"Live your dreams with courage, conviction and commitment." - Shri Baby John
OUR LIGHT, OUR VISION, OUR INSPIRATION
Shri. Baby John (1917-2008) – founder of the Kings Group of Companies – our light, vision and guide was a social entrepreneur. He played a prominent role in Kerala politics both as a political leader and trade unionist. He relentlessly worked for the welfare of the oppressed classes. A seven-time Minister and a brilliant administrator, he had a long and eventful legislative career. But, what made him stand apart from his counterparts was his entrepreneurial spirit. It was this mindset and his ardent desire to improve the living standards of his community that prompted him to establish Kings as an innovative fishing company. In retrospect, one can say he lived a life of fulfilment and played the role of a legislator and an entrepreneur with absolute ease. No wonder, he is hailed as the harbinger of social change. We salute our light, vision, guide, mentor and philosopher.
Mr. Shaji Baby John, Chairman and Managing Director, Kings Infra Ventures Limited and son of the Late Shri Baby John is a global name in aquaculture. An Engineer by qualification, Shaji joined the family business in 1982, playing a critical role in transforming Kings into Kings Infra Ventures Limited, a professionally managed entity. He pioneered India’s Blue Revolution 1.0 by setting up the country’s first commercial scale, integrated semi-intensive aquaculture project in 1987. Winning several National Awards & accolades for the highest production of shrimp through aquaculture per unit area and for the highest contribution to exports from aquaculture.
He was also instrumental in taking the company public in 1995. With unmatched expertise in aquaculture and sea food industry gained over the years, Shaji is driven by passion and sharp business acumen. He strongly believes that Blue Revolution 2.0 is within India’s grasp and entertains no doubts about Kings Infra playing a monumental role in making it a reality. He had represented aquaculture industry on the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Board and in the Extreme Focus Group for Exports constituted by the Ministry of Commerce. Shaji was a member of the Expert Group set up by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg and he was an invited speaker at the International Conferences of Learning Cities in Beijing and Mexico in 2013 and 2015. Currently Chairman of World Malayalee Council International Forum for Business and Commerce, Shaji believes that sustainable aquaculture is the best bet in ending rural hunger and unemployment.
Mr. Baby John Shaji, Joint Managing Director, Kings Infra Ventures Limited is the third-generation entrepreneur from the illustrious Baby John family. Young, dynamic and versatile Baby John is responsible for conceptualizing, planning and implementation of new projects. He brings to the table his inherent technical strengths to add fresh perspective to the company’s narrative. Baby John, who plays a key role in expanding the operations of the company using technology, is also heading new ventures into domestic marketing. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from T.K.M. College of Engineering and holds a MSc in Strategic Project Management from Heriot-Watt University, UK. Before joining Kings Infra, Baby John cut his teeth in entrepreneurship by running various start-ups in the Middle East.
He focusses on developing an organizational culture that evolves and sustains the test of time by building on the strong foundations of Kings Infra and in the process develop a lean and efficient operation through people, systems and processes. A strong proponent of sustainable food production practices, traceability and hyper-localization of food with a consumer focused approach of doing business, Baby John believes that innovation and technology help traditional businesses to stay relevant and competitive in the modern business world.