Aban Pestonjee awarded Entrepreneur of the Year 2017

Friday, 6 October 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

On a night which saw the most esteemed figures in Sri Lankan society gather under one roof, Aban Pestonjee, the Chairperson and Founder of the Abans Group of Companies, was named Sri Lanka’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 at the Derana Sri Lankan of the Year Awards hosted last week at the Colombo Hilton.

Working out of her home garage, Pestonjee started from humble beginnings in 1968, managing to sell and restore used electronic appliances that she carefully sourced from auctions.

Her motivation stemmed from her own experiences as a mother and homemaker where she wanted to provide appliances to housewives that added an ease of convenience to their day-to-day chores.

In 1978, when Sri Lanka emerged into an open economy, Pestonjee took the plunge and began engaging in importing products when she observed an increase in the consumer’s demand for quality global brands. Her persistence led her down the path of acquiring the first agency, namely Electrolux, eventually paving the way for numerous world-renowned brands that followed, leading to the empire that we see today.

The Abans Group of companies is divided into five strategic business categories comprising retail, services, logistics, manufacturing and real estate and infrastructure. With an island-wide network which spans over 400 showrooms and more than 16 service centres, Abans is a story of innovation, willingness to take risks, courage, ethics and personalised customer care which continues to evolve through the generations.

Pestonjee has successfully become a role model to individuals, encouraging everyone to practise the three rules she places the highest value in - honesty, hard work and perseverance. A pioneering figure in the world of business recognised for her achievements internationally, she continues to excel in her life, taking the company to new heights with its latest mixed-use development project, Colombo City Centre. An international mall slated to open in the first quarter of 2018, a business hotel and upscale residences are all part of this three-tier multi-dimensional project which will undoubtedly be one of its kind in the country.