Robin Raina is one of the few Business folks whose leadership in business circles and social philanthropy both is an example that is hard to follow. In spite of running a very successful business enterprise (the Ebix group of companies that trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol EBIX) with a market capitalization of around $400 million world wide, he has dedicated his life to public service. He has today emerged as a rather complete human being who has excelled in every field that he has gone into, while still keeping a balance and pioneering the cause of charity.

Excellence in Business
On the business front, Robin is equally known as one of the towering figures in the US insurance industry. Robin was the first Indian to join Ebix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBIX) a 32-year old publicly traded American company and today he has lead the transformation of this company into a profitable $350 million Global Group with offices in Australia, NZ, Singapore, London, Chicago, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Park City, Walnut Creek, India & Toronto.

Today, he is the Chairman of a 32-year-old publicly traded company, besides being the President & CEO of the company. Along the way, Robin has been strongly recognized for his untiring work by the analysts, media – print and television, award committees etc. Under Robin’s leadership, the company has delivered one of the highest returns on shareholder investment, in recent US stock market history. The company has clocked shareholder return of 2,815% in the last five years. Every $1000 invested in Ebix stock five years back is worth $47,200 today. A few examples are as follows:

• Atlanta Business Chronicle recently ranked him as the no. 1 CEO in Georgia, in terms of performance.
• Atlanta Journal Constitution magazine recently rated his company as the 2nd Best Company in Georgia ahead of big names like Delta, Coca Cola, and Home Depot etc. who are all companies with headquarters’ in Georgia.
• Four years in the running, the company under his leadership had been named by Fortune magazine amongst the 100 fastest growing companies in the United States, with revenues of $200 million or lower. Today Ebix has a world wide market capitalization of $400 million.
• Robin was recently awarded the prestigious South Asian Excellence Award by Sony TV for the Personality of the Year, at Waldorf Astoria, New York on the 10th of May 2008.
• Atlanta Business Magazine recently ranked Ebix amongst the top 10 companioes in Georgia.
• Recently Crain’s Business Weekly bestowed the No.1 Rank on Ebix in the Chicago and Greater Chicago area, in terms of having the highest Return on Investment for shareholders.
• He has been interviewed on multiple Television channels including BBC World, CNN, CNBC, ZD Net, Aaj Tak, Zee TV, TV Asia, and CNN etc. over the last few years.
• He has been featured and interviewed for numerous stories in business magazines ranging from PC magazine, PC world, Industry Standard, Computer World, CIO, CFO, Reuters etc.
• He has been featured in many stories in the world wide press on him ranging from AFP, Reuters, Atlanta Journal Constitution, CIO Magazine, CFO Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Crain’s Weekly, India Today, Business World, Times of India, Indian Express, Business World, Economic Times, Hindu, Dataquest, PC Quest, Khabar, India West etc.
• Robin Raina has featured on the cover page of Hewlett Packard’s world financial service magazine, for his work in leading the insurance industry forward.
• Ebix Chairman & CEO Robin Raina has also been named amongst the 100 Most Powerful people in Insurance in North America by Worksite magazine.
• Robin Raina has been interviewed by General Alexander Haig - Former Secretary of State, United States, on CNBC, in a series conducted for CNBC on Leaders in Financial Services.
• ABI named him "Man of the Year" for his work in the insurance industry in 2003
  

Excellence in Charity
He is known for his oft repeated statement about charity - "I want to make charity fashionable and cool." A philanthropist, Robin Raina has emerged as the voice of the have-nots worldwide with his single minded dedication to providing hope to the under privileged sections of the society. Today, he his foundation has adopted in excess of 3500 children across the Indian sub continent in addition to presently carrying out the largest private charity initiative in the Indian sub-continent, in terms of building 6000 homes free of cost for the underprivileged.

He started the Robin Raina Foundation (RRF), www.rainafoundation.com that today supports thousands of children in India, in terms of their education, food, shelter and medical needs. He recently conceptualized and started a $15 million project to build 6000 concrete homes for slum dwellers in Bawana in North Eastern Delhi. These slum dwellers have been living in make-shift huts and temporary structures where they were subject to the elements of nature as well as to accidents like fires which burned down their homes and their belongings. There were several catastrophic fires in the slums last year. In this project, RRF is providing free brick and concrete homes for these slum dwellers. RRF expects to build 600 homes by the end of this year and a few thousand homes in the next couple of years. The possession of 216 homes has already been given to the slum dwellers. Towards this effort, Robin has personally donated $2 million recently. This is in addition to his normal donations every year that run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Robin has lead the effort to champion the cause of the under-privileged by one, leading the effort to help by being directly involved and leading the effort on all fronts. He can be seen in the slums talking to mothers, dads, old people and if needed picking up bricks to make all the volunteers believe in the cause. With multitudes of public service projects running across India, Pakistan and United States, Robin is known as an extremely secular person.

He has made efforts to make charity a household name in the South Asian Community in the United States through his efforts and leading by example. He is known for his oft repeated statement about charity - "I want to make charity fashionable and cool." He runs a highly polished magazine in the United States that has emerged as the only voice of charity in the US. His continuous efforts have channelized the efforts of thousands of people around the world (People of South Asian descent, Americans, French, Aussies, New Zealand, UK, Hong Kong, China, Canada etc). who today are sponsoring under-privileged children, in terms of their education, shelter, food and medical needs through the Robin Raina Foundation.

Some of the Robin Raina Foundation (RRF) initiatives are as under:

DELHI, INDIA

• RRF Slum Home Project: Beginning October 2007, RRF embarked on a $15 million project to build 6000 free homes for the slum dwellers of Delhi. As on date, 216 homes had already been built. Each of these homes is fully painted, 4 sided brick having a concrete roof, plastered floor, walls, with electricity, fan and exhaust etc. Each home is provided to a slum dweller on legal land absolutely free of cost, on the legally binding condition that they would have to send their kids irrespective of gender, to the Robin Raina Foundation schools (with free meals, clothing, food, education, picnics etc.) ; as also commit to not selling this home for a period of seven years from the time they take possession.

• Raina-Prayas School: RRF and Prayas, one of the largest charities in India have partnered together and adopted 800 children belonging to slum areas, in Bawana in North West Delhi, India. The project is housed in an eleven room school facility equipped with computers, library, television, Water filter, refrigerator and class room facilities. The school provides breakfast, lunch, clothing, toys, medical care, picnics, and extra-curricular activities in addition to quality education to the children.

• Raina-Shine School: RRF and Shine (a charity started by the Hindustan Times newspaper) have partnered together and adopted 650 children belonging to slum areas, in Ghijor village in Noida, India. The project involves a two floor school housed in an twelve room school facility equipped with computers, library, television, Water filter, refrigerator and class room facilities. The school provides food, clothing, toys, medical care, picnics, and extra-curricular activities in addition to quality education to the children.

• Raina–Prayas Self Help Group: In Bawana itself, the Raina Prayas joint venture has set up twenty self help groups comprising a total of 600 slum dweller women with a view to provide them empowerment in terms of education, co-operative financing, legal and social support to fight exploitation. The women run a joint cooperative movement and loan money to each other as also support each other through thick and thin, in a democratic manner.

• Raina–Prayas UNDP Empowerment Program: The Raina Prayas joint venture has almost teamed up to provide vocational training, embroidery and stitching training to a few hundred mothers of the slum dweller children of Bawana, to help them seek sources of employment.

• Raina- Prayas Micro credit Finance: The Raina Prayas joint venture provides micro-credit finance to slum dwellers in Bawana district of Delhi, to help them become independent and start some occupation that requires some initial capital.

• Blind Aid Project (For Boys): RRF has sponsored 87 blind children in the age group of 17 years to 23 years in Delhi, in terms of helping them become completely independent financially. RRF pays for the graduation studies, hostel fees, books, clothes, food etc. for each of these fifty children, who are studying at present in eminent schools like St. Stephens, Ramjas, Hindu, Kirori Mal etc. in Delhi. Thanks to the foundation’s constant financial and moral support, thirty four (34) of these children are today finishing Masters in various subjects with the Delhi University, while studying in the top schools in Delhi. Each of these kids has been given a computer with a scanner by the foundation to support their education (so that they could scan books into a computer and have the Jaws software read it out for them).

• RRF Women’s Blind Welfare Society: RRF has sponsored 25 blind girls in the age group of 17 years to 23 years in Delhi, in terms of helping them become completely independent financially. RRF has these girls staying at a RRF hostel/home with an attached school to teach them Braille, computers and English. In addition, these girls are sent to Delhi University colleges every day and are presently studying for their graduation. The foundation pays for all these costs – the graduation studies, hostel fees, books, clothes, medical care, salaries to caretakers and teachers at hostel, food etc. for each of these twenty five children. The teachers and Principal hired at this hostel/Braille and computer training school are blind too.

• Servants of People Society Med-Aid Project: RRF has donated one medical Ambulance to Grameen Seva Kendra run by Servants of the People Society (Founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, the famous Indian freedom fighter in 1921), for rural areas around Delhi. This ambulance today has Doctors traveling four times a week to far flung villages around Delhi city, to meet the medical needs of the needy children and poor citizens in these villages.

• The Robin Raina Charitable Trust: RRF also supports a number of other charity projects in India through its sister charity, the Robin Raina Charitable Trust, based in Delhi, India.

MUMBAI, INDIA

• UDAAN: RRF and Project Crayon, a very well known charity in Bombay, India have partnered together to sponsor 175 underprivileged girl children in Malad, Mumbai. These girl children are all studying at present in two private English medium schools in Malad – Bharat Mata School and Little Angels School. All these children’s education, lunch, picnics, clothes, healthcare, toys, games, extra-curricular activities etc. are taken care of by the Robin Raina Foundation

• UDAAN GHAR: RRF and Project Crayon recently completed building a new home for the orphan Girl children in Malad, Mumbai. The home aptly called Udaan Ghar houses thirty-two (32) girl children at present. The home has been built using marble, granite, good quality wood work and has been equipped with the latest in electronics, computers etc. Al these 32 girl children go to private English medium schools and get private tuitions, music classes etc. in the evening. Robin Raina Foundation supports all costs for the operations of this home; along with the education, lunch, picnics, clothes, healthcare, toys, games, extra-curricular activities etc. of these children

UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

• Disha, Sikanderpura Kakori village, Hapur district: RRF has teamed up with the village panchayat of Sikanderpura Kakori village to provide stitching and embroidery training to girls of the village, with a view to empower them. The project is housed in a facility donated by the village panchayat and is equipped with embroidery and stitching machines. A six month diploma program is provided free to the girls in this project. RRF is presently involved in actively seeking accreditation and training help from Ministry of textiles in the Indian Government. Plans are being jointly written to replicate this project across the country.

• Disha, Hoshiarpur Garhi village, Hapur district: RRF has teamed up with the village panchayat of Hoshiarpur Garhi village to provide stitching and embroidery training to girls of the village, with a view to empower them. The project also is housed in a facility donated by the village panchayat and is equipped with embroidery and stitching machines

A few hundred girl children are presently getting trained in these two projects.

LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Cancer Treatment Ward No. 224 at Shaukat Khannum Cancer Hospital: RRF has sponsored the above ward at the Shaukat Khannum hospital founded and conceptualized by the legendary cricketer Imran Khan. At present, RRF funds the treatment of three children suffering from cancer in that ward. Aptly, the ward has been named the Robin Raina Foundation ward.

KANYAKUMARI, INDIA

• Tsunami Aid Project: RRF adopted two tsunami affected villages of Kottilpadu and Pudur, immediately after tsunami hit these villages and caused immense devastation in these villages. RRF provided immediate cash relief to 1320 families in these villages and worked together with the church and local charities to get funding from other sources.

CHICAGO, ATLANTA, MUMBAI

RRF has made ad-hoc donations to a number of causes around the world including some laid down below that involved contributing towards the treatment of children suffering from cancer of varied kinds:

• Danyal Ali Fund, Atlanta for treatment of bone marrow cancer of Danyal Ali, a kid of Pakistani descent.

• Samantha Foundation, Chicago for treatment of nine year old Samantha who was suffering from cancer.

• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai for treatment of knee cancer of a six year old child Sameer Lakadwalla

Pioneer in institutionalizing charity

Robin Raina Foundation today has taken a pioneering role in instutionalizing charity and making it a household topic in the United States South Asian Community today. The foundation has done that through Robin’s tireless work and vision to make charity “fashionable and cool”. This has been done by RRF through a number of vehicles –

1. Largest charity initiative in the Indian sub continent today – Robin’s foundation RRF today runs the largest private initiative in the Indian sub-continent worth $15 million to build 6000 concrete homes for the slum dwellers of Bawana, Delhi.

2. Supports in excess of 3000 children today – Robin’s foundation RRF has the unique distinction of being a charity that supports a child through all stages of life until the child has grown, is educated, has a good job and is completely independent.

3. Commitment to Charity – Robin’s work and single minded dedication to social service speaks for itself. He contributes generously himself having donated millions to the cause of the under-privileged.

4. LIFELINE, a magazine dedicated to charity – RRF started Lifeline as a coffee table publication dedicated to charity four years back. Today with a readership of 125,000 and a circulation of 35,000 magazines in each issue, Lifeline has emerged as the only magazine dedicated to the voice of charity in the United States. The magazine’s unique glamorous presentation style, excellent quality of paper, articles and glossy color presentation has made it a darling of households today. Mailed to households in the United States on a subscriber only basis, the magazine is completely free and is supported by more than 70 advertisers. All journalists, photographers’ etc. work free for the magazine. The magazine gets support from the Celebrity community too through specially bylined articles, pictures etc. promoting the cause of charity in a light but sincere manner.

5. Cutting Edge Systems to connect the Donor with the cause one is supporting– RRF’s Sponsor a Child program gets support from hundreds of people around the world, who contribute $20 per month by putting it on their credit card automatically, to support the education and other basic needs (food, clothing, medical care, toys, sports etc) of an under-privileged child. With software driven systems, each parent is connected to a child and is put in direct touch with the child in terms of the kid’s monthly progress reports, communication, pictures etc. The kids marks sheets are scanned and sent to each parent along with monthly reports, drawings, letters from child, pictures etc. This software driven online system with all volunteers having computers IP phones etc. in the slums ensures a feeling of constant touch with the children for the parents

6. RRF Unconditional Money Back Guarantee – RRF guarantees that each and every penny donated by a donor reaches out to the child or the purpose for which it is provided. Towards that, it provides an unconditional written guarantee to return all money donated by a donor in the last calendar 12 months if a donor has the slightest degree of dissatisfaction or distrust on anything to do with their donation or the foundation. Till date, no donor has used this guarantee as this guarantee has served the purpose of showing the foundation’s sincere intent to lead by example and remove any cynicism related to the cause.

7. Support from All Sections, namely people of all nationalities, Celebrities, sportsmen, Corporates, Institutions etc. – The foundation today gets support from people across all 50 states in United States besides getting help from the world wide community irrespective of race, color, national or religious boundaries. Eminent celebrities ranging from Sushmita Sen, Kapil Dev, Saif Ali, Akshay Kumar, Shaan, Sonu Nigaam, Asha Bhosle, Kailash Kher, Kunal Ganjavala, Talat Aziz, Ghulam Ali, Anup Jhilota, Anupama Varma, Imran Khan, Celina Jaitley, Arjun Rampal etc. today have supported the cause of the foundation in letter and spirit with many of them sponsoring RRF children. The foundation has enlisted the support of eminent people like the European Climate Exchange Chairman Neil Eckert, German Credit Suisse Bank ex-board member Hans Ueli Keller etc. towards the cause of promoting the cause of the underprivileged child. Large institutions like LaSalle Bank, Delta, and Brit Insurance Holdings etc. support the foundation’s cause today.

8. Slick Media effort that touches the heart – RRF’S slick advertising promoting the cause of the under-privileged child and the need to support that child, today has made it a household name in the United States. RRF’s adoption ads have won awards for their ability to touch hearts and get the message out beautifully.

Robin leads from the Front
Recently named amongst India’s Top 100 Celebrities at the India on Canvas Painting auction conducted by the cricketer Kapil Dev, RRF Founder Robin Raina has always lead this charity effort from the front. He personally oversees every facet of the foundation and interacts with each of the thousands of children that the foundation supports today. An Atlanta resident, He spends two continuous months every year working in the slums – meeting children, interacting with parents, helping build homes, playing cricket with blind kids etc. This is in addition to visiting India once every few months to do the same. On a typical day you could see him work 18 hours leading from the front.

This is what Lifeline magazine in its January 2008 issue said – “Most people would burn out at the pace that Robin has set for himself. Not if you are Robin Raina, the RRF Founder. Imagine all this in the last three months – Launch of a school for 650 slum dweller children in Noida, India; Doubling the capacity of existing slum dweller children’s school to 800 in Bawana district of Delhi; Celebrating the educational success of 87 blind children in a party with Indian Idol star Rahul Vaidya, Bombay supermodels and the blind kids in Delhi; One of the 100 celebrities named in the India on Canvas painting celebrity charity auction in Mumbai on October 26th 2007 ……As if that was not enough, Robin recently launched India’s largest housing project for slum dwellers where RRF is set out to build 6000 homes for slum dwellers in Delhi, and has already finished building 216 homes.”

Add to it the fact, that he runs a $400 million publicly traded company with world-wide expanse that recently was ranked by Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper as the 2nd Best Company in Georgia; and you are left wondering at the balance he manages to drive between his philanthropic and business ventures, as also the scorching pace he has set up for himself.”

FINAL SUMMARIZATION: When you consider his absolute excellence in the area of public service, it leaves you rather dazzled. When you consider that he does that while running one of the most successful companies on the NASDAQ with a shareholder return of 4,720% over the last 5 years, you marvel at his abilities to balance his zeal for charity with his work. He is known to be very sincere, honest and an idealist to the core who believes that his passion for charity transcends every other desire that he has. Along the way, he has sacrificed a lot to provide 8 hours every day 7 days a week to his charity efforts out of a virtual 18 hour day seven days a week.

More about his charity efforts can be seen on www.rainafoundation.com and his world wide business efforts can be seen on www.ebix.com