Faizal E. Kottikollon named in Entrepreneur Middle East 100 NRIs
Dubai: UAE-based Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist Faizal E. Kottikollon, founder and chairman of KEF Holdings, has been named among the top 100 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) of the year by Entrepreneur Middle East.
The annual list recognises prominent NRI entrepreneurs across diverse industries, highlighting leaders who have made significant business and social contributions globally.
Born to P.K. Ahmed, founder of Kozhikode-based Peekay Steel, Faizal E. Kottikollon has built a diversified business empire spanning infrastructure, healthcare, technology, and sustainable investments.
KEF Holdings, established in 1995 with Al Ahamadi General Trading in Ajman, UAE, expanded into world-class foundries, valve trading through JC Middle East, and Emirates Techno Casting (ETC), an integrated engineering and R&D facility rated among the top three technologically advanced foundries globally.
In 2012, Tyco International acquired the business for USD 400 million, paving the way for KEF Holdings’ two verticals – KEF Investments and KEF Infra. KEF Investments focuses on low-risk, high-income global opportunities, while KEF Infra has executed strategic projects including a 2018 merger with Menlo Park-based Katerra, revolutionizing construction and design.
Faizal currently serves on the board of Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (appointed 2023) and chairs the UAE Chapter of the UAE-India Business Council. Under his leadership, KEF Holdings invests in innovative, sustainable solutions aimed at benefiting society.
Alongside Faizal, his wife Shabana Faizal, originally from Mangaluru, Karnataka, plays a pivotal role in business and philanthropy.
Shabana is the daughter of the late B. Ahmed Haji Mohiudeen, founder of the BA Group of Businesses in Thumbay near Mangaluru.
She holds a degree in psychology from St. Agnes College and a diploma in fashion design and merchandising from the National Institute of Fashion Design, Dubai.
Shabana has been recognised as one of India’s top philanthropists, ranking among the youngest women in the top 10 of the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025, having donated Rs 40 crore through the Faizal & Shabana Foundation.
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The couple co-founded the Faizal & Shabana Foundation in 2007, officially incorporated in India in 2012, with the motto “Giving to Create Impact.” The foundation focuses on education, youth development, healthcare, community outreach, regenerative development, humanitarian aid, and the arts. Faizal & Shabana Foundation has contributed more than INR 340 million ($4.5 million) toward renovating schools in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, creating prefabricated classrooms to quickly replace crumbling infrastructure.
The Nadakkavu School in Kozhikode, restored in 2013 with Faizal & Shabana Foundation funding of INR 180 million (2.4 million dollars), became a model for school renovation nationwide, now influencing nearly 1,000 schools and benefiting over 300,000 students. Faizal & Shabana Foundation initiatives extend to Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu, supporting 5,000 residents through education, vocational training, organic farming, and community development.
Faizal emphasizes education equality as central to his philanthropy, stating, “Government schools are typically in a bad situation because they haven’t been properly maintained due to a lack of funding. Around 90 percent of India’s kids go to these schools, and that’s where inequality starts.”
The foundation also responds to emergencies, including floods in Kerala, Chennai, Kashmir, Haiti, and repatriation and food relief for Indians stranded in the UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Faizal & Shabana Foundation initiatives further include a scholarship endowment at the University of Sharjah and a proposed Dhs10 million ($2.72 million) medical research grant for the UAE’s Al Jalila Foundation.
The couple has also contributed to the healthcare sector, with KKR acquiring a majority stake in Meitra Hospital, a premium Kozhikode-based institution founded by Faizal.
Both Faizal and Shabana signed the 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter at London’s Magna Carta Island, joined by their youngest daughter, Czarina, who became the youngest person globally to sign the charter.
In addition to philanthropy, Faizal and Shabana lead KEF Holdings’ upcoming initiatives, including the Tulah Clinical Wellness Sanctuary in Chelembra near Kozhikode Airport, set to open in April 2025.
Spread across 30 acres with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, Tulah integrates Ayurveda, Chinese and Tibetan medicine, yoga, meditation, sports rehabilitation, and genome-based treatments, aiming to redefine global wellness.
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25 lakh properties in Bengaluru brought under e-Khata system: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has brought over 25 lakh properties under the e-Khata system in Bengaluru.
e-Khata is an electronic property certificate that maintains ownership information in an online database.
The e-Khata initiative aimed to ensure accuracy, transparency and universal coverage for property owners, he said.
Addressing a press conference here, Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru in-charge Minister, said over 25 lakh properties are being brought under the e-Khata system. Of them more than 7,000 applications have been processed, and additional outreach measures being planned for those yet to obtain their e-Khata.
"Twenty five lakh e-Khatas is a great number which has created history," he said.
The Deputy CM said the government is ensuring that every e-Khata will have its GPS, the shape of the property, and the measurement with every photo and document.
He explained that the government is integrating Aadhaar details, digital documentation, GPS mapping and property sketches to create a robust database.
"We want to see that every record is filled right. They (officials) are asking for documentation, stamp, digital documents. We wanted to connect every Aadhaar card and have it online," Shivakumar said.
To facilitate access, the Deputy CM announced the opening of more than 50 centres across Bengaluru, many of them in government schools, where citizens can apply for or rectify their e-Khata records.
"All of them will be working this Saturday. This 'Khata Mela' will be done. It is 'Nanna Khata, Nanna Swathu'," he said.
Applicants whose documents require verification will be given an acknowledgement and asked to return after 15 days, during which officials will conduct site inspections, he said.
Shivakumar said the government has also taken steps to identify and reclaim properties recorded as roads in revenue documents, asserting that such lands belong to the government.
"We have decided through the law that all the roads in the revenue records have been taken out. Those properties belong to the government itself," he said.
He noted that the initiative has received recognition from the Union government. "The Government of India has awarded us. It said that it is the model for the entire country," he said, while thanking officials involved in the project.
The Deputy CM said the government expects around 10 lakh additional households to benefit from the drive and assured that even those who have not downloaded their documents will receive printed copies free of cost at their residences.
"We will see that all the 25 lakh people will get their e-Khata to their home free of cost," Shivakumar said.
On apartment properties, he said all flats that have obtained occupancy certificates have been cleared.
"All the 37,460 flats (who have applied for e-Khata) have been issued an occupancy certificate. We have cleared all of them," the Deputy CM said.
