Shirish Saraf, Co-founder and Vice Chairman of Samena Capital, RAK Logistics’ private equity investor, is out to convince you that private equity is exciting while telling you that what was old is now new again. Saraf was recently featured in an article by Arabian Business titled, “Back to the Future.”
Check out the video interview with Saraf and Arabian Business below:
"We never buy a business so that we leave things as they are. We buy a business so we can see an opportunity to get involved, be an active partner, be a catlyst for change. We call ourselves value bringers."
Samena Capital was co-founded by Saraf in 2008. It is an investment group, which focuses on investments across multiple asset classes in the Subcontinent, Asia, Middle East and North Africa, collectively known as the SAMENA region. Without Shirish Saraf there would be no Samena Capital and the “SAMENA” region may still be referred to as BRIC, as Saraf coined the name SAMENA on a beach in Goa.
Saraf says the world is shifting back to where it was hundreds of years ago, and that the economic realities of the Subcontinent, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa are as relevant today as during the Ming dynasty. “In the 15th century, India, China, the Middle East dominated the world, and now it looks like we are going back to the future,” Saraf says. “For 1,800 years, 60 percent to 70 percent of the world’s GDP was out of India, China and the Middle East. It was only the last 200 years that was an aberration. You’re seeing that wave come back. These countries cannot be ignored. You can’t box them in with Western jargon because the West is going to have its biggest challenges over the next 10 to 15 years.”
According to Saraf, Samena is experiencing “extraordinary” times, as the company has returned $600m of capital since it started investing.
RAK Logistics is honored to have the backing of Samena Capital. Saraf refers to RAK Logistics saying, “today we are amongst the biggest ASEAN logistics providers” RAK Logistics intends to continue growing and developing its success with the support of Samena. As the SAMENA region experiences a booming economy, more companies will gravitate to the area and search for support in expanding their logistics needs.
Download the full print version of the Arabian Business article featuring Saraf here.
Read the full web version of the Arabian Business article featuring Saraf here.