Vivek Gahlaut has an inspiring journey that shows his dedication and perseverance towards work to pursue his goals. Vivek, from junior engineering graduate in India to respected entrepreneur in Dubai, has traversed continents and industries. With his 23 years of hands-on expertise in finance, health & wellness, and commodity trading, he is a multi-faceted business leader with a purpose beyond profits.
Professional Growth starts from Global Ventures to Early Goals
At the time of his relocation to the United Arab Emirates in November 2014, Vivek Gahlaut co-founded Terra Firma Commodities DMCC, a Dubai-based trading company that exports rice and agricultural products to West Africa. Under his co-leadership, the company is involved in the trade and distribution of rice in West Africa. It obtains a wide variety of broken rice from India, Thailand, and Vietnam, and then sells it through local companies in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Under Vivek Gahlaut’s guidance, Terra Firma Commodities expanded its business into the raw cashew nuts market and has begun purchasing cashew nuts from Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Tanzania, and then selling them to processors in India and Vietnam.
Fortunately, by the end of the year 2021, the company had successfully achieved a net profit of $7.8 million and had reached revenues of $86 million within a span of seven years. His experience in complex international trade dynamics drives the company’s food sustainability and self-sufficiency in emerging markets.
Before his global fame, Vivek Gahlaut made multiple achievements that built his reputation in India. He returned to his homeland in 2010 to promote wellbeing. He made his investment in the health and wellness industry and founded five health and wellness clubs along with a gym equipment trading firm and became a fitness industry powerhouse. He has an unique quality to blend of quality control, customer focus, and commercial insight which helped these ventures thrive and increase standards. Vivek Gahlaut Dubai also ran a family-led angel fund that allocated seed cash to new technology businesses.
Growth at Ernst & Young – Start his professional career
In 2003, Vivek Gahlaut got an MBA in International Finance from Thunderbird Graduate School of Management, Arizona, which commenced his worldwide business career. Then he quickly joined Ernst & Young in New York, where he started working in the Financial Services Advisory practice. He led different teams on major treasury, cash flow, and financial risk projects for the next six years. He served many Fortune 500 businesses, including prominent banks, asset managers, hedge funds, insurance firms, and others where Vivek also learnt to lead his own enterprises.
Later during his time in New York years, Vivek became an independent consultant providing specialised financial advice to high-profile private clientele. He built long professional contacts and gained substantial worldwide market understanding as a valued finance specialist.
His formal Years with Discipline and Curiosity
Vivek Gahlaut was a keen and disciplined student. Prior to boardrooms and multinational professional negotiations, he completed his graduation in engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, in 1997. He then worked in Toshiba’s New Delhi TV tube manufacturing factory. This was his first corporate and industrial experience where he learnt how the system worked, which helped him to sharpen his practical approach in every business after.
He boldly moved to the U.S. for postgraduate studies in 2001, changing his understanding of finance, strategy, and international business. It was the time when a global career in India, the U.S., and the UAE began.
His Vision for Future
Vivek Gahlaut pursues sustainable, community-integrated, and long-term growth projects. He wants to empower regions, notably West Africa, with food independence and better nutrition while building profitable businesses.
Vivek Gahlaut has shown adaptability, vision, and a relentless pursuit of impact. His example inspires young professionals and entrepreneurs to believe that no dream is too large or borders too far with the correct drive.
