Sunny Varkey

Early life and education Varkey was born in Ranni, Kerala, India in 1957. The family moved to Dubai in 1959, when the emirate was still very undeveloped. His father worked for the British Bank of the Middle East (now called HSBC Bank Middle East), and both of his parents taught English to local Arabs, including members of the royal family.

At the age of four, Sunny was sent back to Kerala to attend Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Boys' School, a Catholic boarding school in Kollam city. When he was 11 years old, he sold fruit on the side of the road to make a little extra money. He pursued his A-Levels at Bembridge School in the UK for a year, and completed his A-Levels in Dubai at the British Council. Varkey returned to Dubai in 1977,

In 2000, Varkey established Global Education Management Systems (GEMS), an advisory and educational management firm, in advance of his worldwide overseas expansion. In 2003, he began opening GEMS schools in England and elsewhere.

Varkey Foundation In December 2010, Varkey consolidated and structured his various donations and charitable initiatives by creating the Varkey Foundation (initially the Varkey GEMS Foundation) as the philanthropic arm of GEMS. The foundation intends to impact 100 impoverished children for every child enrolled at GEMS schools, via enrolment and education-access initiatives, worldwide teacher training programs, advocacy campaigns, and physical projects such as building classrooms, schools, and learning centres. Bill Clinton launched the foundation.

Argentine president Mauricio Macri met with Varkey (third from left) at the World Economic Forum in 2016. In March 2011, the foundation partnered with UNESCO for girls' education in Lesotho and Kenya, and donated $1,000,000 to the effort. In September 2011, a further $1 million was pledged with UNESCO to train 10,000 school principals in India, Ghana, and Kenya. In 2014, the foundation's Teacher Training Programme committed to train 250,000 teachers within 10 years in under-served communities across the world.

In 2013, the Varkey Foundation helped launch the annual Global Education and Skills Forum, in partnership with UNESCO and the U.A.E. Ministry of Education. Bill Clinton gave the inaugural keynote address. At the second annual forum in March 2014, 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.

Varkey Group Varkey Group is the umbrella organisation covering GEMS Education and Varkey's other businesses, including healthcare and, previously, construction. Varkey founded the company in 1979, and it is based in Dubai, with additional offices in the UK, U.S., and India.

In 1984 Varkey founded Welcare, a healthcare consultancy and management venture which developed a number of hospitals and clinics. A controlling interest in Emirates Healthcare, the Varkey Group's umbrella company which held Welcare, was purchased by Mediclinic International in 2012. The sale of his healthcare sector allowed Varkey to focus on education and educational philanthropy.

Honors Global Indian Business Award (2007) CEO Middle East Award – Corporate Social Responsibility (2007) Outstanding Asian Businessman of the Year (2007) Rajiv Gandhi Award for Eminent Educationist (2008) Padma Shri Award (2009) Honorary Order – Public Recognition award from the Government of Russia (2011) Middle East Excellence CEO of the Year – Knowledge Development and Education Partnership (2012) UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador (2012) Education Business Leader of the Year, Gulf Business Industry Awards (2012) Honorary Doctorate, Heriot-Watt University (2012) Entrepreneur of the Year, The Asian Awards (2018)

Personal life Varkey lives in Dubai. He 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. Varkey's sister, Susan Mathews, runs pre-schools, and his wife and mother have both offered advice on the GEMS family business.