--By Sujan Tiwari

 

Binayak Shah, the President of European Economic Chamber Nepal, Vice President of Summit Group of Hotels and Resorts and Managing Director of Airport Hotel, had started his career from the young age of 17. Though deterred from business as a youth, he ultimately ended up where he was supposed to: in a mega scale business of hospitality and World Expos. Shah, who likes to call himself a development oriented businessman, says that making money is not his sheer aspiration. “I feel that I have to help my country through my business, only then it becomes fruitful,” says Shah.

 

Shah started off as a journalist and used to work for Gorkhapatra and Radio Nepal. “I used to do reporting and proof reading for Gorkhapatra, and did news monitoring for Radio Nepal. That’s where I believe I started my career,” recalls Shah. 

 

Shah says he was always oriented towards business, since a very young age. His father never held a job; he was involved in trade and commercial agriculture and did jute and other plantations on a big scale.  Unfortunately, a flood in Koshi once swept away all their land and plantation, sending his father deep in debt. His father was deeply shocked by the event, lost a lot of money and stopped doing business. His father also advised him to get a government job and keep away from business. 

 

Early Life

Shah was born in 1953 in Durbar Marg of Kathmandu to Late Devendra Bahadur Shah and Gauri Shah. Shah was the eldest of three sisters and a brother. His house was in the same place where Hotel Annapurna is today.  “I was born and brought up there till the age of ten. We had to sell our property owing to pressure from the Royal Palace back then as there were plans of establishing the hotel,” recalls Shah. Then the family moved to ancestral house in Gyaneshwor, and Shah still resides in the same place today. 

 

Shah did his schooling from Shanti Vidya Griha. He says he was admitted directly in Grade 5 as he used to take home tuitions prior to joining school. He completed his SLC from there, and did his IA from Mahendra Ratna College. He did his graduation from Trichandra College, and finished his Masters in Economic from TU.   

 

Initiation

After completing his studies, Shah opted for government job. He joined the then Trade Promotion Centre and worked there for 16 years. He served there in various positions including Department Head and In-charge of International Marketing. During his tenure, he promoted Nepal and Nepali products like carpets, garments and handicrafts in Western European countries. He worked with various international development agencies like GTZ, International Trade Centre and others to promote Nepali products in Europe.  “I participated in numerous international trade fairs and exhibitions back then,” says Shah.  

 

As a Thakuri, job in army or police was another prospect for him, but life had other plans for him. Thanks to his job in Trade Promotion centre, his orientation towards business grew even stronger. “Government jobs didn’t suit me well, there were lot of political interferences, still I held on for some time,” says he.

 

During his 16 years government job, he made a lot of contacts and relations with international business community. Then he left the job in 1992, and with his initiation, Nepal German Chamber of Commerce and Industries was formed. Shah was the first CEO of the Chamber and he fostered the trade between Nepal and Germany during his tenure. “I formed Business Advisory Service program which was a result of cooperation between German Development Bank and Nepal German Chamber. The program helped numerous SMEs in upgrading their capacities in terms of export,” says Shah.  

 

Later Years

Shah’s involvement in Trade Promotion Centre and Nepal German Chamber of Commerce and Industry made him ready to do business on his own. “I had assisted numerous businesses as Business Development Consultant. Later I thought that it was time for me to start something of my own,” says Shah.   In the year 2000, he jumped into business and became a full time business person.  

 

Shah then started organizing mega-scale international fairs, events and exhibitions that promote Nepal and Nepali products. He specializes in constructing Nepali pavilions with life-size replicas of Nepali temples and structures illustrating art and architecture of Nepal in World Expositions around the globe. World Exposition is a huge public exhibition that is organized around the world by Bureau of international Exposition (BIE), Paris, of which Nepal is also a member. A total of 167 countries are member of BIE. 

 

 

 

Present Times

 Shah participates in the World Expos through his company Implementing Export Group (IEG), where he is also the Director of International Marketing and Promotion. Shah has constructed various themed Nepali pavilions in World Expos in Germany, China, Japan, Australia, South Korea and other countries.  His pavilions have been viewed by millions of people worldwide. “The participation in World Expos massively supports tourism, trade and goodwill of Nepal. We represent entire Nepal in a small scale in these Expos,” says Shah. The next World Expo is going to be held in Milan in 2015 with the theme ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’, and Shah is currently busy preparing for it. 

 

“The Expos do a lot of promotion of Nepal and supports Nepal in numerous ways,” says he. Shah, who recently turned 60, says that participating in these Expos required him to stay overseas for a long time. “Since travelling very frequently doesn’t suit me, I started looking after Airport Hotel as Managing Director,” says he. 

 

Personal Side

Shah married Shanta Shah in 1979, and the couple has a son and a daughter Bishan and Ojaswi. Shah says he is busy on all days, and doesn’t usually take leave even on Saturdays. “When I am free, I get restless. I have to be working all the time and I like to keep myself occupied all the time. Free time makes you worry, and I try to avoid that,” says a workaholic Shah.  

 

Shah gets up at 5:30 in the morning and is always at his office at Airport Hotel at 8:30. He holds a meeting everyday among his staffs. “There are various departments, and all have to be coordinated for the smooth operation of Hotel. I coordinate between all the departments through the meeting every day,” explains Shah.  According to him, maintaining good personal relation with the staffs is the key to make them more productive and motivate them. In the day, he looks after the tasks of Summit Group of Hotels and Resorts. Shah’s evenings are spent in socializing and get-togethers and parties.  

 

Shah used to play cricket when he was young, and also was the captain of his team in University. He still finds time to watch cricket on TV, and is a fan of Nepali cricket team. He also loves photography and travelling. “My business has allowed me to travel a lot. I have travelled Europe extensively, and many other countries around the world,” says he.  

 

 

Word of Advice

“I am a self made man; I am where I am only because of me. I have no regrets, and I am happy,” says the contented man. In his words, time is the most crucial thing in one’s life, and it should never be wasted. “Time is the most important thing, it won’t wait for you and you won’t get it back. If you act on time, you can achieve a lot, if you miss it, it won’t come back for you,” says Shah.  

 

Shah believes that Nepal has come have a long way in a few years, but still a lot needs to be done.  “All entrepreneurs and businessmen should think for the country and make long term plans. No one gets rich overnight,” says he.  According to Shah, Nepal’s true potential is in numerous sectors, we Nepalis just have to be sincere towards our work. “Nepal cannot compete with India and China in manufacturing, but it is not the same scenario in herbs, tourism and hydropower. We should be able to capitalize our resources,” says Shah. Shah also believes that if we can commercialize agro-forestry, then we can feed the entire world.