The Person

Born and brought up in Tiruvalla, Kerala, Dr. Rajeev Thomas commenced his educational pursuits with the blessings of his grandfather Shri Nellimoottil Kuruvilla Varughese who was a renowned educationist of his time, who was also a social worker and community leader of great repute. After primary education in Vanitha Mandiram school in Tiruvalla, he joined his parents in the Sultanate of Oman and studied at the Indian Central School in Muscat and later on in St. Mary’s Residential Public School in Tiruvalla, Kerala. When his parents moved to Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the early 80’s he joined Asan Memorial School there. His leadership skills came to the fore when he joined the prestigious Loyola College Chennai to complete his graduation and post-graduation.

His employment career commenced in 1992 when he was offered his first job in an administrative position in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. His growth in the organization was rapid and he was blessed with working with some of the best leaders who identified the spark in him and provided him the opportunities to learn and grow with the company. He spent about 10 years of his life in Saudi Arabia and through various positions gained his entry into his first Management Consultancy job in Doha, Qatar in the year 2002.

His rise within the new company was swift and he led the small consulting firm to become the most sought after management consultancy firm in the country within a few years. He trained and developed an excellent team of consultants who have all established their own firms today and doing exceptionally well. His foray into sharing knowledge and building capacity became his trademark, and he continued this through the next couple of companies that he worked in.

Meanwhile, in following the inspirational path set by his father Prof. Dr. Christopher Thomas, he continued his pursuit of education and gained his MBA and his Ph.D while working in Doha Qatar.

While in Qatar he also laid foundation for his socially oriented projects and initiatives with an aim of touching lives of people and giving back to the community in whatever way possible – an ideal he had picked up from his mother Thankamma Thomas. His preferred mode of involvement is through developing and empowering the youth of the next generation, to be the change.

As an extension of his doctoral research he has established a company Vaapas.com in Chennai – India, and continues to work on many of his other pet projects. He also continues to write and publish books, some of which have gone on to grab a place in the Limca Book of Records.

Having converted his life’s personal challenge into an opportunity, he is also working on establishing various initiatives focused on the children and youth with disabilities.

He has received numerous laurels and appreciation for his efforts both in his professional life and outside it. But what motivates and inspires him the most is when someone comes back to him and tells him that he has had a positive impact on their life. This charges him up to do more.