Vijay Eswaran

Vijay Eswaran
Born	Malaysia
🏫 Education	Masters
🎓 Alma mater	Southern Illinois University
💼 Occupation	Executive Chairman
👔 Employer	QI Group
🌐 Website	https://www.vijayeswaran.com
🥚 Twitter	VjayEswaran
👍 Facebook	DatoSriVijayEswaran/
📷 Instagram	VijayEswaran/

Career

Vijay Eswaran is a prominent Malaysian entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder and Executive Chairman of the QI Group of Companies, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong and Malaysia with operations in more than 30 countries. His endeavors have earned him a position among Asia’s business elite – so, how did Vijay Eswaran become one of Asia’s most successful entrepreneurs?

Born in Penang, Malaysia on October 7, 1960, Eswaran grew up in a typical middle-class family. His mother, Pushpavathy Chinnaiah, was a teacher and his father, Vijayaratnam Saravanamuthu, worked with the Malaysian Ministry of Labor. As a result of his father’s career with the Labor Ministry, his family was required to move frequently, setting up residency in various parts of Malaysia throughout his childhood.

Eswaran moved to the UK for tertiary education on a Malaysian government scholarship initially and later had to support his education and living expenses by driving a London black cab and taking on other part-time jobs. It was during his student days he was introduced to the direct selling business, which he dabbled in briefly to make a supplemental income. He graduated in 1984 with a degree in socio-economics and, like many other young graduates, he enjoyed a gap year touring Europe and taking odd jobs to support his travels.

He then moved to the United States where he went on to earn his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Southern Illinois University in 1986. Eswaran then joined Corporate America and went on to work for prominent companies in the US and Canada for over a decade after that. Once again, during his time in the US, he came across interesting opportunities in direct selling and got involved in several companies on a part-time basis over the years.

In the early to mid-90s, Asia was experiencing a period of high growth, and Eswaran, after spending 13 years away from Asia, decided to return home. After an initial stint as a General Manager in a Publishing Company in Malaysia, he decided to pursue entrepreneurship. This is when, for the third time, he encountered direct selling, an industry that he had experienced success in previously. He chose this to be his entrepreneurial vehicle and started building a business, which eventually expanded into the Philippines.

Just a few years later, Asia was thrown into economic turmoil, and after a series of serendipitous events, Eswaran had the opportunity to establish his own direct selling company in the Philippines. His company set itself apart from the competition by utilizing a previously unheard-of combination of direct selling and e-commerce, which would eventually become QNET. In less than a year, the company became the industry leader in the Philippines and went on to dominate several South-East Asian markets. Soon after, the company shifted its corporate headquarters to Hong Kong, a thriving Asian metropolis that was still reeling from the handover to China by the British. Eswaran used this to his advantage by snapping up top-notch talent at very affordable prices, skilled tech workers who were suddenly left unemployed as several international businesses pulled out of Hong Kong.

By the mid-2000s, QNET had become one of the most prominent direct-selling companies coming out of Asia that had expanded into the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. The growth of QNET also led to Eswaran and his partners establishing several other interrelated businesses which were initially meant to serve QNET, and later went on to become thriving independent businesses of their own. This was the beginning of the QI Group.

Eswaran diversified his business interests and established the QI Group of Companies to oversee a wide variety of investments, including travel, media, telecommunications, real estate, education, retail, luxury products, wellness, hospitality, and corporate investments. QI Group has regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, and operations in over 30 countries through a wide range of subsidiaries. Today, the group has grown to employ more than 1,500 people and is responsible for the training and development of over one million entrepreneurs across the globe’s most difficult emerging markets. An advocate of value-based leadership, Eswaran has committed 10% of group profits to charity and instituted company-wide vegetarian and environmental policies.

In addition to his global network of companies, Vijay Eswaran is also a highly acclaimed author whose books have been translated into several languages. In his most recent publication, Two Minutes from the Abyss - 11 Pillars of Life Management (2016), Eswaran explains how you can find your purpose and take back control of your life. His first book, In the Sphere of Silence (2005), shares a modern-day tool for achieving success and what Eswaran claims is the secret behind his own enduring success. His other works include: In the Thinking Zone (2010), 18 Stepping Stones (2011), and On the Wings of Thought (2011).

Outside of his many business ventures, Eswaran has turned his business success into a passion for mentoring entrepreneurs and philanthropy. He has made corporate social responsibility a pillar of the QI Group’s foundation and nurtured an environment of giving throughout the organization.

In 2005, he founded both the RYTHM Foundation, with a focus on sustainable community development in developing countries. For more than a decade, RYTHM has received 10% of the QI Group’s annual revenue, allowing it to undertake various initiatives supporting the local communities where the company operates. In addition to its many projects, the Foundation also established Taarana, a Malaysian school for children with special needs.

Perhaps his most ambitious endeavor was the establishment of Quest International University (QIU) in Perak state in Malaysia in 2011, where he is also the Chairman of the University Council. The university is jointly owned by the State Government of Perak and the QI Group. QIU’s mandate is to provide quality, research-based, affordable education. The university is one of the fastest-growing in Malaysia with over 2000 students from 31 different countries.

In 2017, Vijay Eswaran and Green Venture Capital, a subsidiary of QI Group, began the development of Qi City, a RM 1.2 billion commercial and residential development in Bandar Meru Raya, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. QI is currently constructing the university as part of Qi City, which will serve as the new headquarters for QIUP. Set for completion in 2020, the project is also expected to include a teaching hospital that will offer a combination of private and public medical services.

A blend of determination, mindfulness, and sustainability have come to define Eswaran’s success. He continues to be involved in global initiatives like the World Economic Forum and local community development through the acquisition of his hometown football club PJCity. Eswaran continues to grow his business through the knowledge that giving back is a moral imperative once you have attained success.

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