They are the perfect yin and yang couple. He strategises, she executes. He manages international business; she looks after the home. His dream is to manage a global business; she is happy clicking away pictures of her children on her Nikon. He is a workaholic, she is perfect balance. He is calm, she is fun. He is not brand conscious, she loves her Chopards. He is reserved, she is popular in the social circles.
Pankaj and Vibha Chowdhary are no ordinary couple. Touching a turnover of UK Sterling 12 million in a mere five years is not easy for anyone. Especially not if you are making a business out of collecting and recycling waste. No wonder their business slogan is Wealth from Waste.
Reliance fibres was able to ride the wave of environmental concerns as the paper industry moved from using traditional pulp as the raw material to recycled paper. The concept being very strong in the West and catching up in the East very fast.
After a commerce degree from Calcutta University, Pankaj dabbled in chemical trading but soon got bored. He had greener pastures in mind and then came up with the idea of buying waste paper from UK suppliers, consolidating his supplies and selling to paper factories all over the world.
When he arrived at Golders Green in 2004, all he managed to garner was an office space from a friend and a loan of $50,000 from his father. Having left his wife and two children behind in India, he started building on his dreams. “When you are up against a wall, you have no choice but to climb”, he says.
Just like any other rags to riches story, his too had setbacks, unscrupulous suppliers and more hardships than he had envisaged. He remains humble “We are very small players in a very large market — however our USP is that we are India market specialists for recovered paper as we understand the requirements and psyche of our buyers in India better than most others in this trade.”
Fast forward to now. He has a comfortable home. With wife and children now by his side. And a turnover which brings a smile to his face.