Rizwan Sajan is UAE-based Non-Resident Indian businessman and the founder of Danube Group.
Early life
Rizwan was born to a middle-class family in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and started his career as a street vendor to support his family. After his father's death, at the age of 18, Sajan went to work at his uncle's building materials shop in Kuwait. The Gulf War in 1991 forced him to return to Mumbai.
Career
Sajan is the founder and chairman of Danube Group, a conglomerate consisting of various subsidiaries. He was involved in the work to introduce the Filmfare Awards to the Middle East. In 2021 he announced construction of a residential tower 'Fashionz' in collaboration with FashionTV, and later they started the Middle East's largest indoor sports facility, Danube Sports World.
Philanthropy
In 2023 Sajan donated AED 5 million towards the UAE Government's 1 Billion Meals Endowment Initiative. He founded the Danube Welfare Center, which works to train unskilled workers.
Awards and recognition
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Excellence Award by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2012 Dubai Quality Award in 2012 Special Achievement Award by The Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) in 2015 Most Admired Retailer award by BARC Asia in 2018 The Economic Times Global Indian Leaders in 2022 Top 100 Indian leaders in the UAE 2020 by Forbes Middle East Top Indian Business Leaders In The Middle East 2021 by Forbes Middle East Icons of the UAE 2023 by NKN Media and India Today Group