Even after decades-worth of success, Britain's biggest importers and suppliers of petrol and diesel, Prax Petroleum remains shrouded in mystery. In the last couple of years, it has taken over oil terminals in northeast England and south Wales, and supply business Harvest Energy, growing into a company with a turnover of £1.7 billion. Even with its network stretching till the oil fields of Kazakhstan, Prax remains fairly unknown.
People have now begun to question how the company has come so far. Owned by Winston and Arani Soosaipillai, Prax made a head dive into the heart of a complex legal battle over the rights of thousands of barrels of oil in Kazakhstan. Coming from humble beginnings, State Oil was registered in 2000, after which, Sri Lankan accountant Winston joined as director and Arani as secretary. The couple, who were in their late twenties then, were living in a £64,700 maisonette in Weybridge. State Oil's subsidiary Prax was founded in 2002.
While the company failed to impress initially, things took a turn in 2009. Don Camillo Emilio Borneo took over as a new director and sales began to take off. The company's turnover rose seven-fold in 2012. Early 2015 saw the company make a deal sending sales soaring above £2 billion. Prax bought Havest Energy and Harvest Aviation in a debt-backed transaction for $22.6 million. Meanwhile, the Soosaipillais have faired well from the growth. They now live in a £4.5 million mansion on the exclusive, gated St George’s Hill estate in Weybridge. The company now reportedly supplies 10 to 15 per cent of the UK's road fuel and has trading offices in Switzerland, Texas and Singapore.
