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Kartar Singh Thakral

UPDATED

  • Nov 7, 2019: 10 NRIs are Awarded by PB Govt. At 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak......READ

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BIOGRAPHY

 

Kartar Singh Thakral is chairman of Thakral Group of Companies and executive director of Singapore-listed Thakral Corporation.

2019: Kartar Singh Thakral  WAAS ARDED BY Pb Govt. At 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak


Kartar Singh Thakral  borne 22 September 1933, Bangkok, Thailand.

  • He is the chairman of Thakral Group of Companies and executive director of Singapore-listed Thakral Corporation. An active community leader, he serves as a trustee to the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation and the Sri Grur Nanak Satsang Sabh.

  • In 1996, he was named Businessman of the Year 1995 at the annual Singapore Business Awards.2

  • His father, Sohan Singh Thakral, became an orphan at the age of nine after his entire family, with the exception of him and his younger brother, succumbed to an epidemic. The fifth of seven children, he was groomed in the family business at an early age. Sohan migrated from Pakistan to Thailand  and  set up textiles  business in Bangkok for several years before setting up his own retail shop, Punjab Store, in 1905.In 1936, Sohan opened a branch in Japan as he believed he would make better profits if he bought the textiles directly from the suppliers. When World War II broke out, the family returned to Thailand.
  • In 1952, Kartar, then 19, was sent by his father to set up a branch in Singapore. Kartar married a local Punjabi girl. As he had already established a textile business in China since the 1960s, Kartar entered the Chinese electronic market once China reversed its communist policies.
  • Thakral Corporation was able to secure rights to distribute Japanese brands in China and thus gained a foothold in the Chinese market, enjoying tremendous success until the mid-1990s.7
  • 1972--Thakral Brothers Limited is incorporated in Osaka, Japan to facilitate the purchasing of textiles in Japan.
  • In 1973, Thakral Brothers registered as a limited company. Kartar displayed business acumen and foresight like his father and was able to stay ahead of his competitors by identifying opportunities in emerging markets. Seeing the potential in electronics, Kartar branched out into electronic distribution in 1975. Having operated in Japan since 1936, the company was able to secure distribution rights to many Japanese consumer electronic brands, and was thus well-positioned to ride on the Japanese electronics boom in the 1970s and 80s.
  • In 1982, Kartar established a separate operation, Thakral Corporation. Kartar also took the opportunity to export television sets and video cassette recorders to India in the early 1980s. When the market became saturated with products from Indian manufacturers and other importers, Kartar exited the sector and turned his attention to China.
  • 1986--First representative office is set up in Guangzhou, PRC.
  • 1990--Thakral Corporation (HK) Limited is incorporated and it takes over Thakral Hong Kong's business in 1993.
  • 1993------The Group establishes a representative office in Shanghai, PRC.
  • Thakral Corporation Singapore Pte Ltd is incorporated in Singapore and Mr Kartar Singh Thakral is appointed as its Executive Director.
  • 1994---Thakral Corporation Singapore Pte Ltd is converted to a public company and undergoes name changes to Thakral Corporation Ltd ("the Company" and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”).
  • 1995----Mr Kartar Singh Thakral is appointed as the Chairman of the Board.
  • The Company is listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Stock Exchange in the biggest listing of the year in Singapore, resulting in a market capitalization of over US$400 million (at the initial offer price).
  • 2005----The Group shifts its operational headquarters in August to Shanghai from Hong Kong in order to be closer to its biggest market.
  • 2010----The Group made its first real estate investment of A$2.75 million in October 2010 in a property project - Harbour One, Melbourne, Australia.
  • 2011----A 51% owned subsidiary in Singapore, TCAP Pte Ltd is established for the purpose of acting as an intermediary and service entity which originates, negotiates and packages primarily real estate and incidental resource projects.
  • 2012-----Mr Natarajan Subramaniam is appointed as Non-Executive Chairman (Independent) of the Board on 1 January 2012. Mr Kartar Singh Thakral steps down as Executive Chairman on 1 January 2012 but continues as an Executive Director of the Company.
  • 2013----Following a strategic review, the Group decides to shift the focus of its distribution business to beauty, wellness & lifestyle brands.
  • 2014----Established Thakral Japan Properties Pte Ltd through which the Group acquires 2 commercial properties in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city – a start to building a portfolio of properties in Japan.
  • 2015----Completion of merger of the investment division entities whereby the Group now holds 75% of Thakral Capital Holdings Pte Ltd.
  • 2015----Established a JV with Living Gems to enter into the resort style retirement living business.

2015---A bespoke investment programme called the TCAP Australian Mezzanine Programme is established with Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited for investment in real estate projects in Australia.

2016----The Group expands its investment footprint in Japan by investing in a business hotel property, the Hotel Oaks Reaze Tsukamoto in Osaka, Japan.

2016----Establishment of GemLife brand name for resort style retirement living under the JV with Living Gems and launch of our first 2 resorts in Bribie Island and Highfields, both in Queensland, Australia.

2017----Contracted to sell Hong Kong warehouse property at HK$420 million giving an estimated profit of S$34 million.

The GemLife resort style retirement living business expands beyond Queensland to Victoria and New South Wales, bringing the total number of homes under the GemLife umbrella to more than 1,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kartar Singh Thakral is chairman of Thakral Group of Companies and executive director of Singapore-listed Thakral Corporation.