Rajmohan Pillai

Last updated

Rajmohan Pillai
Born (1964-05-12) 12 May 1964 (age 60)
Kerala, India
Nationality Indian
OccupationBusinessman
Relatives Rajan Pillai (brother)

J. Rajmohan Pillai (born 12 May 1964) [1] is an Indian businessman, and is currently the chairman of Beta Group. [2]

Contents

Early life

Rajmohan Pillai was born in Kerala, India, [1] and educated in the state capital Trivandrum. [3] He gained management experience with his family's business in 1981. [1]

Beta Group

Beta Group is a diversified transnational business group with a US$ 2 billion turnover. [4] The group’s vertical subsidiaries include packaged processed foods manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. The Group also claims interests in entertainment, logistics, and business consulting. [5]

The group began in the early 1900s as Beta Industries, an exporter of cashew nuts. The company is based in the Netherlands. [2] It is one of the world's largest cashew nut companies. [6]

Rajmohan Pillai formed the Beta Group as a conglomerate of nine companies in memory of his eldest brother, Kerala businessman Rajan Pillai, former chairman of Britannia Industries, whose death in 1995 closed what The Economic Times referred to as one of India's most dramatic corporate sagas. [2]

Today, while still essentially a cashew products company, the Beta Group has diversified into fruit drinks, almonds, dates, and pistachios. [7] The group owns the dry fruit and nut brands, Nut King and Ole. [8]

Pillai's management

Pillai's previously declared intentions for the group have included:

Social foundations

He was instrumental in establishing the KJP Research Foundation, named in honor of his late father, K. Janardhanan Pillai. The Foundation conducts research and development in the fields of cashew and other horticultural crops. He also established the Rajan Pillai Foundation in memory of his brother Rajan Pillai, to promote excellence in arts, sports, social sciences, and medicine, serving the cause of humanity. The Rajan Pillai Foundation institutes and presents awards to accomplished individuals in international relations, social welfare services, and industry development. [15]

Achievements and Recognitions

Thesis and Publications

In 2006, he was awarded a doctorate in business management by the New Age International University of Seborga, Italy, [7] (a diploma mill unlicensed by any Italian or European authority which is an offshoot of the Institute of Education, Research & Development, Kolkata) for a thesis that chronicled the history of the global cashew industry.

His other published works are:

Awards

He was awarded the Vayalar Ramavarma Samskarika Vedi award for the year 2019 for his book Siddharthan. [22]

He received the Export Excellence award for being the best Indian exporter to the USA in the cashew sector at the Kerala-America partnership summit 2023 in Kochi. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashew</span> Species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae

Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree Anacardium occidentale, in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as 14 metres, but the dwarf cultivars, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), prove more profitable, with earlier maturity and greater yields. The cashew nut is edible and is eaten on its own as a snack, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The nut is often simply called a 'cashew'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayalam cinema</span>

Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands of india. Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kollam</span> City in Kerala, India

Kollam, is an ancient seaport and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and is 71 kilometers northwest of the Thiruvananthapuram. Kollam is one of India's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with evidence of habitation stretching back to the megalithic; the city has also been a maritime entrepôt millennia, the earliest attestation of which dates back to the Phoenicians and Romans. It is the southern gateway to the Backwaters of Kerala, and is known for its cashew processing, coir manufacturing, and tourism industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britannia Industries</span> Indian food and beverage company

Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian multinational food products company, which sells biscuits, breads and dairy products. Founded in 1892, it is one of India's oldest existing companies and currently part of the Wadia Group headed by Nusli Wadia. As of 2023, about 80% of its revenues came from biscuit products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barista (company)</span> Indian coffee drink company

Barista is a chain of espresso bars and cafes that operates in the Indian subcontinent. It is headquartered in Gurugram, India, and maintains outlets across India, and in other regional countries such as Sri Lanka, and Maldives. It is the second oldest coffee house chain in India and is currently India's second-largest coffee chain with over 425 cafes as of March 2024. It also sells a number of FMCG products through Modern & General retail stores across multiple locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DC Books</span> Indian book publishing company based in Kerala

DC Books is a book publisher based in Kerala, India. It publishes books in Malayalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandanathope</span> Town in Kerala, India

Chandanathope is a town located in Kollam district, Kerala. It lies 23 kilometres (14 mi) from Paravur town and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Kollam city centre on the Kollam–Thirumangalam National Highway 744. In Malayalam, the name denotes a place with sandalwood plantations. It is also known for cashew processing and its exports two major cashew exporters of Kollam namely VLC Cashews and MARK has their facilities in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopal Krishna Pillai</span> Indian civil servant

Gopal Krishna Pillai or G. K. Pillai is an Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S) officer and the former Home Secretary in the Government of India. He was born into a Nair family in Kerala. He was educated at Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Bangalore, and at the St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. He then obtained an M.Sc from IIT Madras. He belongs to the Kerala cadre of the 1972 batch of I.A.S.

Rajan Pillai was an Indian businessman from Kerala, popularly known as the Biscuit Baron. He was to be sentenced to a possible 14-year imprisonment on 23 counts of breach of trust and one of cheating-by the Singapore courts, but died in custody four days after his arrest, largely because he was denied medical treatment while in custody; the subsequent investigations led to jail reforms.

Ambika Pillai is a hair stylist and make-up artist from Kollam, Kerala, India. Her work regularly appears in advertising campaigns, catwalk shows, fashion films, and editorials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kollam Port</span> Port in India

Kollam Port or Port of Quilon is one of the oldest ports situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from Downtown Kollam It is the second largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities and one of the four Kerala ports having immigration checkpoint (ICP) facility. Located on the south-west coast of India, it was an important port from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries. Kollam was one of the five Indian ports visited by Ibn Battuta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mundakkal</span> Neighbourhood in Kollam, Kerala, India

Mundakkal, also spelt Mundackal, is an important residential area and industrial hub situated in the city of Kollam, Kerala, India. The place is considered as the capital of India's cashew processing activities. Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Limited(KSCDC) and Cashew Export Promotion Council of India(CEPCI) are headquartered at Mundakkal in Kollam city. It is an important tourist place in the city and a part of Downtown Kollam which gained in significance because of the presence of a flourishing beach. During 'Karkidaka Vavubali', thousands of devotees arrive on the beach to perform the Vavubali Tharpanam. Vavubali is an important ritual observed by Hindus in Kerala in the month of Karkidakam. The ritual involves people offering Bali to the departed souls. The ritual is performed by men, women, and children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashew Export Promotion Council of India</span> Board promoting food exports

The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India or CEPC or CEPCI was established by the Government of India in 1955, with the active cooperation of the cashew industry with the object of promoting exports of cashew kernels and cashew nut shell liquid from India. It is headquartered in Mundakkal in the city of Kollam, Kerala. The Council serves as an intermediary between importers of cashew kernels and exporters who are members of the council. The council is also supposed to deal with any disputes on exports or imports arising on account of quality standards, breach of contractual obligations, etc. It undertakes numerous activities, such as organizing global buyer-seller meets, organizing studies on the nutritional aspects of cashew and providing support to cashew processors and exporters for improving infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Limited</span>

The Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Limited or KSCDC is a model employer in the field of cashew industry mainly to protect the interest of workers and to provide maximum employment to its workers and to give statutory benefits like minimum wages, bonus, etc. prevailing in the cashew industry. It is headquartered in Kollam city, called "Cashew Capital of the World". The head office is situated at Cashew House, Mundakkal in Kollam City, Kerala. KSCDC was incorporated in July 1969 and started Commercial activities in the year 1971 as a company fully owned by the Government of Kerala. Corporation has now more than a turn over of Rs. 2.50 billion. A Central Export Promotion Council for Cashew, Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI) is situated at Kollam city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashew business in Kollam</span> Aspect of agriculture in the Indian city

The Cashew business in Kollam is based in the eponymous city, which is known as the Cashew Capital of the World. Kollam is the largest processed cashew exporter in the world. As of 2011 there were more than 600 cashew processing units in the city. About 800,000 tonnes of raw cashews are imported to the city for processing every year. 80% of India's export quality cashew kernels were prepared in Kollam. Kollam has remained the cashew capital of the world since the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Kollam</span>

Kollam or Quilon is an old seaport and a city on the Laccadive Sea coast in Kerala, India, on Ashtamudi Lake. The city remains notable as the ancient commercial capital of Kerala and the southwestern Indian coast, in addition to its fame as the "Cashew Capital of the World". The Kollam Municipal Corporation has the second largest budget in Kerala in terms of revenue and expenditure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashew production in Tanzania</span>

Tanzania is one of the largest cashew producers in Africa, with exports providing 10-15 percent of the country's foreign exchange. The country is the eighth-largest grower of cashew nut in the world and ranks fourth in Africa. The country provides 20% of Africa's cashew nut and only trails in production of Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire, and Guinea-Bissau, according to figures released in 2012 by United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The country has been engaged in the production of the cash crop since before independence in the years 1960s however, poor regulation and lack of reliable payments to farmers have posed significant challenges to the Cashew Nut farming industry in Tanzania. Guinea-Bissau, a country a tenth of the area of Tanzania's, has a significantly greater yield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guinea-Bissau–India relations</span> Bilateral relations

Guinea-Bissau–India relations refers to the international relations that exist between Guinea-Bissau and India. The embassy of India in Dakar, Senegal is concurrently accredited to Guinea-Bissau. India opened an Honorary Consulate in Bissau on 28 May 2010. Guinea-Bissau has no diplomatic mission in India.

S. Krishna Kumar is an Indian former IAS officer, technocrat, and politician from Kerala. He was a former leader of Indian National Congress in Kerala and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 20 April 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dr.J.Rajmohan Piilai". autobiographical blog post. 16 September 2006. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pillai's brother eyes global JV for biscuits pie". The Economic Times . 12 February 2007. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  3. "Cashew King". Business Today . 9 October 2005. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  4. Hamid, Hamisah (10 March 2009). "Beta Brands looks forward to cracking RM1b mark". New Straits Times . Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  5. "About us: Beta Groups Background". Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2009., betaempire.com
  6. 1 2 "Barista to be sold again, for Rs 150-200 cr". The Times of India . 10 October 2006. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "Doctorate for Beta Group chief". Business Line. The Hindu . 3 April 2006. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  8. "Beta Empire group launches 'Date King'". Business Line. 12 November 2002. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  9. "Nut King J R Pillai to take on the might of MNC's". The Rediff Business Special. 12 June 2000. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  10. Italy's Lavazza to buy Barista, Rediff India Abroad, 9 March 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  11. "Netherlands co to invest Rs 250 cr in Nut King". The Economic Times of India. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  12. "Netherlands-based Indian group to open aviation academy in Malaysia". Business Times . 14 May 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
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  15. "Kerala can show the way in plurality, says Tharoor". The Hindu . 22 December 2006. Archived from the original on 4 January 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  16. https://www.business-standard.com/content/press-releases-ani/dr-rajmohan-pillai-elected-as-new-president-of-sport-climbing-federation-of-india-124062400717_1.html
  17. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rajmohan-pillai-gets-best-cashew-exporter-award/article66724873.ece
  18. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/beta-group-to-invest-100-million-in-guinea-bissau-in-cashew-biz/article66143640.ece
  19. "CM releases book on Rajan Pillai". The Hindu . 21 August 2001. Retrieved 19 August 2017.[ dead link ]
  20. "Comprehensive book on cashew industry released". Hindustan Times . 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  21. Nair, N.J. (22 January 2008). "The tale of cashew trade over the years". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  22. 1 2 "ജെ.രാജ്മോഹന്‍ പിള്ളയ്ക്ക് സാഹിത്യ പുരസ്‌കാരം" [Literary award to J. Rajmohan Pillai]. Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  23. "Success Story of Dr J Rajmohan Pillai". Brilliant Read. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  24. "Rajmohan Pillai wins best cashew exporter award". Metro Vaartha. 13 April 2023.