Under Richie’s stewardship, TOPSGRUP became the first Indian multinational company to acquire a British security company, The Shield Group in 2012, resulting in his entry in The Sunday Times Rich List. This was a feat he achieved again in 2013 and 2014, when he made it into the prestigious list twice more, with a current wealth of £195 million.
Away from the business world, Dr Nanda is a committed philanthropist, who has initiated several charitable projects to give back to society, both in his native India and in the UK. Some of his key initiatives include: setting up a trust to help desolate girl children in India to receive an education. He has also pioneered a scheme to educate and train children who have been orphaned due to terrorism. In addition, TOPSGRUP launched India’s first private Emergency Response Service called TOPSLINE 1252, to attend and serve at the scene of major emergencies, like terrorist attacks and fires.
1) Please tell me about your current position?
As the Executive Chairman of Topsgrup, India's largest security group, and The Shield Group, UK's largest independent total security solutions provider, it is my responsibility to ensure that the business continues to thrive. Since I first joined Topsgrup twenty years ago, I've witnessed the company experience exponential growth across the globe and my aim is to take that further, hoping to achieve a billion dollar revenue soon.
2) What are your proudest achievements?
When I look back at where I first started when taking on the family business, Tops Security Guard (TSG), to where it is today, I am immensely proud of the work we have achieved. We literally re-wrote the rules for the security business not only for TOPSGRUP, but for the entire Indian Security Industry at large. I trusted my instincts and in my heart I knew that I had a winner on my hands when I joined TOPS. Today the company generates a staggering turnover of £150 million and employs over 93,000 employees spread between India and the UK. We've certainly come a long way from my £10 a month earnings.
3) What inspires you?
I would consider my father to be one of my biggest inspirations. He instilled in me the correct values and ethics that have brought me to where I am today. I hope that all the hard work I have poured into the business continues to make him proud.
I was also inspired by Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group) - I admire his personal brand and his success despite the challenges he has had to face over the years. He was an inspiration to me growing up in the streets of Mumbai and over the years, as we established our business and brand in India, the media, our customers and our employees occasionally compared my entrepreneurial style to his and I revelled in that praise.
4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?
My introduction to the business world was a huge obstacle that I had to overcome. When I was sixteen, my father suffered from a stroke, forcing me to take control of his share in a chain of Chinese restaurants. Instead of feeling beat, I used this opportunity to prove myself and with just one restaurant left, I worked hard to improve the business and it really taught me how to build something from scratch which gave me the confidence in later business ventures. My family members were so impressed that after two years they decided I should run the other family business - a security firm called TOPS Security Guard (TSG).
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
With every decision I make, I always follow my own intuition. You have to believe in your own strategy before you can convince others to follow suit and I have never doubted my intuition for business.
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?
As the company continues to expand, it's great to expose our services to more and more clients across the world. Providing top notch security has always been a priority to me, and it's fantastic to know that you're making the world a safer place.
7) And the worst?
In my position, you're not always going to get it right and there will definitely be highs and lows. Every decision you make is absolutely crucial, and sometimes the pressure of making the wrong one can be daunting. However, I have a clear vision for the future of the company and I'm committed to making that vision a reality.
8) What are your long term goals?
Three years from now, I would like to see the business achieve even more. Since acquiring The Shield Group in the UK, I have become more motivated in expanding our business across all security verticals and explore new markets. One of our priorities is to expand into the UK market and continue our market domination in India. We have recently started our offices in Netherlands and France and slowly, we are exploring other European markets as well. Whilst it will be challenging, I really believe that this is a market that needs to be tapped and will allow the company to expand further.
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I believe that some changes definitely need to be made to the business world, and I would definitely work on providing more opportunities for educated, trained and experienced people of all backgrounds to work and contribute to the economy of our country. The corporate world and international economies around us are changing and evolving all the time; and unless we don't open our doors, invite and acquire exceptional talent from the field of business, art and sports around the world, we will face impediments to growth and leadership.
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He is the one historical figure that I tremendously admire. I think the intelligence, spirituality, compassion and tolerance that he demonstrated throughout his life, are attributes that we should all aspire to learn from.
