Sonu Shivdasani
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Sonu Shivdasani | |
|---|---|
 Sonu and Eva Shivdasani by Antonina Gern | |
| Born | 1965 (age 60–61) India |
| Occupations | Founder and CEO of Soneva |
| Known for | Eco-friendly resorts in Maldives and Thailand |
Sonu Shivdasani OBE (born 1965) is a British hotelier. He is the founder of the Soneva resort chain which operates luxury resorts in the Maldives and Thailand. He is also the founder and former CEO of Six Senses Resorts & Spas, which had locations throughout South East Asia and Europe, and was sold in 2012.
Sonu was born in India. He is the youngest son of Lakshmi and Indoo Shivdasani (1918–1979), an Indian businessman who made his fortune trading in Nigeria, with his offices based in London and Geneva.[1] His parents originated from Sindh, in modern-day Pakistan, his father immigrating to England long before the Partition of India.[2] His grandfather was an Indian Civil Service officer during the British Raj. His father studied at Clare College, Cambridge and built a business in finance, trade and agro-allied industries in West Africa, India and Europe.[3] His father died in 1979, when Sonu was 13, leaving his older brother Azad to look after the family business.
Sonu studied at Eton College in England and Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland. He graduated from Oxford University with an MA in English Literature in 1988.[1][4][5]
His older sister Bina Shivdasani, Countess Sella di Monteluce (1949–2006), was a philanthropist in women's education and was the first High Sheriff of Greater London of Asian origin in 2002.[6][7]
Career
After graduating from Oxford, Sonu started working with his older brother Azad Shivdasani to manage their family businesses.[1] After having worked together for two years he founded Six Senses BVI.
In 1995, Sonu and his wife Eva, who took on the role of creative director, opened Soneva Fushi resort on the Kunahandhoo island in the Maldives. They also started the Evason group of hotels and the Six Senses Resorts & Spas, with properties opening across South East Asia and Europe. In 2009 they opened Soneva Kiri on Ko Kut island in Thailand. By 2011, Six Senses expanded into an international luxury spa and resort chain with 26 resorts and 41 spas.[8] In 2012, Sonu sold Six Senses to Pegasus Capital and shifted to focus on Soneva's resorts and private residences as part of the "One Owner, One Operator, One Philosophy, One Brand".[9][10]
Sonu is one of the founders of the Soneva Foundation (previously known as the SLOWLIFE Foundation), a UK-registered charity. In 2023, Sonu was honoured as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to tourism, sustainability and charity in the King's New Year Honours 2023 Overseas and International List.[11]
Named a “pioneer of barefoot luxury and philanthropist extraordinaire”, Sonu was the recipient of the prestigious SevenRooms Icon Award – the only award given to an individual and not a hotel property – at the first-ever edition of The World's 50 Best Hotels in 2023.[12]
Personal life
He first met Eva Malmstrom, a Swedish model,[13] when they were introduced through his sister, the Countess Bina Sella di Monteluce, at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1986. They later married[1] and spent their honeymoon traveling around some of the world's most exclusive hotels and resorts, inspiring them to open their own. They leased a resort in the Maldives and set about creating their dream and a few years later opened Soneva Fushi.[14] Eva became a designer and Soneva's Creative Director and Conscience, designing interiors at their resorts in the Maldives and Thailand.[15]
Sonu was diagnosed with cancer in 2017.[16]
He was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III for his contributions to "tourism, sustainability and charity" in the 2023 New Year Honours.[17]