Rajen Arvind Dev Kilachand is an Indian businessman. He is the chairman and President of the

Dodsal Group The Dodsal Group is a diversified multinational conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It operates in the areas of trading and distribution; engineering, procurement and construction; exploration and production; casual dini ...

, a

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

-based conglomerate founded by his family.

Early life and education

Kilachand is the son of Arvind Nandlal Dev Kilachand and Chandanben Arvind Dev Kilachand. The family was originally from

Patan, Gujarat Patan () is the administrative seat of Patan district in the Indian state of Gujarat and is an administered municipality. It was the capital of Gujarat's Chavda dynasty, Chavda and Chaulukya dynasties in medieval times and is also known as An ...

. After his father's death, he took over Dodsal, a British trading company founded in 1948 by the Nandlal Dev Kilachand family. Kilachand holds a master's degree from the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

Questrom School of Business.

Career

Rajen Kilachand is the chairman & President of the Dodsal Group. He is a trustee and a member of the Board of Management of the Bhatia General Hospital in Mumbai, India. He is also the trustee of the Shree Somnath Temple Trust in Gujarat, India. He was the former director of Federal Mogul Goetz India Limited, (1997 until 2006), and sat on the board of directors of

Pathfinder International Pathfinder International is a global non-profit organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including reproductive health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and maternal and newborn health. The organization ...

Philanthropy

Kilachand has contributed an endowment of US$25 million for the Arvind and Chandan Dev Kilachand Honors College at

. The donation is one of the largest in the university's history. The College delivers a liberal arts curriculum with a focus on innovation. In 2017, Kilachand made a gift of $115 million to Boston University for research at the intersection of life sciences and engineering. The gift established a $100 million endowment to support in perpetuity research in these important areas. The gift, which also supported the construction of a center, is the largest in Boston University's history. The center opened in March, 2017 and is named the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering. A long time philanthropist, Kilachand who serves on the board of

helps in various global activities on reproductive health, family planning, and HIV/AIDS prevention and care in over 25 countries. He also supports

Dubai Cares Dubai Cares is a UAE-based global philanthropic organization that advocates for children's rights. It was founded on September 19, 2007 by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirat ...

, an initiative of Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...

, ruler of Dubai and vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates that aims to educate over one million children in impoverished countries. Rajen Kilachand is the only foreign sponsor of the

New Orleans Jazz Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

, along with funding various music and art festivals as well as community theatres including the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, the Majlis Gallery in Dubai, the Met in New York City, the Capital Jazz Festival and the Pune Festival. He also supports various corporate and law and order initiatives, including the Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards, the India-UAE Knowledge Forum, the IPLOCA Conventions, the Arab Strategy Forum, the India-Arab World Business Summit and Police & the Union, UAE.

Awards and recognition

* Global Business Achievement Award at the Masala Awards 2011 * Ranked 14th most influential Indian in the Gulf

References

External links

Dodsal Group website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilachand, Rajen A. Boston University School of Management alumni Businesspeople of Indian descent Living people Gujarati businesspeople Businesspeople from Dubai Year of birth missing (living people)