SHOBHA PADAM CHALLANI FOUNDATION
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Shri. Padam J Challani

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Shri. Padam J Challani, a successful Serial Entrepreneur, was born in the year 1955 at Maduranthakam, Tamilnadu. His father Shri Jawarilal Jain, hailing from a respectable Jain family in Borunda, Rajasthan migrated before Independence to Tamilnadu. Shri Padam J Challani, second among six children had a middle-class upbringing which enabled him to realise the strength of hard work and teamwork as a joint family. He grew to be a pillar of strength to his hard-working parents who looked to him for leadership and guidance in all critical decisions of the family.

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After  completing his graduation in Chemistry from A.M. Jain College, he joined his father’s Jewellery business in early 1975. As an astute business man he always believed in doing things in a big way. He grew this Jewellery business from small scale to a leading jewellery house in Madurantakam and Chengalpet district.  He also guided his brothers into the business and helped them settle down. He grew the volumes of the business and cultivated a loyal team of employees who have stayed with the business ever since.

Having tasted big success as a first-generation Entrepreneur, his appetite for business and risk taking grew tremendously.

He shifted to Sowcarpet in 1980 and started Hire Purchase and vehicle Finance business on his own with the blessings and support of the family. He revolutionised the vehicle finance business and grew volumes tremendously and established Challani Finance as a corner stone in the finance business in Sowcarpet. His passion for volume driven working and compassion for helping needy people were both served in this line of business. Most of the customers of Challani Finance have grown from their first vehicle to becoming fleet owners and till date credit Shri Padam J Challani for their success and well being.

Shri. Padam J Challani having spent three decades in creating wealth and fame for the Challani family, instead of being attached to it selflessly entrusted the reins of the prosperous Challani group of businesses to his brothers and family and moved on to create a startup - Indo Asian Finance Limited, a NBFC to pursue the Corporate world of Finance services in 1990. His hunger for growth and insatiable desire for volume grew the Financial services business tremendously and the company filed for IPO in 1995 and was soon listed in BSE with thousands of share holders across India. 

He always gave supreme importance to good education and well rounded upbringing. He has taken all efforts to ensure his children received the best education and studied at  premier educational institutions in India and abroad. Having completed all his family responsibilities and when on the lookout for new challenges he accidentally ventured into the high stakes business of Manufacturing.

Shri Padam J Challani, a keen investor in Capital Markets acquired varied and rich experience in his career spanning over 30 years in Trading, Financial services, real-estate and now was looking for new challenges as a buyer/investor in many sick ventures. He has successfully bagged atleast a dozen sick assests which were bought from DRT/ bank Auction sale/distressed sale at a steep discount. With all his skill, experience and contacts he was able to turnaround the ventures and exited profitably.

He came across a golden opportunity when he acquired the assets of Seshasayee Industries Limited (SIL) in 2002. SIL was renamed as Saravana Global Energy Limited (SGEL), is a leading manufacturer of high voltage power equipments such as insulators and one of the oldest and prominent names in Power sector in India. The venture was profitable from the first year of manufacturing and grew at over 100% every year. The ultimate proof of his leadership, hardworking nature and ability of taking people along was demonstrated when SGEL raised USD 25 Million as PE from Jacob Ballas Capital in 2008. The company has grown its product range, entered new geographies and has ramped up production capacity and continues on the growth path. 

Mr. Padam J Challani has held various responsible positions in several associations in this career.

  1. He has been recognized by various sections of the Industry for his untiring, path breaking work and dedication.
  2. He is a Founder Chief Patron (FCP) of Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO).
  3. Donor Trustee in ShramanArogyam, an arm of JITO which takes care of Saadhus and Saadhvis of Jain community during illhealth and old age.

He continues to serve the society along with his entire family under the banner of Shobha Adarsh Foundation, by involving in philanthropic activities such as running a Gowshala, helping Cancer & Leprosy patients, providing educational facilities to Orphaned & Under privileged children and providing homes to aged people.

The Group’s phenomenal success for the last four decades has been possible due to Shri Padam J Challani’s mantra of growth by helping people, supporting and staying with them during difficult times. His constant emphasis on dedicated growth with his philanthropic service to the economically weaker section of the society is his way of giving back to the society that helped this organisationrealise its true potential.