Strong organisations are made of visionary leaders – the path a group takes and its future success, all depend on the decisions a leader makes. Thus the leadership and decision making qualities of a leader are tested at every juncture. While coveted, it is not a place that is easy to be in. Sanjay Kothari, vice chairman of the KGK Group, is one leader that redefines leadership and takes it a notch above.
It was the year 1986 when Sanjay Kothari joined the KGK Group. As the vice chairman of the group he is responsible for future direction of the group. He began his journey by setting up diamond processing operations in Mumbai. With this, he added another feather in the group’s cap to diamond manufacturing and trading.
Four years later, in 1990, he moved to Hong Kong and started expanding the sales and marketing of diamonds for the group to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Taiwan, Japan, China, Korea and Thailand.
He is the fourth generation of the Kothari family to enter the business and he displays the entrepreneurial enthusiasm that is the family’s trademark. He approaches his work with passion and works tirelessly to take it to achieve milestone after milestone.
Talking of milestones, in 2004 the group launched the fine jewellery brand Entice in Hong Kong. With this the group made a space for itself in the retail sector with its own fine jewellery brand Entice in Hong Kong and India. Now the count of Entice standalone boutiques is five in countries including Hong Kong and India.
Under his guidance the company has gone from gemstone mining to manufacturing and from marketing to distribution. He has also worked to establish the gemstone, diamonds and jewellery trading and retail business.
He also diversified the group’s business interest in the real estate sector in 2010 when he launched the first project in Jaipur, India.
Mr. Kothari’s strong leadership helped the KGK Group spread its business across countries and the group made some notable international acquisitions. At last count, the group had four international brands under its wings- Martin Flyer, Gregg Ruth, Judith Ripka. This put the group’s jewellery portfolio in a different league.
Even in sectors related to jewellery – like the mining sector – the group entered into strategic alliance in coloured gemstones mines of Paraiba, Emerald, Rubelite and many more.
In the 37 years he has given to the group, he has been the driving force instrumental in building a professionally run. He has added many new verticals, including international sales and marketing, jewellery manufacturing, gemstone mining, jewellery retailing and real estate.
To keep pace with a world that is forever connected, he laid special emphasis on improving the group’s IT department. He is the person behind the group’s improved corporate identity and he is working consistently to make KGK a truly global player.
Under his strong management and improved operations, the KGK group has an employee strength of 12000 and is on the path to becoming a great organisation.
