Ashish Thakkar

Born: 1981, Leicester, United Kingdom Nationality: East African (Ugandan of Indian descent) Profession: Entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist Known For: Founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation; Co-founder of Atlas Mara Limited

Early Life & Education

• Family emigrated from Gujarat, India to Africa in the 1890s.

• Parents forced to leave Uganda in 1972 during Idi Amin’s expulsion of Asians.

• Childhood spent in Rwanda, but family fled during the 1994 genocide, later settling in Uganda as refugees.

• Attended Rushey Mead School in Leicester, UK.

• Dropped out of school at 15 years old to start a business with a $5,000 loan.

Career Highlights

Mara Group (1996–present)

• Founded at age 15 in Kampala, Uganda.

• Began by importing computer parts from Dubai.

• Expanded into manufacturing, real estate, agriculture, and IT services.

• Headquarters later moved to Dubai, but operations span 22 African countries.

• Authored The Lion Awakes: Adventures in Africa’s Economic Miracle.

Atlas Mara Limited (2013–present)

• Co-founded with Bob Diamond (former Barclays CEO).

• Raised $325 million in funding and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

• Invested in commercial banking institutions across Africa.

• Stock performance declined significantly, losing ~95% of IPO value.

Mara Foundation (2009–present)

• Non-profit arm of Mara Group.

• Focuses on mentorship and support for young African entrepreneurs.

• Launched Mara Mentor, a mobile app connecting entrepreneurs with business professionals.

Global Recognition & Roles

• World Economic Forum: Member of Young Global Leaders.

• Fortune Magazine (2013): Listed in 40 Under 40.

• MTV Africa Music Awards (2014): Received Base Leadership Award.

• Esquire Magazine (2016): Named Middle East Man of the Year.

• United Nations Foundation (2015): Appointed Chair of the Global Entrepreneurs Council.

• African Development Bank (2017): Appointed Chair of the Presidential Youth Advisory Group.

Other Activities

• Speaker at major global events:

  • UN Global Accelerator (2014) with Michael Dell, Barbara Bush, Arianna Huffington.

  • US-Africa Summit (2014) with Bill Clinton.

  • UN Women Initiative.

  • Emirates Foundation Youth Philanthropy Summit (2014).

Personal Life

• Married to Meera Menak, a travel and food writer (divorced in 2014).

• Divorce proceedings in London exposed his finances:

  • Claimed net worth of £445,532, disputing billionaire status.

  • Stated Mara Group was owned by his mother and sister, not himself.

  • Dispute included unusual issues such as allocation of a commercial space flight ticket.

Quick Facts

In summary: Ashish J. Thakkar is a Pan-African entrepreneur who rose from refugee beginnings to build Mara Group into a multinational conglomerate. While his financial status has been contested, his influence in entrepreneurship advocacy, banking, and technology investment across Africa remains significant.