Gulu Lalvani
Gulu Lalvani | |
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Born | March 1939 (age 82) |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Co-founder of Binatone |
Title | Chairman, Binatone |
Spouse(s) | Vimla Lalvani (divorced) |
Children | 3, including Dino Lalvani |
Relatives | Kartar Lalvani (brother) Tej Lalvani (nephew) Ajda Pekkan (sister-in-law) Lisa Haydon (daughter-in-law) |
Gulu Lalvani (born March 1939) is a British businessman, the founder and chairman of Binatone, a manufacturer of digital cordless phones. He founded the company along with his brothers Kartar Lalvani (founder of Vitabiotics) and Pratap Singh Lalvani to import radios from Hong Kong. Binatone is currently run by his son Dino Lalvani.
Early life[]
Gulu Lalvani was born to a Sindhi Sikh family in March 1939, in Karachi, Sind, British India (now in Pakistan).[1] His family moved to Bombay after the partition of India, where he was raised and educated.[2] He was one of nine brothers and sisters. His brothers Kartar Lalvani and Pratap Singh Lalvani are also businessmen who founded Binatone with him. Kartar is also the founder of the nutraceutical company Vitabiotics, which is currently run by his son Tej Lalvani. Gulu's youngest sister is the socialite Bina Ramani (née Lalvani), after whom Binatone was named.[3][4][5] The family subsequently migrated to London during the 1960s.[2]
Career[]
In 1958, Lalvani founded Binatone, once one of the world's largest manufacturers of digital cordless phones.[1] He founded the company with his brother Partap, and they named it after their sister, Bina.[1]
In 2008, his net worth was estimated at £435 million.[6] Lalvani has substantial interests in Phuket, Thailand, including a villa in Amanpuri.[7]
Personal life[]
Lalvani's first marriage was with Vimla Lalvani, their son Dino Lalvani currently runs Binatone. He later married Turkish actress Semiramis Pekkan (sister of singer Ajda Pekkan) in 1987, with whom he has a son, it also ended in a divorce in 1996.[8] Lalvani currently lives in Phuket, Thailand. In 2006, his daughter Divia married Joel Cadbury, son of the businessman Peter Cadbury.[9][10]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Moulds, Josephine (7 May 2007). "Top 20 Richest Asians". Retrieved 2 July 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Dr. Kartar T . Lalwani conferred E&Y Award 2008. Sindhishaan.
- ^ Bina Ramani - The story of a multi-faceted woman who changed the face of Hauz Khas village. November 2019. Youth Ki Awaaz.
- ^ I wish I had married Shammi Kapoor - Bina Ramani. Deccan Chronicle.
- ^ Bina Ramani: The hostess with the mostest. Rediff.
- ^ Swaine, Jon (19 November 2008). "First British Asian billionaires defy the downturn". Retrieved 26 October 2017 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Take 5: One-on-one with entrepreneur Gulu Lalvani". www.property-report.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ Eğrikar, Özge (14 March 2020). "24 yıllık boşanma hikayesi" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ Walker, Tim (24 April 2012). "Joel Cadbury welcomes baby boy". Retrieved 5 May 2019 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Joel Michael Cadbury, Divia Lalvani, Gulu Lalvani, Society". www.hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- British people of Sindhi descent
- Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Businesspeople from Mumbai
- Living people
- Businesspeople from Karachi
- 1939 births
- Lalvani family
- British businesspeople of Indian descent
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom