Nicole Rodrigues (born March 20, 1973) is an Indian entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Dubai-based Diva Group of Companies. She launched Diva Modelling and Events in 2003.
After the success of her modelling agency, the company branched out into real estate by starting Diva Holdings.
In 2010, the company established NM Investments and further expanded its horizons by venturing into consulting and accounting services.
By 2011, Rodrigues added two more business lines, Diva Laundry and Diva Salon. In 2015, she was recognised in the Outstanding Category at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards. In 2014, Rodrigues was acknowledged as one of the Forbes Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World. She also won the CEO of the year at the CEO Awards in 2014.
Today, Diva Group of companies is capitalizing on its home grown success and expanding its operations to Qatar, Kuwait, Doha, Bahrain, Turkey, India and Pakistan.
As of March 2022, her net worth is estimated at
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
292 million.
Early life and education
Nicole Rodrigues was born and raised in Mumbai, India. At age 16, Rodrigues started her career in modeling. She participated in various inter-college fashion shows and was eventually discovered by Vikram Phadnis, a popular Indian fashion designer who launched her as a professional model. In the years to come, she appeared on the covers of various leading magazines like ''Femina'' and ''Health and Nutrition''.
Career
In 1995, Rodrigues moved to
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
when she began working for
Gulf Air
Gulf Air ( ar, طيران الخليج ''Ṭayarān al-Khalīj'') is the state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Bahrain, which was founded in 1950 by British Pilot Freddie Bosworth as Gulf Aviation. Headquartered in Muharraq, the airline ...
. There she met, Henrik Larsen, and later moved to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
after their first child was born.
Personal life
Rodrigues has a son, Victor (14) and a daughter, Victoria (18) who are currently pursuing their education in UAE. She lives in Dubai.
Further reading
*''Pacesetters 2'' (2013) by Meraj Rizvi
* Revealed: Arabian Business’ 50 Inspiring Female Business Leaders (2022)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodrigues, Nicole
21st-century Indian businesswomen
21st-century Indian businesspeople
1973 births
Living people
Businesspeople from Mumbai
Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates
Businesspeople from Dubai