Sameer Gehlaut
Sameer Gehlaut is founder of Clivedale London, the independent super-prime developer based in Mayfair, London.
A first-generation entrepreneur, he also founded Indiabulls Group, one of India’s largest and most profitable conglomerates. Today, Indiabulls employs more than 19,000 people in India across housing finance, digital finance, healthcare, real estate and pharmaceuticals. It was recently ranked in the top 20 ‘Best Places to Work’ in India by The Economic Times.
Mr. Gehlaut has nearly two decades of experience in real estate, having led Indiabulls’ initial expansion into real estate in 2005. Since founding, Indiabulls Real Estate has established itself as a market-leading developer in India, and it is now recognised worldwide for its ability to execute on complex projects that demand an unrivalled level of detail, such as the iconic super-prime Indiabulls Blu Estate & Club residential towers in Worli, South Mumbai, in 2019.
Alongside his real estate activity, Mr. Gehlaut is CEO and Executive Chairman of Dhani, Non-Executive Director of Indiabulls Housing Finance, and Founder of the Indiabulls Foundation.
Indiabulls
Mr. Gehlaut founded Indiabulls from a single office with two co-founders in 1999. The business quickly established itself as one of India’s leading online brokerages, tapping into demand amongst retail investors for a consumer-friendly, tech-enabled trading platform. Within just three years, the company had built a network of more than 75 branches across 55 cities in India.
In 2004, Mr. Gehlaut led the business through its successful IPO at Rs. 19 per share. At the same time, the company started to expand rapidly into the consumer lending sector, providing cost-effective home, business, and vehicle loans. The business pioneered online lending in India and leveraged its robust physical infrastructure to leapfrog competitors and accelerate growth. By 2008, the company’s shares had delivered investors returns in excess of 1,200 percent.
By 2015, Indiabulls reached a market capitalisation in excess of $2.6 billion, with profits after tax for the Group reaching more than $310 million. In recognition of its institutional quality, Indiabulls’ financial services business was upgraded to an AAA rating by S&P and Moody’s. Over the coming years, it would continue to deliver exceptional returns to investors, with Indiabulls Housing Finance ranked #13 in Forbes’ Global 2000 list of the world’s best-performing publicly-listed companies in 2018.
Since the business’ initial public offering, Indiabulls has delivered returns at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 35% to shareholders, and over the last decade, the Group has paid out in excess of $1.8 billion in dividends to investors.
UK investments
In 2012, Mr. Gehlaut spearheaded Indiabulls’ expansion into the UK, establishing Clivedale. With an emphasis on unparalleled locations and best-in-class amenities, the developer has delivered many of London’s iconic, well-known developments, including The Mansion, 73-77 Brook Street, and Mayfair Park Residences. Clivedale is currently developing The Residences at Mandarin Oriental in London’s Hanover Square, Mayfair.
In 2015, Mr. Gehlaut also led Indiabulls’ entry into the UK business lending market through its investment in OakNorth Bank. Indiabulls was one of OakNorth’s earliest investors, taking a 40 percent stake in the company. OakNorth has gone on to have a significant positive impact on the British economy, lending out in excess of £5 billion, helping to create more than 22,500 new jobs across the UK, and providing the finance to develop more than 17,500 homes across Britain. In 2020, OakNorth Bank was named Europe’s fastest-growing business by The Financial Times.
Mr. Gehlaut holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Further information about Sameer Gehlaut can be found on The Indiabulls Foundation Website and Bloomberg. Recent news coverage includes Bdaily, London Loves Property, Business Mondays and EconoTimes.