Zambia

Dr Rajan Mahtani

Dr. Mahtani Accepts Forbes Corporate Award

Forbes is one of the top business magazines across the globe. Forbes recently completed its annual Forbes-FIN (Foreign Investment Limited) philanthropy and leadership roundtable conference in Africa. It is one of the most anticipated business and leadership events in Africa. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a noted businessman and philanthropist, was invited to this event as an honorary speaker. Dr. Mahtani spoke about the significance of leadership in healthcare. The event was held virtually because of the current Covid-19 pandemic and members participated from their respective locations. Yet, the passion and enthusiasm for the event remained the same. The event was broadcasted across the globe through YouTube medium, providing a platform for generating awareness across the globe.

One of the most anticipated aspects of the Forbes-FIN philanthropy and leadership roundtable conference was the addition of the Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ award. The award ceremony is looked upon highly and the recipients receive global recognition. The process of selecting the awardees is extremely transparent yet rigorous, comprising of months of verification processes, background checks as well as interviews and discussions. After careful evaluation, several awardees were announced during the award ceremony. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, apart from being invited as an honorary speaker, was also selected for one of the awards from the category. Forbes conferred Dr. Rajan Mahtani with the Forbes ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year’ award 2021. He received this award for his significant contributions towards redefining the banking sector of Zambia. Dr. Mahtani was the only major businessman from Zambia to be conferred with this award. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the owner of several top companies such as Mahtani Group of Companies and Finsbury Investments. Dr. Rajan Mahtani was further recognized for his philanthropic and charitable contributions. Some of these contributions are Prison Fellowship Zambia and Stephen Malama award and scholarship for top law graduates in Zambia. Dr. Mahtani accepted the award in a graceful manner. Dr. Mahtani continues to work for the betterment of the Zambian nation and its people.

Dr Rajan Mahtani

Dr. Rajan Mahtani Awarded With The Famous ‘Best Of Africa’ Awards By Forbes

 

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, one of the most respected and noted businessman in Zambia, was recently bestowed with the Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ awards. The awards were given during the Foreign Investment Limited (FIN) philanthropy and leadership roundtable conference held online in the month of August. Dr. Rajan Mahtani was also invited as one of the honorary speakers during the event. As a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event was held online and took place via YouTube medium. Nevertheless, several top leaders, visionaries and businesses took part in this event. Some of these included members from the international business communities, opinion leaders, political leaders, international investors, media partners and politicians. Dr. Rajan Mahtani took part in the conference from his office and discussed about the significance of healthcare leadership, especially political leadership in healthcare for the growth and development of the sector.

Apart from the critical roundtable conference that was also a source of generating financial funds and support for the ongoing projects across the continent, the business conference was further highlight of the year due to the annual ‘Best of Africa’ awards ceremony. These awards are given by Forbes, one of the top business magazines across the globe known for its global business, leadership and political rankings. The ‘Best of Arica’ awards are a set of business and corporate awards given to leaders, visionaries and businessmen with significant and long-term contributions towards growth and development of the African nation. The awards are developed by Forbes in partnership with Foreign Investment limited (FIN) and therefore hold special significance. The process of selecting the awardees is extremely transparent yet tedious and rigorous, comprising months of evaluation, background checks, verifications as well as interviews with the potential awardees to understand their leadership and philanthropic commitments of the present and the future.

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani was awarded with the Forbes ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the year’ 2021 award for redefining the banking sector of Zambia.

Dr Rajan Mahtani

Forbes And Fin Present ‘Best Of Africa’ Awards 2021

The Forbes-FIN Philanthropy and Leadership roundtable conference was recently completed in Africa. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the roundtable conference was held online unlike the usual scenario wherein the event is held in New York during the United Nations convention. Nonetheless, it was one of the most important business and corporate events across Africa and saw participation from several personalities from diverse fields. The event saw participation from policy makers, members of international as well as national business communities, opinion leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs, religious leaders as well as international investors. Mark Furlong who is the publisher & founder of the FAM (Forbes Afrique Media) and Forbes International anchored the event. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani was one of the honorary speakers during the event.

One of the main highlights of the event was the Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ award ceremony. Analysts already slated this event as one of the biggest & most prestigious events in Africa. The award ceremony celebrated the significant personalities who continuous provide positive influence and contributions across business, leadership, political as well as economic landscape across Africa. The Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ awards hold further significance as it is given after months of exhaustive and intense research followed by thorough verification process by Forbes and FIN.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani was not only one of the honorary speakers during the event, he also received one of the prestigious ‘Best of Africa’ awards. Dr. Rajan Mahtani was presented with the Forbes ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year’ award 2021 for his contributions towards Zambian economy as well as redefining the financial industry of Zambia. Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s company Mahtani Group has established its base across several sectors such as energy, mining, real estate, agriculture, insurance and finance. Across all these sectors, Dr. Mahtani has created job opportunities and growth for the provinces. Also, Dr. Mahtani has made significant philanthropic contributions over the years including founding the Prison Fellowship Zambia and the Stephen Malama award giving scholarships to law graduates.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani Hires International Law Firm To Claim Fraud Allegations

Atlas Mara is a banking & financial group that started to make rounds after its launch in the year 2013. It was floated by Bob Diamond, a popular businessman and former boss of the Barclays. The banking group is listed at the LSE (London Stock Exchange) and was floated in Africa with the objective of becoming a banking and financial giant. To fulfil this objective, Bob Diamond’s company Atlas Mara underwent several acquisitions, takeovers and mergers to expand the operations and gain higher market shares. One of these acquisitions was of Finance Bank Zambia. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is a noted business tycoon and serial entrepreneur in Zambia with several successful business ventures under his name. He is known for top Zambian companies such as Mahtani Group of Companies, Finsbury Investments as well as Finance Bank Zambia. The takeover of Finance Bank Zambia by Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara took place in the year 2015 under an agreed upon share sales & purchase agreement. Based on this agreement, Dr. Rajan Mahtani owned Finance Bank Zambia was taken over by Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara for an undisclosed amount.

However, Dr. Mahtani has now claimed that Bob Diamond’s company Atlas Mara has breached the terms of the agreement by failing to make the payment associated with the sale. As such, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has claimed multi-million pound damages against Atlas Mara over disputed purchase. Representatives from Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara have said that claim by Dr. Rajan Mahtani is fundamentally weak and without merit. As such, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has now approached international law firm Omnia Strategy for taking up the case to the London High Court. Omnia Strategy is a renowned international firm known for its owner Cherie Blair. Apart from Dr. Rajan Mahtani, there are several other investors who have made similar claims against Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara and these claims have reached to the tune of 100 million pounds.

Zambezi Portland Cement

Portland Cement Zambia Case Finally Over As Supreme Court Favours Decision From Court Of Appeal

Despite the several challenges and issues faced by Dr. Rajan Mahtani, he has not left his path of transparency, honesty and ethics. This can be easily seen in the long wait of more than ten years at the Lusaka High Court for the legal holding of the Zambezi Portland Cement. After that, Dr. Rajan Mahtani moved to the higher Court of Appeal and finally got justice. Finsbury Investments is an organization under Dr. Rajan Mahtani which became the majority shareholder of the Zambezi Portland Cement factory after collaborative agreement among the shareholders. However, the Ventriglias started an internal feud by questioning the instruments used for establishing the original shareholders’ agreement. With unethical political power, they were able to exert their personal interests on the decision by the Lusaka High Court which resulted in a controversial decision of the Ventriglias becoming only shareholders of the Portland Cement.

After this, higher Court of Appeal was approached by Dr. Rajan Mahtani which was a successful attempt as on 31st January 2019, justice Mwinde on behalf of the higher Court of Appeal effectively reversed the decision from the Lusaka High Court and announced Dr. Rajan Mahtani owned Finsbury Investments as the majority shareholder of the Zambezi Portland Cement with 58 percent shares. It was also announced that the Ventriglias’ owned Ital Terrazzo Limited holds just 42 percent shares at the factory and are minority shareholders without any legal ownership over the factory. Furthermore, justice Mwinde also confirmed that the amount payable to the Ventriglias as per legal obligations is K580,000.

The Ventriglias have since tried to take over the factory and in a last-ditch attempt, challenged the Supreme Court of Zambia that the decision made by the higher Court of Appeal was unethical. However, a bench comprising of three Supreme Court judges have since rejected this challenge based on several grounds such as time limit for registering an appeal which already passed. The judges further rejected this proposal based on grounds that the evidence were not enough to accept the claim.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani Gives Fitting Reply To Unethical And False Rumours In A Social Media Post

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is one of the best businessmen in Zambia. His organizations like Finsbury Investments, Mahtani Group of Companies and Finance Bank Zambia have all arrived at top places in their particular ventures. In any case, there is one region where Dr. Rajan Mahtani has battled constantly. This territory is working with the administration of Zambia. Regardless of Zambia’s ongoing advancement, the nation is defaced with defilement and deceptive practices with pay off and coercion turning into a typical practice even across top government and lawful organizations. This makes it amazingly hard for genuine and ethical businessmen like Dr. Rajan Mahtani to endure and flourish. It tends to be said that Dr. Rajan Mahtani stays one of only a handful businessmen in Zambia who has kept a perfect picture and his strategic approaches are as straightforward as it could be.

At the same time, Dr. Rajan Mahtani is never the one to give-in to unethical practices or false rumours. Recently, a social media post was shared by Miriam Mwanawasa, daughter of the ex-President of Zambia Levy Mwanawasa. It was a Facebook post in which Miriam Mwanawasa claimed that Dr. Rajan Mahtani wanted to inherit the farmland at Masaiti district owned by the Mwanawasa family. This was an extremely controversial claim and Dr. Rajan Mahtani released a press statement to expose this fake claim. In this press release, Dr. Rajan Mahtani clarified that he never made such intentions of taking away the farmland and his friendship with the late Ex-President of Zambia was extremely transparent and ethical. Furthermore, he also highlighted the fact that the Facebook post was devoid of any evidences or testimonials and therefore, was claimed as misdirected, ludicrous and malicious. Dr. Rajan Mahtani further said that he will be taking actions against this unethical post which aimed towards damaging the reputation of Dr. Mahtani.

Rajan Mahtani

Emmanuel Bwalya Kaluba Receives The 2018-19 Steven Malama Award By Dr. Mahtani

Dr. Rajan Mahtani is an established businessman in Zambia. In his more than three decades of business experience, Dr. Rajan Mahtani successfully instituted top companies in Zambia, including but not limited to Mahtani Group of Companies, Finsbury Investments and Finance Bank Zambia. Apart from his business acumen, Dr. Mahtani is also noted for his several philanthropic activities and charitable contributions. Since his early business success, Dr. Mahtani has been involved in several philanthropic contributions to numerous sectors of Zambia such as environment, economy, senior citizens and correctional facilities. One of his most impactful philanthropic contributions in the field of education has been instituting the Steven Malama award.

The Steven Malama award was instituted by Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani in memory of the late Steven Malama, a noted visionary in the field of law and legal education and a close friend of Dr. Rajan Mahtani. Late Steven Malama was known for persuading the Zambian Government towards merger of two distinct bars, Barrister’s Bar and Solicitor’s Bar. After the successful merger, many legal professionals and law enthusiasts are now able to complete bar affiliation in a much easier manner. Dr. Rajan Mahtani rightly decided that the best way to honour these contributions is to establish the Steven Malama award that would encourage law graduates and law students to be more like the late visionary.

The award was established in the year 2012 and was given for the first time in 2013. Since then, the award is given every year to deserving students. The recipient of the award include top graduating student of the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education and also qualifier of the bar in their first attempt. The award for the year 2018-019 was received by Emmanuel Bwalya Kaluba. The award included a plaque, certificate and award money worth K15,000 that has helped deserving students with significant financial contributions. This philanthropic contribution by Dr. Rajan Mahtani was also shared at the Daily Mail.

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani Lauded For His Contribution Towards Education In Zambia

 

Dr Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani

Very few people are aware of the fact that Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is the person behind establishment of the Steven Malama award. The award was established in the year 2012 by Dr. Rajan Mahtani and Finance Bank Zambia wherein he holds the Chairman’s position. Late Steven Malama was a close friend of Dr. Rajan Mahtani and as a result, Dr. Mahtani decided to honour the late legal professional and distinct visionary by establishing the award.

Steven Malama is known for his significant achievements during his lifetime as a distinct legal professional as well as bar visionary. His contributions have made him a role model for many within the Zambian legal fraternity. One of the most significant contributions from Late Steven Malama was to persuade the Zambian government to establish a legislation for merging two distinct bars, the Barrister’s bar and the Solicitor’s bar into one single Bar. This merger was significant as it provided legal professionals across the nation to receive affiliation without any hurdles.

The Steven Malama award is given every year to the top graduating student from the Zambian Institute of Advanced Legal Education. The top graduating student must also qualify for the bar in their first attempt. The inaugural Steven Malama award was given to Womba Silumbu Kankondo in the year 2013. Since then, the award is an annual event which sees participation from several personalities from the legal, educational and industry fraternity.

The award for the year 2018-19 was received by Emmanuel Bwalya Kaluba. Emmanuel also wrote an article which was later published at the ‘Readers Forum’ of the Daily Mail Newspaper. In this article, Emmanuel thanked Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani for his contribution and perseverance which resulted on the formation of the award. The award carries a plaque, certificate and award money worth K15,000 which is of significant financial support for the deserving law graduates from the Institute.

Dr Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani

Dr. Rajan Mahtani Presented The Steven Malama Award For The Year 2017-18

The Steven Malama award was established by Dr. Rajan Mahtani via his company Finance Bank Zambia. The award was established for honouring Steven Malama, a distinct and notable legal professional in Zambia. Late Steven Malama made significant contributions for the improvement of the legal system and environment of Zambia. One of his major contribution was persuading the Zambian government to merger the Solicitor’s Bar and Barrister’s bar into a single bar. With this merger, legal professionals across the nation are able to affiliate and get certifications without any hassle. Steven Malama was a close friend of Dr. Rajan Mahtani and as a result, Dr. Rajan Mahtani decided to honour his contributions by establishing the award on his name.

The Steven Malama award was instituted in the year 2012 via Finance Bank Zambia wherein Dr. Mahtani holds the position of the Chairman. The inaugural award was given for the year 2013. Dr. Rajan Mahtani also announced during the inauguration award that it will be given every year. The recipient of the award includes top graduating student from the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education. Furthermore, the top graduating student is also required to qualify for bar in their first attempt to be eligible for the award. For the year 2018-19, the award was received was Emmanuel Bwalya Kaluba. After receiving this award, Emmanuel wrote an article to thank Dr. Rajan Mahtani and this article was published by the Daily Mail. In this article, Dr. Mahtani was commended for his significant contributions towards generating awareness of legal education system in Zambia. The award was also helpful in enhancing motivation among the students so that they work harder for the award. Furthermore, the award carries a plaque, certificate and prize money worth K15,000. This prize money has been helpful in providing significant financial help for many less privileged students from the institution.

zambezi portland cement

Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s Long Struggle For Portland Cement Over, Wins Case At Higher Court Of Appeal

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is one of the most successful business persons in Zambia. His companies like Finsbury Investments, Mahtani Group of Companies and Finance Bank Zambia have all reached top positions in their respective industries. Dr. Rajan Mahtani has always been ahead when in comes to establishing successful businesses as well as activity participating in the social and economic development of the nation. However, there is one area where Dr. Rajan Mahtani has struggled continuously. This area is working with the government of Zambia. Despite Zambia’s recent progress, the country is marred with corruption and unethical practices with bribery and extortion becoming a common practice even across top government and legal institutions. This makes it extremely difficult for honest and ethical businessmen like Dr. Rajan Mahtani to survive and thrive. Many of his colleagues and industry peers who started their business with honesty, integrity and ethics have resorted to unethical and illegal practices, either with the intention of staying ahead or due to the pressure of surviving in this unethical market. It can be said that Dr. Rajan Mahtani remains one of the few businessmen in Zambia who has kept a clean image and his business practices are as transparent as it could be.

Despite his clean image and reputation, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani was not able to save his factory, Portland Cement Zambia, from an unethical decision. This unethical decision came from the Lusaka High Court where the case was registered. It took more than a decade for the court to announce its final judgement on the Portland Cement and that too, a controversial and misdirected judgement. Not getting down, Dr. Rajan Mahtani approached the higher Court of Appeal which the hope that justice will be provided at the higher Court of Zambia. And it was given on 31st January 2019 when justice Mwinde on behalf of the Court of Appeal announced Dr Mahtani as the majority shareholder and actual owner of the Portland Cement Zambia factory.