Vimal Shah

Vimal Shah
Born	1959 (age 57–58) Nyeri, Kenya
Nationality	Kenyan
Alma mater	United States International University Africa (BSc)
Occupation	Businessman, Entrepreneur and Industrialist
Years active	1985 — present
Organization	Bidco Group of Companies
Awards	Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) (2004) Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) (2011)

Vimal Shah is a businessman, entrepreneur and industrialist in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. He is the Chairman of Bidco Africa and is responsible for the company's growth into new markets and product Bidco is a business conglomerate involved in the manufacture of edible oil, detergents, soaps, margarine and baking powder. He is reported to be one of the wealthiest individuals in Kenya.

He was born in Muranga, Kenya. His father, Bhimji Depar Shah (born 1931), once owned a petrol station in Nyeri among other businesses. He later started a small cotton garment factory, which interested Vimal and his younger brother Tarun, in the potential of cotton seed. All three Shahs are business partners in the Bidco Africa.

Bidco Africa consists of three companies:

In Uganda, Vimal and his family are minority shareholders in Bidco Uganda a joint venture with WIlmar and Josovina from Malaysia.

Vimal Shah attended the American International University, Nairobi Campus, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance.

In 1985, the three Shahs decided to start a soap manufacturing business. When Kenyan banks denied them financing, they turned to family and friends instead. Growing cotton locally would take too much time, so they imported oil from Malaysia. When they finally made the soap, shopkeepers in Kenya were unfamiliar with it, so the brothers loaded up a van and delivered the soap to shopkeepers on consignment, getting paid only after the soap sold.

Eventually, customers and retailers caught on. The Shahs have since built a modern state-of-the-art soap factory in Thika, valued at US$12.7 million, financed 60% by banks and 40% by family and friends. Since then, the trio have built oil-processing factories for cooking oils as well as soap, bought land or contracted farmers to produce ingredients and made hundreds of brands for east Africa’s growing population of consumers. “We have a product for every pocket,” says Mr. Shah.

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Wikipedia