Born to a humble family of farmers in Kerala, Ravi Pillai now heads RP Group, a massive conglomerate that has a portfolio of well over $25 billion in sectors including construction, infrastructure, hospitality and healthcare. The firm is also responsible for the Crown Plaza Dubai Marina hotel and two $1.5bn developments in Dubai. He made international headlines in 2016 when he invited 3,000 unemployed Saudi workers to come work for RP Group.