to which opportunity to pursue. Ultimately, he chose the Libyan post because of the attractive salary offered. The assignment in Libya was a collaborative effort between the Governments of India and Libya. After two years, he moved to Europe and was amazed by the different standards of living. After working there for some time, he changed jobs at Siemens and moved to Germany. Later, he moved to Czechoslovakia. In 1981, he became technical coordinator for important projects at ASEA in Vestera, Stockholm. In 1982, while working in Sweden, he excelled, but when he expressed his desire to transfer to Iraq, his boss mentioned that Iraqis could not accept an Indian boss, which he found very insulting. It shocked him that his rejection was based on the color of his skin rather than his skills. In 1983, he became resident manager in Qatar. After a few years, he was given responsibility for both Kuwait and Qatar. Several years later, when he took on the role of head of global markets and became a member of the ABB Executive Committee in Zurich, his former boss at ASEA now reported to him. At the age of 38, he returned to India from Sweden. In India, he held the roles of Head of Corporate Planning and President at ABB.
Ravi Uppal appointed Vice President and Managing Director of ABB
Later, he assumed the position of Executive Vice President, overseeing the business sector. He headed the power transmission department and was later given additional responsibilities for industrial electronics and systems. While leading Industrial Electronics, he had a conversation with global head Indra Nooyi in which she questioned why the Indian team was not invited to the annual strategic planning meeting. He pointed out that India was not in the top 10 list. Upon returning, he shared Nooyi’s response with his team, motivating them to work harder to receive the invitation. Within two years, he made the top 10 and received an invitation to the meeting. During his tenure at ABB, his supervisor Percy Barvenik recommended Ravi for a position at Volvo. Volvo was looking for someone familiar with the Swedish approach to oversee operations in India. Although surprised, Ravi had no choice as his boss requested him to join another company. At the age of 44, he took over the role of Managing Director at Volvo India. He started a school for bus and truck drivers. When the Chairman of Volvo Buses visited, Ravi played a role in translating his speech into Hindi. While translating, one driver mentioned that it was the first time he had been to a class where someone provided him with a chair. While working at Volvo, Jørgen Centerman of ABB contacted him in 2000 and invited him to rejoin the company. The centreman mentioned that he could choose his salary but he had to double the turnover within three years. In an interview, Uppal mentioned that he informed the chairman of Volvo about his intention to join ABB in India. The President agreed and Uppal was given the responsibility of overseeing the branches in India and China. In 2009, John Flannery of General Electric invited him to lunch. During their meeting at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, they discussed the growth of ABB during Ravi’s tenure. Ravi suggested empowering the country head for better results. He recommended that John Flannery take charge of everything. Within 15 days, Flannery was put in charge and expressed his gratitude to Ravi through a message. According to Ravi, ABB hired him because they wanted someone familiar with the conditions in countries like India, as most of the people working there were Europeans. Within five years, ABB India’s revenues will reach Rs. increased from. 8,000 to Rs. 8,000 crores. He implemented various initiatives, such as creating a cubicle-less office and allowing anyone to contact anyone. Ravi himself used to sit in the hall with other employees.
Ravi Uppal in his office
After working abroad for several years, he decided to return home to take care of his family. During this time, L&T Chairman AM Naik approached him to join the company. He collaborated with Mitsubishi for the installation of boilers and turbines. On meeting the Japanese workers, he noticed that they were well dressed, while the Indian workers were in slippers, T-shirts and torn pyjamas.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar Star Award
- Marketing Management Institute Marketing Awards
- Awarded India’s Best of the Best by Smart Manager Magazine
Controversy
Uppal, one of the creators of the Mahadev online betting app, was detained by the Dubai Immigration Department on December 13, 2023. The action was taken following a Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued by Interpol on the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED was investigating allegations of money laundering worth around Rs crore. Rs 5,000 crore linked to Mahadev online betting app. In October 2023, the ED had filed a chargesheet against Uppal and Chandrakar for money laundering in a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. According to the statement of ED officials, he said,
He was detained last week and ED officials are in touch with the authorities concerned. Preliminary investigation has revealed that Uppal has obtained a passport of the country of Vanuatu, hence now the extradition proceedings will start in the coming months and that process will take time.
Facts/General Knowledge
- In an interview, he shared an experience from a trip to Germany, where the engineer who picked him up handed him a file to read during the 50-minute drive from the airport to the hotel. According to Uppal, this experience exposed the Germans’ highly efficient way of working.
- In an interview, he mentioned that his closest friend is Balasubramaniam, an IIT classmate who became the President of the World Bank for the Asia Pacific region.
- In his younger days, he was inspired by figures like V Krishnamurthy, Percy Barvenick and Azim Premji.
- In Sweden he became fond of playing squash and skiing.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn