The success of some entrepreneurs cannot be explained by their educational background. There are many billionaires who did not receive higher education. Contrary to popular belief, having a college degree had no bearing on their ability to succeed or prevent them from becoming some of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. Such is the story of Kerala-born billionaire educational entrepreneur Sunny Varkey who is just a high-school pass-out but is today one of the richest Indians in Dubai.
Sunny Varkey's story is about a middle-class man who put in his blood and sweat to make it big in designing, developing and operating educational services. Varkey founded the GEMS Education Group, which now has a network of more than 80 schools spread out over the globe. GEMS is the largest operator of private kindergarten-12 grade schools in the world. Additionally, Sunny has formed alliances with UNESCO, Microsoft, the World Economic Forum, and the Clinton Global Initiative. According to Forbes, Sunny Varkey has a net worth of $3.2 billion. Let’s know about Indian educational entrepreneur Sunny Varkey who started from scratch, made it big in Dubai and is an inspiration for all.
Sunny Varkey’s Life, Education And Business Journey
Sunny Varkey was born in 1957 in Kerala to educator parents. His father had accepted a position at a bank, and the family moved to Dubai in 1959. There, his parents used to teach the Arabs. Sunny completed his official schooling in the United Kingdom and Dubai.
Sunny’s parents founded Our Own English High School in Dubai in 1968 to educate migrant students. During this time Sunny was employed with a bank and later worked in the hotel and healthcare industry. After growing disillusioned with his career, Sunny eventually decided to teach in the school his parents founded.
Sunny had lofty dreams and a strong desire to establish his own business. He founded Global Education Management Systems (GEMS) in 2000 with the dream of providing students with a high-quality education. In 2003, he inaugurated a school in England. He built a school and extended his company in India in 2004. The GEMS group now has operations in Singapore, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, the United States, and Switzerland. Sunny Varkey serves as the chairman of the Varkey Group, an umbrella corporation. He also set up the charitable Varkey Foundation.
Sunny Varkey's initiatives have received widespread recognition. He was appointed the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education Partnerships. He received an award of distinction from the Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates. The Indian Government honoured him with the Padma Shri Award.
Sunny Varkey’s Realtime Net Worth
As per Forbes Realtime Billionaire Index figures, Sunny Varkey’s realtime net worth as of 21-09-2023 is USD $3.2B (2,66,03,52,00,000.00 Indian Rupee approximately).
