Icons of Influence Mohan Valrani Founding Senior Vice Chairman, Al Shirawi Group Mohan Valrani, currently the founding senior vice chairman, Al Shirawi Group, arrived in Dubai in 1966 with just $10 to his name. More than half-a-century later, he commands an array of businesses in sectors such as oil and gas, logistics, education and more. Valrani’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to partner with Abdulla Al Shirawi in 1971 to form the Al Shirawi Group, which would grow to encompass over 30 leading companies across various industries. The Al Shirawi Group expanded rapidly under Valrani’s leadership. In 1974, the group ventured into printing with the establishment of Emirates Printing Press. It further diversified with Al Shirawi Equipment in 1976 and Aswan International Engineering in 1979. By 1981, the group was the sole distributors for SCANIA trucks and buses in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Valrani’s influence extended to the education sector when he became chairman of the Indian High School in 2009, leading its expansion. He founded Arcadia in 2014, opening its first school in 2016 and a high school in 2020, with both institutions receiving high praise. In 2020, Valrani began adopting schools in Nepal and Malawi in collaboration with Dubai Cares, demonstrating his commitment to global education. In 2023, he opened Arcadia Global School, further cementing his legacy in education. Valrani also served as chairman of the India Club, with his third tenure beginning in October 2023, highlighting his long standing dedication to community service. Related Stories Revealed: Influential Indians in the GCC: Business legends UK’s Gabbitas To Create Four New British Schools In Dubai You might also like Sunil John Dr. Thumbay Moideen Vidya Chhabria Mohan Valrani K. Rajaram Dr. Adnan Chilwan Sanjiv Kakkar Ram Kumar Thota Raghu Malhotra Sunil Kaushal Atif Rahman Amit Jain Rishi Kapoor Vasu Shroff Anil Pillai Bal Krishen Rohit and Sharad Bachani Raju Ramesh and Sunil Paul Ayesha Depala John Paul Joy Alukkas Geet Bhalla and Digvijay Pratap Snehal and Sunita Hadani Nisha Jagtiani Kunal Kapoor Dino Varkey Ashish Panjabi Joy Alukkas Yogesh Mehta Yusuff Ali M.A. Ravi Pillai Micky Jagtiani Sunny Varkey Sunil Vaswani Shamsheer Vayalil Firoz Merchant Rajen Kilachand Azad Moopen Tony Jashanmal Paras Shahdadpuri Dr. Zulekha Daud Adeeb Ahamed Dhananjay Datar Rizwan Sajan PNC Menon Sima Ved Shaji Ul Mulk Ramesh Prabhakar L.T. Pagarani Ram Buxani Surender Kandhari Sohan Roy Shyam Bhatia