Jack of All Trades and Masters of All
Mr. Ajay Harinath Singh started Darwin Group of Companies as an ambitious project. With his undying efforts and determination, he has weaved a story of triumph and optimism. Under his tutelage, the company has become a conglomerate which has presence in almost all industries and is a leading brand in all. Leading his business with grounded set of beliefs, Mr. Singh’s achievements go way beyond establishing a business powerhouse. Time and again, he has redefined the way people look at entrepreneurs through his actions and farsightedness BY SONAM GULATI
Businessman, philanthropist, investor and much more – Mr. Singh dons many hats and each with equal panache. Born in 1980 in a family that had very successful business of mining, shipping, agriculture, and finance; Mr. Singh wanted to start something of his own. In those days, his family was one of most renowned business families of India. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Mr. Singh completed his graduation from the same city and then went to London for his Masters. After completing his education, he worked for various companies like Kraftos London, Cobra plc, Aviva Life Insurance, Metife Insurance, and Bharti Axa Life Insurance.
In 2010, Mr. Singh started Darwin Platform Group. He kept on adding new verticals to his venture including Arms and Darwin Platform Avitronics Inc., which retails Sukhoi 30 and MIG aircrafts from Russia. He also started a national banking company. Soon, his business venture became Darwin Group of Companies. Today, the firm has different ventures from mining, airline, shipping, farming, finance, winery, and mass media industries.
Under his leadership, The Darwin Platform Holdings Limited became a public company in 2010. Today, they have branches in London, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Russia, Germany, Hong Kong, US, China, and Dubai. It was Mr. Singh’s vision that took the company across all sectors including pharmaceuticals, finance, banking, mining, realty, information technology, and education.
ONE MAN, MANY ROLES
Mr. Singh is not just a businessman, he is a ‘multipreneur’. With his many ventures and branches across sectors, his ultimate aim is to boost the Indian economy. He is a strong advocate of young leaders taking over the baton of the country and leading with a fresh perspective.
Under the Darwin Platform Group of Companies, Ajay Harinath Singh has also been associated with selling the Sukhoi 30 and MIG aircraft from Russia to other countries. He also owns an oilrig and refinery in East Europe and is all set to expanding his oil business in Russia. He is also in the infrastructure and banking business in the Sultanate of Oman. Darwin Platform Group of Companies is a conglomerate dealing in banking, realty, hospitality, mining, pharmaceuticals, film production, etc. Singh & Sons is the parent company of Darwin Platform Group of Companies having a presence in 11 countries globally with a net worth of Rs. 41000 cr. and is completelydebt-free. Ajay Harinath Singh’s Darwin Platform Group of Companies is a conglomerate dealing in banking, realty, hospitality, mining, pharmaceuticals, film production, etc,
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & PHILANTHROPY
A fourth-generation businessman, Mr. Singh has a deep sense of giving back to the society. He is known for his philanthropic work. There are various social upliftment initiatives led by him, one of the most prominent is Ajay Harinath Singh Foundation (AHSF) food charity, which provides food to the homeless and needy. He has also built low-cost medical facilities in Latur (Maharashtra) and Bhuj (Gujarat) for lowincome families. He is always working to bridge the gap in the society by making available resources to the underprivileged.
He also donates to various forums and initiatives on a regular basis. He comes from a family that has been philanthropic since many generations. At the beginning of hisjourney, he had pledged a part of this wealth to charity and he has struck by the pledge ever since. Access to quality education has also been a primary focus of his charitable contributions. His philanthropic efforts are also helping almost all cases from education, health, hunger, and more. Mr. Singh has also donated $1 million to establish a women’s polytechnic institution in Mumbai. It was a one-of-a-kind institution and much appreciated by the society.
Mr. Singh has also been a he contributor to education systems abroad. He donated $2 million to establish a curriculum for small business management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Additionally, he donated $500,000 to set up a scholarship fund for minority students who want to enter its science or engineering schools.
It is clear from his efforts and initiatives that Mr. Singh is deeply concerned about the inequalities in the society. He believes that a true leader is one who uses his wealth and reach to bridge these gaps and work towards bringing opportunities closer to those who can’t avail them.
To achieve this, he also started an initiative where people were given employment duringthe Covid pandemic when a lot of people lose their livelihoods. In May this year, under his guidance, Darwin Group started an employment scheme for the youth. The company announced expansion plans in their 27 different ventures and for that they have initiated a program under which direct employment will be given to at least 1.5 lakh people in each Indian state, which mean approximately 40 lakh people will get direct employment in due course of time. It is these efforts that make him a leader, a visionary and a nurturer par excellence.
One Global Indian of the Year Award, Global Excellence Award for Topmost Brand, Bharat Gaurav Award, and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Prerna Samman Award, among others.
In 2019, he was awarded the “Champions of Change” Award by Interactive Forum on Indian Economy (IFIE), a non-profit agency recognized by the Indian government for his exemplary social welfare initiatives and philanthropic work. The award was presented to him by former President, Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, in a special ceremony conducted at his residence in New Delhi.
PEOPLES PERSON
Mr. Singh is one of the leaders who put his team on the forefront. He truly vales the essence of a good team. He believes that the biggest asset for any organization is its employees, who make or break the fortunes of a business. That is why he makes sure that along with business, his team members are also growing. He ensures there are enough opportunities for them to learn, grow and work on their personal career goals. He is also a great communicator and motivates his team on a regular basis. He infuses the team positivity and enthusiasm which is important for any team to function without losing track of the end goal.
CHARTING NEW TERRITORIES
As a businessman, Mr. Singh is farsighted. He works to solve simple problems and meeting the needs of consumers. He truly believes that the main job of entrepreneurs is to make things happens. It is indeed what differentiates a leader – everyone can have ideas but leaders carry the ideas out. A true leader would also know which idea can shape to be a full fledged service.
Mr. Singh started Darwin Platform after gaining enough experience at his family businesses. He also has been successfulin taking 96% of the ownership of Darwin Platform Group of Companies from his family. He runs the company completely debt-free and is striving to make it a global brand. It is tireless, relentless and unmatched dedication of Mr. Singh that in just 10 years the company has reached such pinnacles of growth.
He started the business with only avionics and soon added many verticals to his empire. What is most commendable is that all his companies became leaders in their own industry in no time. Its various subsidiaries include the following ventures: Darwin Platform Infrastructure Ltd., Darwin Platform Capital Ltd., Darwin PlatformHolding Ltd., Darwin Platform Airline Ltd., Darwin Platform Mass Media Ltd., Darwin Platform Logistics Ltd., Darwin Platform Realty Ltd., Darwin Platform IT Ltd. , Darwin Platform Industries Ltd., Darwin Platform Hospitality Ltd., Darwin Platform Refineries Ltd., Darwin Platform Shipping Ltd., Darwin Platform Power Ltd., Darwin Platform Automobiles Ltd., Darwin Platform Pharmaceuticals Ltd., and Darwin Platform Beverages Ltd.
It is now Mr. Singh’s vision to transform the way business is conducted in the modern world. He runs the show at Darwin Platform by guiding his teams to do business in a way that it becomes best practices. Operational excellence, customer service, inclusive work culture and innovation are some of the pillars on which Mr. Singh’s conglomerate rests.
He recently forayed into the e-mobility space with the launch of 3 varieties of e-scooters. Prior to that, the company has committed to invest Rs 1,000 crore to expand its retail business. Under his guidance, the company had ventured into retail sometime back and is now looking to have a panIndia presence in the form of retails stores across categories. The company is surely an unstoppable force under the aegis of Mr. Singh.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Darwin Platform is guided by a relentless focus of Mr. Singh. Even after attaining so much, Mr. Singh has his eyes set on the next milestones. The company has mega business expansion plans laid ahead. He has allocated a huge sum of INR 7,000 crore to expand its footprint in retail, agri-business, healthcare, and energy sectors. The unique property of this group, thanks to Mr. Singh is that every stakeholder, investor, and employee stands equal, to give their best to the society and share the common goal of nation building. Mr. Singh believes that all his efforts are concentrated towards making the country better for the underserved. All of his ventures work together like cogwheels to generate employment & wealth cumulatively for the nation.
He promotes simple, effective and lasting solutions to everyday problems. He also propagates the ideology that the success of some entrepreneurs can be an incentive for more young and intelligent people to come forward with their ideas to solve the problems of the underserved. “In reality, it’s not about making great inventions but about applying the inventions to our daily life,” he says.
“THE UNIQUE PROPERTY OF THIS GROUP, THANKS TO MR. AJAY HARINATH SINGH IS THAT EVERY STAKEHOLDER, INVESTOR, AND EMPLOYEE STANDS EQUAL, TO GIVE THEIR BEST TO THE SOCIETY AND SHARE THE COMMON GOAL OF NATION BUILDING”
