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Ravi Uppal Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1952

Age71 Years

BirthplaceNew Delhi

ProfessionBusinessman

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseGeeta

FamilySon - Neel; Daughter - Nidhi

Ravi Uppal Biography

Ravi Uppal is an Indian businessman with a four-decade career across engineering, manufacturing and infrastructure. He has held senior leadership roles at

Early life and background

Ravi Uppal was born in New Delhi in 1952 and grew up in an upper-middle-class family. He completed his engineering studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and later earned a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He also attended an advanced management program at the Wharton Business School in the United States.

After graduating from IIM Ahmedabad in the mid-1970s, Uppal began his professional life with a placement at BHEL. Early in his career he accepted an overseas assignment in Libya through a government joint-venture, and this marked the start of many international postings that followed.

Career

Uppal’s professional path spans more than 40 years in engineering, manufacturing and infrastructure. He has worked extensively across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia, and has held senior roles at global companies including ABB, Volvo and L&T.

During the 1980s and 1990s he moved through a series of international engineering and executive positions. His roles included technical coordinator of large projects and later leadership positions in Sweden, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Qatar and Kuwait. He returned to India in his late 30s to take on senior corporate planning and executive responsibilities at ABB, eventually rising to head business segments including power transmission and industrial electronics.

Uppal was appointed founding managing director of Volvo India, where he focused on operations and workforce development, including establishing training for bus and truck drivers. He later rejoined ABB in a senior capacity and was credited with helping drive substantial growth in ABB India’s revenues over a multi-year period.

Following his tenure at ABB, Uppal joined Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at the invitation of the company’s chairman and worked on large-scale power-related projects, collaborating with international partners such as Mitsubishi. He has also started ventures focused on steel-based civil and industrial infrastructure in India.

Throughout his career he served on the boards of a number of companies in India and abroad, and participated in industry bodies and academic governance. His board associations have included firms in the UK, Australia and India, and he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Public profile

Uppal has received several professional recognitions over the years, including awards such as the Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar Star, a marketing award from the Institute of Marketing Management, and an accolade from Smart Manager magazine.

He has described encounters and lessons learned while working internationally — from experiencing different workplace cultures to confronting instances of racial bias — and has spoken about the importance of merit and performance in raising an Indian team’s profile within global organisations.

Uppal’s personal interests have included squash and skiing, activities he took up during his time in Sweden. He has cited business leaders such as V. Krishnamurthy, Percy Barvenik and Azim Premji among those who inspired him, and he has maintained long-term professional friendships from his education, including with an IIT classmate who later held a senior role at the World Bank’s Asia Pacific office.

Legal developments and recent controversies

In late 2023 Uppal was identified by authorities as one of the founders of an online betting application called Mahadev. He was detained in Dubai by immigration officials on 13 December 2023 following a red corner notice issued by Interpol at the request of India’s Enforcement Directorate. The ED had filed a money laundering charge sheet in connection with alleged transactions linked to the Mahadev app and reported that investigations included claims involving large sums. ED officials stated that Uppal had obtained a passport from Vanuatu and that extradition proceedings were expected to follow.

Personal life

Uppal is married to Geeta. The couple have two children: a son, Neel, and a daughter, Nidhi. He is described as having been associated with community and social development initiatives and active in industry forums and academic institutions.

Latest updates

As of December 2023, legal and extradition matters related to the Mahadev app case were ongoing, with authorities in touch and procedures expected to continue in the months ahead.
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Recent Work

Founder, SISCOL

Started a venture focused on steel-based civil and industrial infrastructure projects in India.

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Career Highlights

  1. Founding Managing Director of Volvo India
  2. Senior executive roles at ABB including head of global markets and executive vice president responsibilities
  3. Senior positions at Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and involvement in large power projects
  4. Board memberships in India and abroad and service on the Board of Governors of IIM Bangalore
  5. Awards including Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ravi Uppal born?

1952

What is Ravi Uppal known for?

Businessman

What is Ravi Uppal’s marital status?

Married

Who is Ravi Uppal married to?

Geeta