Profile

Sripriyaa Kumaria is not an entrepreneur herself. However, she is the best thing that could happen to a budding entrepreneur in the UAE. She helps Indian businesses, supports bilateral investment and trade promotion activities by closely working with the various government entities in UAE & India.

Sripriyaa Kumaria has been at the forefront of establishing the India Trade & Exhibition Centre – ITEC me and later she took a prominent role in setting up of the Business Leaders Forum (BLF) – that expands her role across all the business groups and councils in the UAE that will play its due role in business advocacy and help the government of the UAE & India to formulate policies to strengthen bilateral trade & Investments. She is a true visionary who acts as a bridge between governments, businesses, entrepreneurs. Sripriyaa Kumaria has come a long way in her 40-year life and achieved so much in her young age that many people dream they had. 

Sripriyaa Kumaria was born on May 23, 1977 to a well-to-do family of bankers and chartered accountants in Chennai with an elder sister who is also a finance professional. Her father was a banker and mom homemaker.

She initially studied in St. Dominic’s Convent and later in Church Park Convent – a premier school in Chennai – that produced leaders such as the legendary Tamil politician, Jayalalitha Jayaram, the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

She loved athletics and won many accolades in track and field events at state level in Tamil Nadu in the under 16 category. Her most memorable win was receiving the gold medal for the 100-metre sprint race from the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha Jayaram during the inaugural of the famous Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

She later studied Bachelor of Arts and completed Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Madras University in 1999.

“I was the youngest teacher for Art of Living Yoga (AOL) in Chennai and started AOL sessions for school children from the age of 16 in 1994. Later in my college days, I was the first AOL teacher to deliver corporate training programes for MRF in Chennai and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in the years 1994 to 1997,” Sripriyaa Kumaria recalls.

She started her career with Liwa Trading in Abu Dhabi in September 1999 as fashion buyer.

“It was a very exciting job. I was 22 years and fashion was my passion. Within the first three months, I quickly moved on to become the Brand Manager for JC Penney in the UAE responsible for all the stores in UAE and GCC,” she says.

“The UAE has been a safe haven for me and my family for several years now. She later moved on to join Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone (RAK FTZ) which was in the formation stages at that time. I was thrilled to be a part of their commissioning team for three years which gave me an insider understanding about UAE regulations, company formation, laws and procedures of a free zone.”

However, the Indian business community in Sharjah, UAE was getting organized to play a bigger role in the economy of the emirate and UAE.

NRIs are the largest investors in the UAE economy, including Sharjah – the third largest emirate of the UAE. The free zones in Sharjah currently hosts as many as 7,000 companies owned by NRIs.

Sharjah has a large industrial belt – where Indians are one of the largest investors in industries. According to the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), the emirate contributes between 38 per cent and 40 per cent to the UAE’s total industrial production.

Overall Indian investments in the UAE is estimated to be worth Dh183 billion ($50 billion) and Sharjah is the recipient of a large chunk of this. Sharjah is home to over 45,000 SMEs and are the key driver of the emirate’s economic growth and development – a large number of them are owned by Indians.

Around that time, in 2005, the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) Sharjah was being formed. “I offered myself for the role of a Manager at IBPC Sharjah due to my interest in this sector and soon I had a wonderful rapport with the managing committee of IBPC Sharjah and the Chairman Mr. Sudesh Aggarwal,” she recalls.

“I then headed the project to create India Trade and Exhibition Centre (ITEC) for IBPC Sharjah. This led to the successful signing of a MoU between SCCI and IBPC Sharjah and the allocation of a land of 20,000 square feet to build a permanent exhibition Centre for ITEC with the support of HE Venu Rajamony, Indian Consul General in Dubai.

“I then spearheaded the UAE-India Cultural and Business Forum with the Consulate General of India, SCCI and various Sharjah government departments. I was then asked to lead the project of commissioning the current ITEC project with a MoU between ITEC and SCCI.”

As she was establishing these institutions, Sripriyaa Kumaria also started to organize a number of events with the Chairmanship of Mr. Sudesh Aggarwal. She conducted the 11th Annual Indian independence golf tournament in association with the Consulate General of India to commemorate the 60th Indian Independence Day under the Indian Golfers Society and blood donation camps and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

What prompted her to come to Dubai? “The UAE is a safe haven for women and especially for women who want to be independent and achieve their dreams. When I came to the UAE in 1999, my first impression was the simplicity of the Emiratis and the importance and time they give to family,” she responds. “I have noticed that even after so many years, with modernization, lifestyle changes, the importance given to family hasn’t changed.” This is the most valuable lesson I have learnt from the Emiratis.

“Promoting Bilateral Trade & helping Indian Businessmen setup their businesses in UAE was the way I could give back to both the countries that has given me so much knowledge & exposure. I wanted to pass on my knowledge to the entrepreneurs and startups in UAE & India and use my resources for the same.

“Passion in my role and seeing others successful is my motivator.” More so the India UAE Trade Relationship is one that has grown leaps and bounds with the shared vision of both the great nations.

Starting from scratch without any back-up as a CEO is always hard, as ITEC being one of a kind, being set up by the UAE and Indian Governments, the challenge has been multifold, she feels.

Right from envisioning the objective of the ITEC-m.e., devising the activities of the trade Centre, making sure revenues are achieved in order to make a not-for-profit organization become self-sufficient was the biggest challenge for a hands-on mother of two children and doting wife supporting a high-career husband.

Self-motivation and believing in the ITEC m.e. and our objective and mission is the key to the running such Centre’s. This isn’t a role where money is the key motivator.

“There is a bright side to any difficulties and challenges – the Trustees of ITEC who always believed in me and trusted my credentials and capabilities. I think this is the foremost reason for the success of my engagement in ITEC,” she says.

“Executing ITEC’s mission and objective given me so much joy, prestige, satisfaction and over all pride of fostering the trade & investment relationship between the 2 great nations. ITEC today is a mature institution professionally run and managed with a team of experienced staff, facilitating the trade, business, investments and brotherly relationship between India and UAE.”

ITEC is not a regular job or business. ITEC is fed with passion, commitment, belief and overall hard work. “I believe that money alone cannot drive any organization. In today’s world, success cannot be measured only by money, turnover or sales figures alone,” she says. “I consider the very fact of being one of the primary parties to setting up the ITEC as my foremost achievement.

ITEC m.e. is one of its kind in the world outside India to promote TRADE & Investment between India – UAE, India – GCC , India – MENA region. The very fact that the Centre was inaugurated jointly by The former President of India Smt Prathiba Devisingh Patil and HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed al Qassimi is a testimony by itself.

“That said, ITEC has achieved many laurels in short period of time with various MoUs being signed with state governments and their Chief Ministers for placement of skilled manpower in the UAE thereby realizing the Indian Prime Minister’s vision of skilled India, supported many export promotion councils in India and their members to set foot in the UAE for the very first time thereby facilitating in realizing the vision of India – Make in India and start-up India.”

For some time Indian Business Leaders felt that they should take a leadership role in forming an organization that will work as a policy advocacy group to help support the UAE Federal Government to streamline business processes and strengthen the country’s business registration, licensing and investment regime by further relaxing the rules for doing business.

The body shall work as an unofficial representative of the private sector and be represented by the business communities of all the nationalities in the UAE – and help the country in attract more investment and improve the economic relationship relations with all the countries.

Since 2016, ITEC m.e. started working closely with the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Indian Consulate in Dubai as well as the UAE Ministry of Economy to form “Business Leaders Forum”

“As a result, the Business Leaders’ Forum (BLF), which is a not-for-profit entity that has been formed at the behest of ITEC-ME by the Consulate General of India – Dubai and The Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi and the UAE Ministry of Economy with ITEC being the official secretariat,” she says.

“There are many business and social organizations that exist but not a single forum exists which has the captains of trade in UAE consisting of Emiratis and various nationalities whose single point of interest is pure investment.”

“We should not forget that investment and trade are the major drivers in any country’s economy and the interest of a business leader should be catered to.”

BLF shall primarily work in facilitating and channelizing investment between India – UAE, act as one-point contact for addressing issues faced by Investors in India/UAE, facilitating services of CGI and Ministry of Economy to business leaders, exclusive meetings with visiting high level business leaders, dignitaries, Ministers etc and to discuss strategy and give valuable inputs in every industry sector.

Indian Ambassador to UAE, Indian Consul General and Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Economy are the joint Patrons of BLF.

“Acting as the Secretary-General of the BLF has actually fueled my passion for engaging myself in promoting high level investments between India and the UAE and fostering closer ties between Emirati and Indian Business Leaders. I am excited about the future of BLF in times to come, BLF will play a major role in the days to come in the UAE – India investment scenario. ” she says.

Her management style is to work as a team – be it with her Trustees or staff. Trust is the key to any relationship and more so for a body like ITEC m.e.

ITEC has until date incubated more than 100 companies and businesses in its 25,000 square feet built-up facility in Al Khan business district and set up more than 35 companies and businesses all over the UAE. Currently, ITEC houses more than 35 companies at any given time, who have a minimum turnover ranging from Dh500,000 per annum and up to maximum of Dh4 million.

ITEC has engaged in facilitating placement of skilled manpower from India to the UAE which helps businesses and companies to grow the right manpower directly from the ITI and skill schools in India.

Intra Indian business – doing business amongst Indians is another area ITEC has been focusing by publishing Indian Businessmen and Professionals Manual (IBPM) by listing all Indian businessmen in the manual which acts as an excellent reference guide for existing businessmen in the UAE and for the new businessman entering the UAE market.

ITEC also conducts various B2B meetings and buyer-seller meets for Indian government bodies like export promotion councils, state government etc and facilitates investments into the Indian states. A MoU with the Rajasthan Government in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister was also signed in this regard.

ITEC has facilitated many one to one meetings for visiting ministers from India & my role as Director General is to interact with both the Governments at the highest level & facilitate to translate their vision into reality.

“Going forward ITEC will play a major role in promoting bilateral investment between UAE and India, especially with the close relationship between India and the UAE,” she says. “All the arms of ITEC like BLF, BSM, state investments, and skilled placement facilitation will be high on our agenda in the following years.”

India UAE Partnership Summit – IUPS the flagship event of the Indian Embassy & Consulate & the Ministry of Economy, UAE has forged this bilateral investments and relationship with a concrete Dh1 billion consortium that will be facilitated by BLF for investment into projects in UAE and India. BLF means Business and Investment.

During the course of her journey, she has met the visionary UAE leaders & the members of the Royal families – many of what she recalls fondly.

“My engagement and meetings with the Sharjah ruling family goes back to 2004. I fondly recall my meeting with His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, walking up to me during an event in the Sharjah Expo Centre to enquire with me about ITEC and more so my well-being as I was pregnant with my second child.

“I have had several one-to-one and personal meetings with HH Sultan Bin Muhammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, the Crown Prince of Sharjah who takes keen & personal interest in the well-being of Indians & the social and investment scenario in Sharjah.”

I would like to be remembered for fostering the brotherly ties and the trade and investment relationship between the 2 great countries.