Vimal Shah is a businessman, entrepreneur, mentor and industrialist in Kenya, the largest economy in the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, ...

. He is the Chairman of

Bidco Africa Bidco Africa, previously Bidco Oil Refineries Limited (BORL), is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Thika, Kenya with subsidiaries and distributorships across 17 countries in East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa ...

and is responsible for the company's growth into new markets and product Bidco is a business conglomerate involved in the manufacture of edible oil, detergents, soaps, margarine and baking powder. He is reported to be one of the wealthiest individuals in Kenya.

Background and education

He was born in Nyeri, Kenya. Vimal Shah attended the United States International University, Nairobi Campus, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance.

Work history

In 1985, the three Shahs decided to start a soap manufacturing business. When Kenyan banks denied them financing, they turned to family and friends instead. Growing cotton locally would take too much time, so they imported oil from Malaysia. Together with his father and brother, Vimal Shah built the business, growing the firm, BIDCO Africa, into one of Africa's largest companies. He rose to the position of CEO before stepping down in 2017. Since then, he has been less involved in the operational aspects of BIDCO, instead stepping up to a more strategic role as Board chairman, a position he holds to date. BIDCO Africa is currently one of Africa's largest and fastest growing manufacturer of domestic consumer products. Currently, they market and distribute the largest and widest range of product categories in the East and Central African regions such as: Edible Oils, Cooking Fats, Margarine, Baking Products, Hygiene Products, Detergents, Laundry Bars and Animal Feeds

Wealth

In 2014, Forbes removed Vimal Shah as one of Africa's 50 richest people. Forbes Magazine, replacing Vimal Shah with his father,

Bhimji Depar Shah Bhimji Depar Shah, is a Kenyan businessman, industrialist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and current chair of BIDCO Group of Companies, a Kenya-based, family-owned manufacturing conglomerate with businesses in 13 African countries. Accordin ...

, this replacement was due to "new information". Forbes used their own methods to arrive at this figure, including the fact that BIDCO grossed US$500 million in sales in 2013. It has manufacturing factories in

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Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. The Group's products are marketed to 13 African countries.

Business Mentorship

Starting mid-2017, Vimal Shah has been actively mentoring small and medium-sized businesses in Kenya, East Africa and continental Africa through his blog. In his blog, he talks about his life as an entrepreneur in Africa, drawing from his experience as a successful entrepreneur since 1985. Through his blog, he posts weekly on different aspects of the life of an entrepreneur. Plans are underway to expand the mentorship program beyond his blog. Shah's mentorship program is aimed at promoting the business and innovative spirit among young people in Africa. New posts go up every Monday.

Personal life

Vimal Shah is a married to Manda Shah and is the father of one son, Soham Shah (born in 1998). He is a past Chairman of the East African Business Council, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance KEPSA. In March 2014 he was elected to the 3GF (Global Green Growth Fund) based out of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

References

External links

BIDCO Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Vimal Living people 1959 births Kenyan businesspeople Kenyan people of Gujarati descent Kenyan philanthropists United States International University alumni Kenyan people of Indian descent