Gandhinagar: Rajiv Gandhi, Founder, CEO & Managing Director of Hester Biosciences has been appointed as Chairman FICCI Gujarat State Council.

To quote him, ‘It is both, an honor as well as a responsibility to serve and strengthen FICCI in Gujarat. This is a time of great global curiosity towards India. Gujarat being an economic powerhouse, will play a big role in further accelerating India’s growth. My endeavor will be to support wealth creators especially young entrepreneurs. My endeavor is to also continue to work on the path set by the immediate past FICCI Gujarat State Council Chairperson Ms. Geeta Goradia as well as work under the leadership of FICCI President Mr. Subhrakant Panda towards the objectives of FICCI.’

Rajiv Gandhi, born 11 July 1962, is a first-generation entrepreneur.

A B.com graduate from Bombay University, he started a proprietary trading company in 1985 in Mumbai for distributing animal health products with no experience or knowledge in animal health business. He then transformed that proprietary business into Asia’s largest single-location animal vaccine and health products manufacturing company based in Ahmedabad under the name of Hester Biosciences. Hester is now a 500 people-strong organization that recorded a turnover of INR 219.35 crores in the financial year 2021-22, earning a net profit of INR 39.52 crores.

Hester subsequently expanded its animal vaccine manufacturing activities by setting up plants in Nepal and in Tanzania respectively. In 2016, Rajiv was awarded the ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year’ by the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA).

Rajiv is a member of:

1. The governing council for Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA)
2. Chimanbhai Patel Institute, Ahmedabad
3. Kamdhenu University, Gandhinagar
4. Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat
5. National Advisory Committee for Animal Husbandry and Dairying Sector, constituted by The Government of India

Rajiv is a strong proponent of Indian culture. He enjoys discussions on history and politics. He believes that a role of a leader is not to create more followers but to create more leaders.