Thursday, March 28, 2024
Meet the Founder

Hasnain Noorani is Improving Kenya’s Economy through Diversification

Hasnain Noorani is the founder and group CEO of Pride Group, a Kenyan-based conglomerate invested in diverse sectors, including hospitality, travel industry, transport and energy.

Pride Group consists of 8 individually run companies and PrideInn Hotels, a chain of eight hotels dotted across Kenya, are the flagbearers in the group.

Hasnain took over his father’s business in 2006 which included a car rental and a driving school company, after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a first-class honors in Manufacturing Engineering and Management.

It was in 2013 that Hasnain was given the opportunity of acquiring the PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort and Spa, a 300-room beach resort with a convention center that can host 2,500 people, four pools, three restaurants and three bars. It was also the only safari-themed aqua park in Mombasa.

When he was presented with the opportunity, he had to put in a large investment and at that point, tourism in Mombasa was on its knees, many hoteliers were looking at exiting Mombasa. He eventually decided to take up the investment and by 2013, the company had grown from one hotel to six.

Through diversification into various sectors, Hasnain Noorani has been able to carve a niche for himself in the business world. In his words “I believe that while it is a strength, it is also a weakness because I end up taking too many risks. We have lost money in businesses that have failed or businesses we have launched without doing a thorough market study. I have learned to do thorough research before going into a business. It is not about what we feel is the right product, it’s about what the guests feel is the right product”

Other companies in the group include: Cake City (five branches in Nairobi), Shawarma Express (two branches in Nairobi), Paradise Convention Centre (Mombasa), Buffets of PrideInn, the Royal Kitchen MultiCuisine Restaurants (eight in Nairobi and Mombasa), Pride Drive (two in Nairobi and Mombasa), Pride Fuels (three in Nairobi, Mombasa and Naivasha) and Glory Driving School in Nairobi.

Hasnain’s motto has always been “Exceptional Products and Services at an outstanding Value.” He has been able to consistently deliver the motto by simply having happy staff.

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