Ravi Uppal is an Indian businessman who was arrested in Dubai on December 13, 2023, for his links to the Mahadev online gambling app. He has extensive business experience, having worked in the engineering, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in India and abroad for over 40 years. He has held important positions such as Managing Director and Group CEO of Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Whole Time Director on the Board of L&T Group and Managing Director and CEO (Power) of L&T. In addition, he held various positions within the ABB Group, including President of Global Markets. Notably, he played a crucial role as the founding Managing Director of Volvo India. Uppal has a diverse background, having worked in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia for over 15 years. Currently, he has founded a new venture, SISCOL, focusing on steel civil and industrial infrastructure projects in India. Actively participate in various industry forums and academic institutions such as CII, FICCI, and AIMA. Furthermore, 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 UK, Actis Private Equity UK, Riverina Bio Energy Australia, Page Industries, Srei Finance and Suzlon India. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Wiki/Biography
Ravi Uppal was born in New Delhi in 1952 (age 71 in 2023). His hometown is Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. In 1973, he studied mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. In 1975, he was admitted to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Later, he studied advanced management courses at the Wharton School of Business in the United States. He was born into an upper middle class family.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair color: gray
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
wife and children
Ravi marries Geeta. They have a son, Neil, and a daughter, Needy.
Profession
After completing his schooling, he studied at the Indian Institute of Technology. While studying, he expressed his desire to go to the United States and even gained admission to Stanford University. However, his plans changed when a relative who was a Berkeley professor died. The incident worried his parents, who advised Uppal not to go abroad. He then looked for his next suitable option and studied at IIM Ahmedabad. In 1975, he got a job through BHEL campus internship. After serving at BHEL, he received a job offer from Libya. However, he was also selected as a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which put him in a dilemma which opportunity to choose. Ultimately, he chose the Libyan position due to the attractive salary. The Libyan mission is a collaboration between the governments of India and Libya. Two years later he moved to Europe and was surprised by the different standard of living. After working there for a while, he changed jobs at Siemens and moved to Germany. Later, he moved to Czechoslovakia. In 1981 he became technical coordinator of major ASEA projects in Västra, Stockholm. In 1982, he was doing well while working in Sweden, but when he expressed his desire to move to Iraq, his boss mentioned that Iraqis might not accept an Indian boss, which humiliated him. He was shocked that his rejection was based on his skin color rather than his skills. In 1983, he became resident manager in Qatar. A few years later, he was put in charge of Kuwait and Qatar. Many years later, when he was 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 served as Head of Corporate Planning and Chairman of ABB.
Ravi Uppal serves as Vice Chairman and Managing Director of ABB
He later served as executive vice president, overseeing business units. He led the Power Transmission Division and was later assigned responsibility for Industrial Electronics and Systems. While leading the industrial electronics business, he spoke to global head Indra Nooyi and asked why the India team was not invited to the annual strategic planning meeting. She explained that India was not in the top ten. Upon his return, he shared Nooyi’s response with his team, inspiring them to work toward an invitation. Within two years, they were in the top ten and received conference invitations. While at ABB, his supervisor, Percy Barvenik, recommended Ravi for a position at Volvo. Volvo is looking for someone familiar with Swedish practices to oversee operations in India. Despite his surprise, Ravi had no choice as his boss asked him to join another company. At the age of 44, he was the Managing Director of Volvo India. He founded a school for bus and truck drivers. When the president of Volvo Buses came to visit, Ravi was instrumental in translating his speech into Hindi. One driver mentioned while translating that this was the first time he had been in a classroom where someone had provided him with a chair. During his tenure at Volvo, ABB’s Jorgen Centremen contacted him in 2000 and invited him to rejoin the company. Centremen mentioned that he could choose his salary but would need to double his turnover within three years. Uppal mentioned in an interview that he informed the president of Volvo about his intention to join ABB’s Indian business. The President agreed, and Uppal was appointed to oversee the branches in India and China. In 2009, John Flannery of General Electric invited him to lunch. At the meeting at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, they discussed ABB’s growth during Ravi’s tenure. Ravi suggested empowering the head of state to improve outcomes. He suggested that John Flannery take charge of everything. Within 15 days, Flannery was named superintendent and expressed his gratitude to Ravi via text message. Ravi said ABB hired him because they wanted someone familiar with conditions in countries like India, where most people working there are Europeans. Within five years, ABB India’s revenue surged from Rs 100 to Rs 200. Rs 8,000. 80 billion rupees. They implemented various initiatives such as creating a cabin-less office and allowing anyone to be close to anyone. Ravi himself would sit in the lobby with other employees.
Ravi Uppal in his office
After working abroad for several years, he decided to return to China to take care of his family. During this period, L&T Chairman AM Naik approached him to join the company. He collaborated with Mitsubishi to develop boilers and turbines. When he met the Japanese workers, he found that they were well-dressed, while the Indian workers wore tulle, T-shirts and torn pajamas.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Royal Order of the North Star
- Academy of Marketing Management Marketing Award
- Smart Manager magazine names India ‘Best of the Best’
dispute
Uppal, one of the creators of the Mahadev online betting app, was detained by the Dubai Immigration Department on December 13, 2023. The operation was carried out after Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) at the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Education Ministry is investigating allegations of money laundering amounting to approximately Rs. 5,000 Crores, associated with Mahadev Online Betting App. In October 2023, the education ministry filed a chargesheet against Uppal and Chandrakar for money laundering in the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. According to a statement from ED officials, they said,
He was detained last week and Department of Education officials are in contact with relevant authorities. Preliminary investigations show that Uppal has obtained a Vanuatu passport, so extradition proceedings will be initiated in the next few months, which will take time. “
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, he shared the experience of a trip to Germany where the engineer who picked him up handed him a document to read during the 50-minute drive from the airport to the hotel. Uppal said the experience highlighted the efficient way Germans work.
- He mentioned in an interview that his closest friend was Balasubramaniam, a classmate at the Indian Institute of Technology who later became the Asia-Pacific President of the World Bank.
- In his youth, he found inspiration from the likes of V Krishnamurthy, Percy Barvenik and Azim Premji.
- In Sweden, he developed a hobby of playing squash and skiing.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education