Rajabali Jumabhoy

Rajabali Jumabhoy (16 January 1898 — 26 November 1998) was a businessman, politician and the chairman of Scotts Holdings in Singapore.

Early life Jumabhoy was born on 16 January 1898 in the village of Lakhapar in Kutch district, India. His grandfather was Bunder Kassim, a prominent merchant. He was raised in his elder sister's home in Bhopal and attended the University of Bombay in Bombay.

Career In August 1915, he and one of his brothers established a business on 9 Market Street in Singapore under the name R. Jumabhoy. Shortly, on Singapore on 24 June 1916 he took over the business, but had to leave to India a few months later due to ill health and his difficulty adjusting to the climate, and only returned to Singapore in January 1918. However, Jumabhoy eventually had a falling out with his brother. Following this, he left the businesses and established his own business on 2 January 1922. In 1923, he became a founding member of the Singapore Indian Association. In the following year, he became a founding member of the Indian Merchants Association and made a foray into property development. By then, he had established offices in Hong Kong, Java and Bombay. His business traded in coffee, sago flour, Benzoin, rattan and gambier. In 1930, he became a founding member of the Rotary Club of Singapore, and was made a Justice of the Peace. From 1932 to 1934, he served as the only Indian member of the Straits Settlements Trade Commission. In 1935, he became a founding member of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, and was appointed its first president. From 1936 to 1937, he served on the committee of the Singapore Ratepayers' Association. In 1938, he received the Malayan Certificate of Honour. In November 1939, he was appointed to the Trafic Advisory Committee. By then, he had helped to found and served as the president of the Muslim Students Society. He had also served on the Poppy Day committee, and the chairman of the reception committee of the All Malaya Indian Conference.

He is related to Andre Jumabhoy, a former prosecutor and criminal lawyer who defended Pritam Singh in criminal charges for allegedly falsely testifying to the Committee of Privileges.