Who Is Dr Faruk Gulam Patel? A Bus Conductor's Son Who Once Worked In London Café, Today Owns Rs 2,500 Crore Business Empire

Dr Faruk Gulam Patel is the Chairman and Managing Director of KP Group, one of the major players in the solar and wind power sector in India.

Having seen poverty closely, Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel moved to Mumbai at a younger age to help his family financially.

A house is not built overnight just like success. One lesser-known aspect of success is the importance of failure. While success is often associated with achieving goals and attaining positive outcomes, failure plays a crucial role in the journey toward success. And failure is not always associated with the fall; it's also associated with the struggles you face during your journey. One such inspiring story is Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel, Chairman and Managing Director of KP Group. Dr. Patel often remains in the news for his trust in the India story and his latest tryst with headlines was due to him being conferred with an honorary doctorate by the American East Coast University for his work in the field of renewable energy.

Who Is Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel?

Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel, born on March 24, 1972, hails from Saladara Village in Bharuch. His parents, Gulam Patel and Rashidaben, raised him in a humble household. In this lower-middle-class family, Dr. Patel's father made a living as a bus conductor for Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC). Just like average Indian middle-class families, Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel did his primary schooling at Surat Municipal Corporation School in Kanbiwad Bhandri Moholla and later on shifted to VD Desai Vadiwala School also called Bhulka Bhavan on the advice of his teacher Shantaben.

Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel's Struggle

Having seen poverty closely, Dr. Faruk Gulam Patel moved to Mumbai to help his family financially he began learning about import-exports along with working as an optician to earn extra money. Later, he joined Manmade Textile Research Association in 1990 for experience and later started a business by joining Hafiz Brothers. Then in 1991, he flew to England and started working in a café to support his family. But soon he started missing his motherland and wanted to do something for his country.

Dr. Faruk G. Patel's Entrepreneurial Journey

After spending two years abroad, he flew back to Surat in 1993 and started carting business. But being an ambitious person with a bigger vision in 1994, he started KP Group with a capital of Rs 1 lakh. It was the turning point of Dr. Patel's journey. Going ahead in 2001 he started KP Buildcon Pvt. Ltd. and marked his journey into Telecommunication Industry. Recognizing the future of communication and the increasing demand for communication towers, he made the strategic decision to expand his business across 16 states in India. Building on his visionary mindset, after years of success, he saw the importance of diversification and ventured into the renewable energy sector. 

In 2008, he founded KPI Green Energy, marking his entry into the solar power domain. Following that, in 2010, he further expanded his portfolio by establishing KP Energy, focusing on wind power projects. Taking his solar power aspirations forward, he initially procured 220 acres of land in Sudi, Bharuch, to develop a Solar Park. Over time, his vision expanded, and the group now possesses over 1500 acres of land; owns Gujarat's largest private solar park, and has 2+GW of green energy portfolio. The KP Group today has a business empire of Rs 2,500 crore across India.