An organisation is only as good as its leaders. In Navrattan Kothari, the KGK Group has got a leader that has the vision to take it to the next level and make it something much more than just a jeweller. Read his fascinating story.
“I have been learning about our business since my early childhood and till date my learning has never ceased. Success encourages me to learn more and stretch my limits. Now that I am also a teacher, I love sharing all the knowledge, experience and guidance that my forefathers have taught me,” says Navrattan Kothari, chairman, KGK Group.
He has been leading the KGK Group since 1960s. Under his leadership the company has expanded across 17 countries and is a diversified conglomerate now. The company began its story as a humble trader of gemstones in 1905 and today it is a name to reckon with in the jewellery industry.
He is a visionary and a risk taker – he has experimented in various genres in the industry and has created a name for himself and the group in the world. His philosophy is to do rather than talk and he believes in proving his mettle through actions. He is a great mentor and a guide and under his leadership the group has nurtured talented artisans and professionals. He has inspired generation in the industry to push the envelope in the jewellery trade. He continues to be the guiding light for the young generations and others in the industry.
Even though there are many jewellers based out of Jaipur, the city that is the birth place of the KGK Group. But few have been able to scale the same heights that the group has. This phenomenal growth has been possible because of the Mr Kothari’s vision to make it happen. He took the company and made it into a behemoth spanning the entire spectrum of mining, sourcing, manufacturing, distributing and retailing of coloured stones, diamonds and jewellery.
He thought the company could do much more than trade in gemstones. He started exploring the opportunities in manufacturing precious stones and diamonds and made a name for himself in the field. The group now has gemstone, diamond and jewellery manufacturing units in over seven countries and a robust marketing network across the globe.
He was instrumental in starting the company’s Hong Kong office in 1962. And in 1972-73 he read the pulse of the diamond trading and focused on that. The company is a leader in this segment with diamond-manufacturing units in India, South Africa, and Botswana. He went on to achieve a lot more including the status of authorised bulk purchaser of rough diamonds and De Beers Sightholder. In 2015, KGK Diamonds Botswana also became a De Beers Sightholder and the company also boasts of being an Alrosa Alliance member and a Rio Tinto Select Diamontaire.
Under his astute leadership the company has scaled great heights and has been set on the path of phenomenal growth.
