Early Life
Harindarpal Singh Banga, known as Harry Banga, was born in Amritsar, India, and raised in Chandigarh. He received his education at Training Ship Dufferin, India's oldest maritime academy, where he earned his Master Mariner certification in 1976. By the age of 27, he had already commanded merchant vessels.
Rise to Success
Banga's career began in the maritime industry. In 1979, he joined Gulf Group in Hong Kong as Operations Manager. Later, in 1989, he became an early partner in Noble Group Limited, playing a crucial role in establishing and leading Noble Chartering Limited and serving as Vice-Chairman after its Hong Kong listing in 1994. Banga is widely recognized as the driving force behind Noble's success. In 2011, he purchased Noble Group's ship management arm, Fleet Management Limited. Banga founded The Caravel Group Limited with his sons Angad and Guneet.
Key Business Strategies
Banga's business acumen led him to establish The Caravel Group Limited in 2013, focusing on maritime services, commodities trading, and asset management. Under his leadership, the company has expanded into areas like AI-driven maritime safety and voyage optimization. He has been an early investor in Nykaa, an Indian online beauty retailer.
Philanthropy
Banga is known for his philanthropic efforts, primarily through The Caravel Foundation Limited. The foundation supports education and healthcare initiatives for underprivileged children in Hong Kong, India, and China. The Caravel Foundation has established endowed scholarships for the education of underprivileged children from India, Hong Kong and China at leading universities in the United States including Dartmouth College, Duke University and Princeton University.