The Top 100 Indian
Business Leaders
in the UAE.
One hundred intimate portraits. One hundred personal interviews. One definitive account of the Indian business diaspora that shaped modern UAE.
Background
A document ofextraordinary ambition.
The Indian business community in the UAE is one of the largest and most consequential diaspora entrepreneurial communities in the world. Yet their stories, the real stories, behind the press releases and LinkedIn profiles, had never been told in one comprehensive, human document.
When Lalithaa Jiji was commissioned to undertake this project, she approached it not as a journalistic assignment but as an act of preservation. These were not just business profiles. They were human portraits, of people who left everything they knew, built something they were told was impossible, and in doing so, changed the economic landscape of an entire region.
The result is not a directory. It is a work of literary journalism, one that will stand as the definitive human record of Indian entrepreneurship in the Gulf for decades to come.
The Process
Research
Six months of preliminary research, archival, biographical, and industry-specific, to understand the landscape before a single interview began.
Interviews
Over 70 personal interviews conducted by Lalithaa Jiji. Each session lasted between two and five hours. No scripts. No press-release questions. Genuine conversations about life, sacrifice, and the decisions that shaped careers.
Writing
Each profile was written from scratch, no templates, no house style. Every leader received a portrait that reflected who they actually are, not who their PR team wished them to be.
Review & Publication
Every subject reviewed their own profile for factual accuracy. No editorial compromises were made. The book was published to critical and commercial reception across the GCC.
Reception
"Lalithaa, I just wanted to appreciate the incredible work you've done. Interviewing nearly 70 people and turning their corporate profiles into stories with such a genuine human touch is truly impressive."
Sainudheen
BrandBay, Client
"Lalithaa turned 70 interviews into a masterpiece, each profile reads like a work of literary journalism. This is the document the Indian business community in the UAE has always deserved."
Ahmad Al Rashid
Publishing Director
"100 separate legacies. One cohesive masterpiece."
, Lalithaa Jiji, Founder & Principal Writer