Ashish Thakkar
Ashish J Thakkar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 August 1981 |
| Occupations | Founder, Mara Group & Mara Foundation |
| Years active | 1996 - present |
| Organization | Mara Corporation |
| Known for |
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| Spouse |
Krishna A. Thakkar
(m. 2009; div. 2014) |
| Children | Yagna A. Thakkar, Avadhi A. Thakkar |
| Parents |
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| Website | www |
Ashish J. Thakkar is an East African entrepreneur, who achieved recognition as the founder of the Mara Group and Mara Foundation, as well as the co-founder of Atlas Mara Limited. Thakkar was born in the United Kingdom, but he moved to East Africa as a teenager before founding Mara Group, a Pan-African conglomerate, at the age of 15. Today, Mara Group's operations and investments span across 22 African countries. Additionally, Thakkar authored the book The Lion Awakes: Adventures in Africa's Economic Miracle.
Thakkar is a member of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders, and was included in Fortune magazine's list of the top "40 Under 40" in 2013. Moreover, he was awarded the Base Leadership Award at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards event. In 2016, American magazine Esquire named him Middle East Man of the Year.
In 2015, Thakkar was appointed Chair of the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council, while in 2017, he was appointed Chair of the Presidential Youth Advisory Group at the African Development Bank.