Joy Alukkas

One of 18 children, Joy Alukkas dropped out of college to pick up the skills of the trade from his father who ran a jewellery business in their hometown of Thrissur in Kerala. The then 30-something decided to take those early lessons and ambitions international, opening his first showroom in Abu Dhabi in 1987, followed by another one in Dubai and Sharjah. Today, that empire has spread to cover over 160 showrooms across 11 countries, employing 8,000 people with annual revenues of around $2bn. The rapid expansion has never been at the cost of quality – Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum even awarded the business the Dubai Quality Awards certification.