16. Sirajuddin Qureshi
Sirajuddin Qureshi was born an entrepreneur. As a child, he supported his education by buying small goods and selling them on the roadside. He graduated from the University of Delhi and pursued Law after. Hind Industries saw its inception with Mr. Qureshi’s first consignment – an order of meat worth Rs. 17,000 to Dubai. Today, Hind Industries has its presence in 50 countries, with interests in agro-processing, abattoirs, livestock development, engineering, education, hospitality, and power. In 2010, Sirajuddin Qureshi was invited by US President Barack Obama for an entrepreneurial summit in Washington.
Mr. Qureshi is also president of the Indian Islamic Culture Centre. Having realized the importance of education very early on in life, Mr. Qureshi has taken upon himself to help scores of youngsters from the minority sections of the society and educated them through the Noble Education Foundation of IICC. He also bears all the expenses towards the education provided. Mr. Qureshi has been honored with several awards and recognitions from the Government of India for his contributions to the export industry.
17. Zoher Khorakiwala
In the times when cakes were a luxury affordable only to the highest class, Monginis gave the common man reason to ‘Go ahead, celebrate!’. Zoher Khorakiwala grew up to a constant cycle of wooden trays filled with fresh cakes and puffs entering the bakery and getting exhausted within minutes. He joined the family business in 1972. Since then, much has changed and much has stayed the same. The cake shop of the common man has adapted itself to local tastes as it built franchises all over the world. The evergreen favorites like the black forest cake and the pineapple pastry, though, have remained untouched.
Monginis has kept up with the dynamic technological advancements, entering into e-commerce and even offering varieties like ‘photo’ cakes. Not to forget the packaged moist cakes have gained popularity. Zoher Khorakiwala has strategized the expansion of Monginis in such a way that they consolidate their presence in the places where they already have stores. We think these are grand, deserving plans. After all, who hasn’t heard of Monginis?