Naushad Merali Biography – Naushad Merali Wiki
Naushad Merali born Naushad N. Merali was a Kenyan business industrialist and the founder of the Kenyan mobile service provider Kencell (now Airtel Kenya)along with French media giant Vivendi. He is best known for owning three of Kenya’s major companies: Sasini Limited, battery manufacturer Eveready East Africa, and Sameer Africa. He was one of Kenya’s leading industrialists, who brought commercial development in Kenya for more than 30 years and more often expanded his businesses throughout East Africa.
From the 1980s to March 2005, Merali was the director of the now-defunct W.P.H. Kenya Tea company. In 2004, he managed to purchase 60% ownership of the business from Vivendi for $230 million. He then transferred ownership an hour later to Celtel for a $20 million profit. While owning 5% of Bharti Airtel’s Kenyan wireless phone operations. He took his time steering the affairs of the Sameer Group. The Sameer Group is a conglomerate of 15 Kenyan companies that range from financial services to agriculture and even information technology. Three of these companies appear on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. He is reported to have shares in the Commercial Bank of Africa as of 2003. His purchase of the Grand Regency Hotel during that year caused a lot of controversy in the Kenya area.
He also held positions at the Kenya Export Promotion Council, the International Who’s Who of Professionals, and the National Investment Council of Kenya. He has been appointed by The President of Kenya to positions such as membership in the Kenya Export Promotion Council, membership in The National Poverty Eradication Commission of Kenya, and membership in The Presidential Committee on Employment. He was featured at the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos as one of the African delegates along – making him one of the three Kenyan delegates.
In 2012, he invested in construction. Two of his former firms, Kenya Data Networks and Swift Global were in the process of being merged into Great Britain’s Liquid Telecoms as of February 2013. Many executive positions could be declared redundant as a result of this multinational merger. Both retail and wholesale services for the lower end of the consumer spectrum were provided by both of these firms as individual companies; as a rival Internet service provider, Safaricom already had a firm grasp on the upper end of the market.
He undertook his studies at Highway Secondary School in the suburbs of Nairobi, Kenya. There is no further information relating to his subsequent studies.
Naushad Merali Age
He was born on January 2, 1951 in Nairobi, Kenya and died on July3, 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya. He was 70 years.
Naushad Merali Wife
He is survived by his wife Zarin Merali. She is a director for the Kenyan Paraplegic Organisation. She is also an interior design consultant. They had two children together.
Naushad Merali Children
He had two children, Yasmin and Sameer Merali his son is the CEO of Sameer Investments and chairman of Ryce East Africa and Nandi Tea Estates.
Naushad Merali Family
His ancestors were believed to have emigrated from the state of Gujarat currently India. His mother’s maiden name is assumed to be Patel.
Naushad Merali Death
He died on the morning of July 3, 2021, at 4.30 am while undergoing treatment at the Nairobi Hospital. He was 70 years at the time of his death. A statement from Shia Ithna Ashri Jamaat Secretariat broke the news of his death on Saturday morning, without stating the cause of his death.
The statement read, “It is with profound grief and sorrow that we inform you of the sad demise of Dr. Naushad Noorali Merali in Nairobi. He was a businessman and owner of Sameer Group…”
Naushad Merali Cause of Death
The cause of his death has not been disclosed.
Naushad Merali Net Worth
As of November 2015, basing on the annual Forbes ranking of Africa’s richest in Kenya, Merali was the third richest man in Kenya and 48th richest man in Africa with a net worth of $370 million. He ranked behind Bhimji Depar Shah and family Kenya’s richest with a net worth of $700m who ranked 31st richest man in Africa in November 2015 and Narendra Raval of Devki group who ranked second richest in Kenya with a net worth of $400 million.
In 2014 he ranked 2nd richest in Kenya with a net worth of $550 million. In 2013 he ranked 2nd in Kenya with a net worth of $430 million. In 2012, he was the second richest with a net worth of $410 million. In the inaugural ranking of Africa’s richest, he ranked 3rd richest in Kenya with a net worth of $210 million.
