Sohan Singh Thakral

Sohan Singh Thakral the founder Thakral Group

Sohan Singh Thakral, who as a 10-year-old orphan migrated to Thailand from the Indian state of Punjab. Sohan hawked textiles on the streets of Bangkok for several years before opening his own retail shop-the Punjab Store-in 1905. In 1936, he opened a branch in Japan to buy textiles. The fifth of Sohan's seven children, Kartar Singh Thakral was groomed from an early age to lead the family business. In 1952, Sohan brought the 19-year-old Kartar to Singapore to open an office for what became known as Thakral Brothers. His father, Kartar says, realized early on the need to go regional. "He was a very humble man," Kartar says of his father, who never attended school.

"From his experience, we learned how to adjust to life." Most of all, says Kartar: "He taught us that honesty is very important, that you should respect your creditors and honour your word." In 1973, Thakral Brothers was registered as a limited-liability company, and the next year diversified beyond textiles into electronics. Thus began a period of rapid growth. In the early 1980's, Thakral began pumping television sets, mostly Japanese-made, into India. When that market closed to foreigners, Kartar made what would prove a profound decision to expand into China. Now the Group has expanded into Australia where it has become Australia's largest operator of Grand Hotels.

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