Biodata

Faizal Edavalath Kottikollon (born July 6, 1963) is a United Arab Emirates-based Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of KEF Holdings � a diversified company known for establishing technologically integrated enterprises across multiple industries. He is also Chairman of the Board of Meitra Hospital� an advanced tertiary care hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala Kottikollon co-founded the Faizal & Shabana Foundation with his wife, Shabana, in 2007. Kottikollon was named "One of the Top 100 Indian Business Leaders in the Arab World" by Forbes Middle East and as "One of the 20 Most Influential Indian Leaders in Gulf Construction" by Construction Week.With a seed capital of US$5,000, Kottikollon started his first venture, a steel scrap trading company called Al Ahamadi General Trading in Ajman in 1995. In 1997, he set up Emirates Techno Casting in Ajman with profits from his scrap trading business and the support from his father. In 2002, he founded Emirates Techno Casting FZE and JC Middle East (JCME) in the Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah to trade in valves. Kottikollon's wife, Shabana, joined his business in 2002 and managed the Human Resources and Administrative areas while he focused on technology and production. In 2007, they set up the ETC Community Center, which led to the establishment of the Faizal & Shabana Foundation in 2007 as "a charitable trust which aims to leverage the business models they developed in the oil and gas sector". In the same year, Kottikollon established KEF Holdings as the parent company for the group with the "goal to provide poorer areas of the world with the education, training and healthcare they sorely lack through the use of technology and collaboration" In 2008, Dubai International Capital (DIC), the investment arm of the government-owned Dubai Holding, acquired a 45 percent stake in Emirates Techno Casting for $126 million. In 2011, Tyco International announced it completed the acquisition of 75% equity stake in Emirates Techno Casting, worth US$300 million, including the stake originally acquired by DIC. Tyco further acquired the remaining 25% stake, held by Kottikollon, for an additional US$100 million.