Ebix’s Robin Raina: A philanthropist, socialite and shrewd businessman

With the acquisition of online travel service provider Yatra for an enterprise value of around $336 million, the Atlanta-headquartered software services firm Ebix Inc and its 51-year-old flamboyant chief executive officer Robin Raina have once again hit the headlines. The deal would help $2-billion Ebix create an end-to-end enterprise financial and insurance service player.

A philanthropist, socialite and a fitness enthusiast, Raina wears many hats. He has led Ebix's growth for around two decades. The company is reported to have invested half a billion dollars in India in 2017-2018 alone.

Raina, who initially wanted to be a medical professional, did most of his schooling in Patiala. While his dream to become a doctor did not crystalise, he pursued industrial engineering from Thapar University in Punjab and joined a company called Pertech Computers. The company entered into a joint venture with Dell later. In 1993, he joined Mindware and moved to Singapore. He changed a few jobs before joining Ebix, then known as Delphi Information Systems, in 2000.

Raina has been involved in supporting the education of underprivileged children and building houses for the homeless in India. As per the information on Robin Raina Foundation webpage, he has built and handed over 1800 homes to slum dwellers in Delhi. The foundation aims to construct 6,000 houses for the homeless.

He has also produced an award-winning documentary called 'Dilli' which depicts the lives of Delhi’s slum dwellers.