Indian businessman G B Choithram passes away in Dubai
UAE: G B Choithram Jethwani, chairman of the Geebee Group of Companies, and a respected Indian expatriate living in the UAE for 66 years, passed away on Sunday at his Dubai residence. He was 90.
GB, as Choithram was known popularly among the business community, was the former president of Dubai Indian Association and Indian Sports Club and also the trustee of several institutions, including the Indian High School, Dubai. He was also on the board of the Dubai Electricity Board.
GB is survived by his sons Deepak Choithram Jethwani and Girish Choithram Jethwani, now serving as managing directors of the group, and four daughters.
GB established his flagship company in Dubai in 1950. After establishing a strong and prominent position in the textile business, Geebee Group has grown into a family business with diversified interests in the manufacture, exports and imports, trading and distribution.
GB’s family members were exporters of textiles to Dubai, Bahrain and Kuwait during the pre-partition days. They operated out of Karachi and after partition in 1947, GB’s family business moved to Mumbai. They established their head office in Mumbai and then started an office in Dubai in 1954 under GB’s stewardship.
Before settling in Dubai, GB set up business in Bahrain where his company had joint businesses with local firms importing textiles, and then he moved on to Kuwait before finally landing in Sharjah on June 9, 1954, on a six-seater aircraft just months after his marriage.