Hari Shankar Tibrewala
I’m an investor and the founder of Zenith Group. I was born in Kolkata in 1978 and lived there for thirty-five years. Today I divide my time between Dubai and London.
My family comes from Rajasthan. I grew up in Kolkata, I speak Bengali, and the city is still the place I think of as home.
I studied commerce at the University of Calcutta and then spent thirteen years in my family’s businesses, where I learned how companies actually run. In 2013 I moved to Dubai and founded Zenith Global Limited, which is still my main investment holding company. Since then I have set up companies in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London, and in 2024 I sold a hotel project on Al Marjan Island for four times the equity we put in.
I invest in listed companies in India, the UK, Europe and the US, usually through a small number of concentrated positions that I hold for a long time. Now and then I invest in a private company before it lists.
What I invest in
Most of my money is in listed companies in India, the UK, Europe and the US. I keep the portfolio concentrated: a small number of businesses I understand well, bought at sensible prices and held for years rather than quarters. Occasionally I take a stake in a private company before it lists, when I know the management and the numbers well enough to be patient.
Beyond listed equities, I follow a few areas where I think long-term change is under way: aerospace and unmanned systems, renewable energy, healthcare and digital infrastructure. Through Zenith Group I also look at cross-border opportunities, particularly between India, the Gulf and Europe.
How I think about it
My rule is simple: I invest in businesses, not stories. A good story can carry a share price for a while; only a good business carries it for a decade. I’ve written about the questions I ask before I buy anything, and about the slow changes I’m watching in India over the next ten years.
Three regions
I spent my first thirty-five years in Kolkata, thirteen of them in my family’s businesses. Dubai has been my base since 2013 and London since 2024. Working across India, the Gulf and the UK has taught me to take jurisdiction, currency and patience as seriously as any balance sheet.
Giving
What I give away goes mainly to education and healthcare. I back a small number of people and institutions I know well, stay with them for years, and prefer to do it quietly.
The Long View
Every week I write The Long View, a short note on the global economy, the Indian economy and markets. It appears on LinkedIn and Substack, and the essays are collected here.
