In 1991, when London-based business tycoon, Gulu Lalvani sailed to Amanpuri on the west coast of Phuket in Thailand, it was just a holiday with family. It didn’t occur to him that this trip would become a defining moment of his life, bringing much-needed relaxation and even business opportunities. “The destination offered everything a sailor would dream of—subtle tides that encourage you to sail far and deep, sunny weather challenging your strength to reach the horizon and people keen to pamper you. The only missing amenity was the parking space for my boat. And it really made me think,” he says.

He adds, “Today, I have a solution for everyone visiting Phuket for sailing and yachting. My $150-million-project, Royal Phuket Marina, has all the essentials that can make a sailor anchor for long,” says the sexagenarian Sindhi salesman, trying to softsell his business. And he’s been doing a great job for sure. The marina has already bagged two prestigious awards. Marina Five Gold Anchors Award by the British Marine Federation and Best Interior Design awarded as a result of the lavishly designed Aquaminium Condos and Royal Villas, which were a part of its second phase of expansion.

And once you see it for yourself, you know why. The lavish view at Royal Phuket Marina scales from a quiet French patisserie on the boardwalk to the jazzy soon-to-be rented retail stores, ultimate luxury penthouses on the periphery and the world’s most expensive yachts and ship anchored in the waters to further glorify the setting. It’s a sight and deal for luxury connoisseurs like Vijay Mallya and those with pockets running as deep as Bill Gates. “Even Gates was here to experience the marina,” adds the merchant, as his team, built with professionals picked from London, Canada and other mature Markets, is busy in schmoozing with customers. Lalvani is a firm believer in treating other people as he expects to be treated himself, regardless of the background, nationality or creed.

And this is what Lalvani has brought to the project and Phuket at large. A team of smart workers, a global approach, loads of knowledge and experience, and a courteous attitude to never let go a deal. The mix has helped the marina sell out 100% in its first phase itself with investors getting double appreciation on their villas, penthouses and apartments here—a deal that could only be managed by an entrepreneur par excellence.

Born in Karachi to a Sindhi business family that dabbled in pharmaceuticals, Lalvani moved to Mumbai for his studies. After completing his studies at St Mary’s High school, he moved to London to study business management. In fact, he was still at Leeds University when he realised that entrepreneurial desire does not need the foundation of degrees. So, with £500 as his capital, he turned his instinct into entrepreneurship.

He gave up his studies and launched his first venture Binatone. The company, formed in alliance with brother Pratap and named after sister Bina (Ramani), came up in 1958 and began importing pocket radios from Hong Kong. Today, Binatone has a presence in every second home in the United Kingdom, which is its biggest market out of more than 50 countries. To consolidate its global operations, Binatone was divided into two entities in 1989: Binatone Electronics International (BEIL) under Gulu Lalvani, looking after the European and Hong Kong businesses, and Binatone Industries under Pratap Lalvani taking care of Eastern Europe, Africa and South Asia Markets. Based in Hong Kong, the company has grown in the past 50 years from a small family business into one of the largest and most successful privately owned Companies engaged in the manufacturing of telecom products, home appliances and items for personal and health care, making Lalvani and his enterprise worth £450m. He was the fourth richest British Asian in 2007, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Having said that Lalvani is a man who loves his life outside his work as much as he loves it at work. He is widely known for a brief relationship with Princess Diana (only to spite her beau, Dr Hasnat Khan, as per reports) and his daughter’s week-long wedding with Cadbury’s heir Joe Cadbury in Phuket.

But he’d rather talk about other things. “Organising weddings in beautiful locales,” he says, “has been a great experiment, and would do wonders for tourism-friendly destinations like Phuket.”

The way he talks about it, it’s clear that Phuket is Lalvani’s latest muse. He sees great opportunities in Phuket as well as the willingness of the government to help him. “Once when I suggested to the local government to decrease the import duties on boats, they did that. Then, I realised that even sky is not the limit for me here in Phuket,” says the businessman, who now wishes that the Indian government would follow the suit. “Considering the vast coastline, virgin beaches and beautiful setting India has and the fact that it has a big chunk of high net worth individuals and sailing lovers, it surely makes one think of setting up marine projects. We need to emulate a country like Thailand, which welcomes investors and developers alike,” he pitches.

Committed to a vision which will see Phuket springboard to the forefront of the world’s premier holiday and sailing destination, he, in the second stage, aims to add waterfront condominiums, blended with an innovative waterfront retail complex, empowering his project to become biggest in South-east Asia. “Initially, the idea behind the marina was to keep me busy on the island during my retirement. But the more I got into it, the more I discovered it to be a dream project,” he shares.

High on the marina—with spirits not failing even during and post-Tsunami—Lalvani is now delegating more of his day to day job at Binatone to his eldest son, Dino, so that he can spend more time in Thailand. He can surely take liberty, as his first venture is doing well, he says. “There was a notion that cordless phones won’t succeed in the era of mobile phones, but our company proved it otherwise. Today, besides any number of mobiles your family members carry, there has to be a dedicated line—rather cordless—for every home,” he smiles. And if figures are anything to go by, his first venture is doing well. Binatone, which is headquartered in Hong Kong, has sales of $250 million.

And even though he probably has his entrepreneurial finesse intact enough to take this new venture to a high like his first one, he is not the one to rest on his past laurels. The marina, which began with an investment in the region of $100 million (this was from his personal fortune, there was no borrowed money for this project), has already recorded sales of approximately $80million. And Lalvani is only gearing up for more business. With nearby locations Singapore, Malaysia and Andaman too catching up on marinas, value additions are a priority for Lalvani. “We travel a lot and pick the best of marine ideas from all over the globe to assemble here. Further, we are working on a package of these locations. Imagine living in Phuket and taking your boat to Malaysia for shopping. We also have a plan to link Phuket to Andaman through an annual regatta, possibly beginning of January 2009,” shares the workaholic, showing the blueprint of his upcoming manmade island, Zoran. Named after his youngest son and to be set up three km off the east coast of Phuket, the island idea has been inspired by a James Bond flick, he says.

Talking about her brother GL, as she calls him fondly, fashion designer Bina Ramani, says, “Being a workaholic, he believes in doing everything himself, not passing on any work to his key managers.” She adds that the workload makes him look older than his age. “He is still so handsome and a lady’s man. If he could work lesser and have more fun, he would look younger,” adds Ramani.

But what she also doesn’t forget to mention is his other side. She says, “He has been a spontaneous, generous, busy-yet-accessible big bro who supported me through thick and thin.” Separated by three years and a day, she is like a twin to him. “Our preferences are similar as are the way we want things,” she says. Recollecting the tough time she has had during the trial of Jessica Lal’s murder case (Lal was shot at Ramani’s Tamarind Court in South Delhi), she says she still finds strength in his words. “The regular calls, prayers, all helped me get solace,” she says

But that’s probably his softer side, which not what everybody knows about. For others he is a businessman who has a lavish lifestyle. Sailing, golfing and cars are what really excite Lalvani. He also takes great pleasure in entertaining friends and family at any of his many homes across the globe.

But yes, he likes to do his bit for the society. Right now, for example, he wants to set up a school of international standards in Kapurthala. “My brother-in-law is already on it. Then there would also be some other attempts for the betterment of my community,” he says. So, is there a possibility to build a man-made dedicated island for Sindhis? “Well, you never know,” he winks.

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