It takes two to tango
Raju Radha, from the illustrious M.R. Radha family along with his wife Sumitha preside over a shipping conglomerate. Here, they give us a glimpse of their life and style.
Worlds apart, but still together
Raju Radha was educated in London in Business Management. Thereafter, he started his garment factories in 1989 in Sri Lanka and got into shipping in 1992. Sumitha Banerji is the daughter of one of the first nuclear engineers of India. They met in 1999 in Mumbai where she was heading the Far East Container Service in The Shipping Corporation of India and he was the managing director of a leading Colombo based Feeder Shipping company. “Our meetings lead to a successful and mutually beneficial cooperation between two organisations and the start of a beautiful friendship,” says Sumitha.
Finding love
“Raju is a people’s person with a flair for flamboyance yet practical with a strong business sense. I am more intellectual, and organised,” says Sumitha. Opposites attract and both deny it was love that got them together. “We enjoyed each other’s company and decided to give our friendship a legal seal,” she adds.
An active social life
Raju enjoys socialising at home. They have a close circle of friends in Colombo and Chennai. Raju was the founder chairman and founder president of Roundtable in Sri Lanka. Rather reluctantly she admits that she has played host to several famous people. She says, “We have entertained a range of celebrities from heads of states, movie stars, cricket legends, prominent politicians, business tycoons, writers, leading fashion designers, etc,” says Sumitha
Work is worship
Their working relationship is very simple and roles are clear cut. Raju is the managing director and decides on the vision of the company and has the last word on everything. Sumitha is the CEO and creates systems for each line of business but focusses mainly on her core competence — shipping.
Indulgence, a way of life
Raju loves to extend their business trips into little holidays. “We are constantly working and enjoying vacations. We have a vast friend circle around the world and love to meet up with friends whenever we travel. We love quaint European cities and have some of their memorable holidays in tiny hamlets in Europe,” reminisces Sumitha.
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