Sonu Shivdasani (born 1965) is an Indian-British hotelier, and the founder and CEO of

Soneva Soneva, formerly Soneva Resorts and Residences, is a resort chain founded in Maldives in 1995 by Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva Malmström Shivdasani. History Soneva started as a resort brand under the company Six Senses BVI, founded by Sonu ...

(Guardian of the Culture), which owns luxury resorts, Fushi, Jani, Aqua in

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. He is also the founder and former CEO of the Six Senses Resorts & Spas, that had locations throughout South East Asia and Europe, which was sold in 2012.

Early life and education

Sonu was born in England, the youngest son of Lakshmi and Indoo Shivdasani (1918-1979), an Indian businessman who made his fortune trading in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, with his offices based in London and

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. His parents were originally from

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now Pakistan), though his father had immigrated to England long before the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

. He studied at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

in England, followed by

Le Rosey Institut Le Rosey (), commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a private boarding school in Rolle, Switzerland. Founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey in the town of Rolle in the cant ...

in Switzerland, later graduated from the

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

with an MA in English Literature in 1988. His grandfather was an

Indian Civil Services The Civil Services refer to the civil service, career government civil servants who are the permanent Executive (government), executive branch of the Republic of India. Elected cabinet ministers determine policy, and civil servants carry it out ...

officer, while his father, who studied at

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

built his business in finance, trade and agro-allied industries in West Africa, India and Europe. Later he founded the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation in 1976, which funds education for students in India. His father died in 1979, when he was 13, leaving his older brother Azad to look after the family business. His elder sister, Bina Shivdasani, Countess Sella di Monteluce (1949–2006), worked in the field of women's education and was the first Asian

High Sheriff of Greater London The office of high sheriff, as the monarch's representative in a county, is over 1,000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The office of high sheriff remained first in precedence in each county until the reign of Edward ...

in 2002.

Career

After graduating from Oxford, Sonu started working with his older brother Azad Shivdasani managing the family businesses. After having worked together for two years he founded Six Senses BVI. In 1995, Sonu and his wife Eva, who took on the role of Creative Director, opened Soneva Fushi on the Island of Kunfunadhoo in the Maldives. Together they started the Evason group of hotels and the Six Senses Resorts & Spas, with properties opening across South East Asia and Europe. In 2009 they opened Soneva Kiri on the island of Koh Kood in Thailand. By 2011, Six Senses was an international luxury spa and resort chain with 26 resorts and 41 spas. Sonu sold Six Senses to

Pegasus Capital Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

in mid-2012, to focus on Soneva's resorts and Private Residences as part of the "One Owner, One Operator, One Philosophy, One Brand" strategy under

. Sonu is one of the founders of the Soneva Foundation (previously known as the SLOWLIFE Foundation), a UK registered charity.

Personal life

He first met Eva Malmstrom, a Swedish model, through his sister, the late Countess Bina Sella di Monteluce, at the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. They later married and spent their honeymoon travelling around some of the world’s most exclusive hotels and resorts, inspiring them to open their own. They leased a resort in the Maldives and set about creating their dream and a few years later opened Soneva Fushi. Eva became a designer, and went on to become Soneva's Creative Director and Conscience, designing interiors at their resorts in the Maldives and Thailand.

References

External links

Soneva website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shivdasani, Sonu 1966 births Living people British hoteliers Indian hoteliers People educated at Eton College Alumni of Institut Le Rosey Alumni of the University of Oxford British people of Indian descent British people of Sindhi descent