1. Sunny Varkey was born on 9 April 1957 and is an Indian education entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Dubai.
20 Facts About Sunny Varkey
1. 2.
Sunny Varkey is the founder and executive chairman of the global advisory and educational management firm GEMS Education, which is the largest operator of private kindergarten-to-grade-12 schools in the world, with a network of over 80 schools in over a dozen countries.
3.
Sunny Varkey is the chairman of the umbrella business organisation the Varkey Group, and the founder and trustee of the philanthropic Varkey Foundation.
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Sunny Varkey is the first education entrepreneur to join the pledge.
5.
Sunny Varkey's father worked for British Bank of the Middle East, and both of his parents taught English to local Arabs, including members of the royal family.
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At the age of four, Sunny Varkey was sent back to Kerala to attend Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Boys' School, a Catholic boarding school in Kollam city.
7.
Sunny Varkey pursued his A-Levels at Bembridge School in the UK for a year, and completed his A-Levels in Dubai at the British Council.
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Sunny Varkey's parents founded Our Own English High School in Dubai in 1968.
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Sunny Varkey returned to Dubai in 1977, and his employment included work at Standard Chartered bank, opening a small trading company and a maintenance company, becoming part owner of the Dubai Plaza Hotel, and entering the healthcare industry.
10.
When in 1980 local authorities insisted that his parents' Our Own English High School be housed in a purpose-built facility, Sunny Varkey took over the operation of the school, which had under 400 students at the time.
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Sunny Varkey dropped his other businesses, expanded the school, and added new schools as well.
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Sunny Varkey opened Indian, Pakistani, and British schools, and offered education under the different curricula: Indian, US, British, and later International Baccalaureate.
13.
In 2000 Sunny Varkey established Global Education Management Systems, an advisory and educational management firm, in advance of his worldwide overseas expansion.
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In December 2010, Sunny Varkey consolidated and structured his various donations and charitable initiatives by creating the Sunny Varkey Foundation as the philanthropic arm of GEMS.
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At the second annual forum in March 2014, Sunny Varkey announced the Global Teacher Prize, a $1 million award to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession, to be presented at the third annual GESF in 2015.
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Sunny Varkey Group is the umbrella organisation covering GEMS Education and Sunny Varkey's other businesses, including healthcare and, previously, construction.
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Sunny Varkey founded the company in 1979, and it is based in Dubai, with additional offices in the UK, US, and India.
18.
In 1984 Sunny Varkey founded Welcare, a healthcare consultancy and management venture which developed a number of hospitals and clinics.
19.
The sale of his healthcare sector allowed Sunny Varkey to focus on education and educational philanthropy.
20.
Sunny Varkey is married and has two sons, Dino and Jay, who have taken leadership roles in GEMS Education, allowing him to focus on his philanthropic foundation.