Founder, Chairman and CEO, Caravel Group
Harry Banga, founder of Caravel Group, has built a maritime and trading powerhouse
The founder, chairman and CEO of the Caravel Group, Harindarpal Singh Banga, generally known as Harry, also previously built Noble Group into a commodities giant. Caravel, which he established in 2013 alongside his sons Angad and Guneet, has operations in resources trading, asset management and maritime services, through its Caravel Shipping and Fleet Management subsidiaries, the latter of which has more than 550 vessels under management. He was previously vice-chairman of Noble Group, which he helped establish in 1989 and which quickly became a dominant player in the commodities trading industry. He was an early investor in the Indian online beauty retailer Nykaa, and its IPO last year reportedly propelled Banga’s net worth by 97 per cent.
Born in India, he started his career working on ships, quickly becoming a captain and then moving to Hong Kong as operations manager of a now-defunct shipping company. He is also an enthusiastic philanthropist: his Caravel Foundation provides underprivileged children with healthcare and education, mainly in Hong Kong, mainland China and India. A court member of the City University of Hong Kong, he is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. He is married to Indra.
(Photo: Nora Tam for South China Morning Post via Getty Images)
Recognitions
Did You Know?
His company, Caravel, takes its name from a type of nimble 15th-century Portuguese sailing ship.