The Moodie Davitt Report brings you the latest column in our Spirit of Independence series, in association with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. The series focuses on family, independent, entrepreneurial companies in travel retail, and on the personalities that lead and shape them. In this edition we speak to Motibhai Group Chairman & CEO Kirit Patel, whose company runs the Prouds Duty Free operation in Fiji.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in the soccer crazy town of Ba to Prabhudas and Dahiben Patel. Dahiben is now 93 continues to be an inspiration, giving me the motherly love which is invaluable to me. I grew up in Ba, having spent most of my teenage life there. My late father Prabhudas co‐founded Motibhai Group in 1931 along with his two brothers, Motibhai and Parshottamdas. They laid the foundation of our group with a small grocery store in Kumkum, a rural settlement on the outskirts of Ba. Just as all great journeys begin with a simple step, the small grocery store was the first step in the creation of a business empire.
Tell us about your early career, and about how and when you entered the duty free business.
Having attained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of New South Wales in Sydney, I started my career working for PricewaterhouseCoopers (then known as Coopers & Lybrand) in Sydney. I spent four years there, during which time I had the opportunity to control audits and other services for some very big Australian companies.
I joined the family business in 1980. By that time it was a household name in Fiji, with diverse business operations. Its travel retail and duty free operations had traded as Prouds since 1971. At that time this segment of our business was limited to the International Airport in Nadi – often dubbed the tourism capital of Fiji.
What was it like back then?
When we started our travel retail and duty free operations at Nadi International Airport in 1971 Fiji was already a duty free haven, and there were hundreds of duty free store operators all over the country. Motibhai Group served as a key supplier to duty free and travel retailers outside the airport, with the distribution agency for some of the best-known international brands.
Those were the glory days for the duty free and travel retail business, which spanned Fiji and was not limited to the airport. Every operator was successful in this line of business, as travellers were not only arriving by air – Fiji also enjoyed the arrival of large cruise ships, carrying visitors from all round the world, at regular intervals.
Has the business changed much in recent years? For better or worse?
Things are very different now, as duty free shopping is limited to Nadi International Airport. We continue to wholesale world‐renowned brands to other retailers, but I estimate that 90% of the duty free operators in towns and cities across Fiji have died a natural death. Many have closed and left for greener pastures abroad, while the ones who remained have diversified into other forms of business – no longer reliant on visitors to our shores to contribute significantly towards their business income. It was basically the ‘survival of the toughest’. This resulted in us expanding our operations across the country to stay on top of the game.
Overall it has been a roller-coaster ride, resulting in both positive and negative business situations.
If you had to name one highlight of your career to date, what would it be? And a single low?
The highlight would be my role in introducing new lines and brands and my contribution to the diversification and restructuring programmes which have made Motibhai Group a leading business house with a strong workforce of 1,300 people.
Losing my father, who was my ‘guru’ and always motivated me to do well in life, was the lowest moment of my life. I was lucky enough to be guided by his wisdom and vision of always moving forward and progressing in life. That enabled me to rise from the sorrow of his loss and excel in life, both as a business leader and as a family man.
Who have been the major influences on you in your time in the industry, and the people you have respected the most?
My parents have always been the first people that I looked up to for guidance, I am indeed blessed to be surrounded by a caring and loving extended family which continues to be my source of inspiration day after day.
I believe respect is something which should not only be confined to the business leaders you interact with but everyone you are in contact with in your different phases and roles in life.
I have always respected my elders for their vision and hard work. At the same time I have a lot of respect for all the members of my extended family and for the 1,300 people who wake up every morning to make things happen in the Motibhai Group.
You are synonymous with your family company. Tell us about your values, and those of your company.
The foundations of the Motibhai Group were laid by visionary brothers Motibhai Becharbhai, Prabhudas Becharbhai and Parshottamdas Becharbhai Patel in 1931 with their small shop on the banks of Ba River in the west of Fiji. Today the Motibhai Group is one of the leading contributors to Fiji’s economy, and its growth provides employment to more than 1,300 people.
The vision of the three founding brothers was continuous growth of the Motibhai Group, and today that vision has materialised into a forceful and diversified business operation.
In a business dominated by big organisations and big brands, is there still a role for the independent, entrepreneurial or family spirit? How should that be nurtured?
Of course there is – our group is a living example of that. Among big brands and corporate cultures across the globe, we have never forgotten the importance of family. My extended family members continue to inspire me. Unity and respect for each other is very essential to growth, both for business and for family.
In order to nurture the business spirit there are skills that great leaders require, and those are emotional and social intelligence. As a business leader I am proud to say that I have the capacity to be aware of, control and express emotions, and also the ability to get along well with others and to get them to cooperate with me. I believe that if leaders approach matters in the right way and talk to the right people we all can become better leaders – the kind of leader that inspires people and strives for greatness.
If you have a philosophy that guides you in your career and life, what would that be?
To never rest on my laurels. Whenever I achieve success I try to find failures within my every achievement. I never allow the glory of success to blind me to areas of improvement and further opportunity. As a leader I am not afraid of making changes after success, as I don’t see change as rebuilding but instead as re-establishing. This means that, instead of starting again, I take the lessons of previous achievements and use them to aim higher than before while being fully aware that evolution is the key to success.
