He is simple, warm, polite and down to earth. Loves his work to the core and is a visionary who has expanded his business in a way that his company has everything which a brand needs to boast of. His generosity, gratitude and thoughtfulness for others can be reflected by a number of CSR activities he is involved in. Meet Uday Chinai, Chairman and Managing Director, BVC Group of Companies. In a candid conversation with Puja Kumar, he talks about his business, journey, life and more…

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” - Henry W Long Fellow…the famous quote truly defines Uday Chinai. As I entered his plush and tastefully done office situated in the Capital building of Mumbai’s - Bandra Kurla Complex - his staff greeted me with similar simplicity and warmth, which their employer has. Uday Chinai is a person who is polite, gentle, cordial and his words are always straight from his heart.

Born to Bhagwanji and Rajni Chinai, where the company derives its name (BVC), he experienced the most basic operations of the job under the guidance of his father who was also the founder of BVC Group. At a time when door to door delivery was not so popular, Uday Chinai joined his father’s business in 1980, with a vision to expand the business and make it bigger. However, it was not an easy job for Uday Chinai.

“My father started this company BVC in 1960 as a custom broker. At that time, it was very difficult to get a custom license, but due to the relations and goodwill he shared with clients and customs, he managed to get the license. It all started when my father was serving in one of the customs house agent company, one Walchand Kaka, who was working as an accountant for Dinesh Brothers, needed help from my dad to clear parcels from the customs.
My father was more than eager to help. The first diamond parcel was cleared by BVC, after which many other companies started importing diamonds and the contract automatically came to us. I remember our first client was Dinesh Brothers, now that company is known as Diatrends and is owned by Yatish Bhai Mehta and Sanjay Bhai Kothari,”he says with a smile.

His journey into world of gems and jewellery started with the clearance of diamonds he was taking for the company. No wonder, the first client for whom BVC did delivery was a diamond company. In a way, the diamond market and BVC grew together like siblings. It has been over 50 years that BVC group of companies has been serving the needs of its customers through innovation in technology, pricing and add-on services. With over 30 years of being in the business, Uday Chinai has developed close relations with experts from all companies in the industry across all levels of management, irrespective of their clientele status with BVC.
When asked about his journey into the world of gems and jewellery he states, “Our Company has always focused on this industry specifically, as it has taught me to survive, fight and gain leadership quality. We were at their service.From clearances, to national and international bookings, we did everything for them. I want to repay them in whatever way, I can. This industry has not only given me opportunities to explore but has taught me to be more socially responsible and helpful. We are like family, who are there for each other.”

While BVC was climbing the ladder of success, it was not a cake walk for sure. In the year 1975, Uday Chinai’s father applied for IATA license. At the time, it was very rare to get a license from IATA, as all over India there were just 60 licenses which were issued to different companies. “My father applied in 1975 and got the license in 1980. Normally, as an official procedure, you have to book with the airline for parcels and when you book with the airline, it is compulsory to have an IATA agency. It was difficult to get a license in those days, being a small company many people even discouraged my father saying that he would never get one,” he shares.

Listening to this interesting aspect of his story, we were really keen to know how his father cracked the deal with IATA. He continued, “That time, there was an Air India manager, who was a close friend of my father and as kids we used to call him Shroff uncle. Though my dad was reluctant, Shroff uncle persuaded him to apply for the IATA license, in the year 1975. That point of time, IATA’s office was based in Singapore. My father’s hard-work,networking and goodwill bore results as nobody thought that a small company like ours will be able to bag the license from IATA. As we used to book a lot with Air India, everything worked out smoothly. The customs business was run in another BVC company and now, for IATA, we formed a new company - BVC Travels Agency Pvt Ltd which took IATA license,” he says proudly.

The year, 1989, took a beautiful turn in his life. From managing professional commitments he bended towards personal as Uday Chinai married Manisha Chinai, one of his biggest support in his life’s journey. While I was inquisitive to know more on this, we were joined by Manisha Chinai. Being one of the directors of the company, she joined BVC in the year 1995, after the death of her father-in-law, Bhagwanji Chinai. “My husband has given me chance to explore things and always encouraged my new ideas. In the initial years, when we were expanding our business in import and export, there was loads of work pressure when new branches of BVC were coming up. My son Bhavik, too was very young, but I managed it somehow. One of my biggest help and support in all these professional years was my mother-in-law, without whom it was impossible to maintain a balance.” So what role Manisha Chinai played in shaping Udayji as a successful businessman? “Many roles,” pat comes the reply.

With the business getting expanded, his only child Bhavik Chinai, too, joined the family business. It was choice for him and not compulsion. BVC was escalating, growing and was mushrooming into double speed. After completing his studies from Harvard, London School of Economics and Narsee Monjee, Bhavik joined the company at an early age of 18 years. He was advised by his father to start something new in this business, and that’s how e-com division was added, for which Bhavik is the director.

It was like a new generation, same subject but in a different way. “My father was very supportive and was rather stopping me to join the family business and continue studying. I had the freedom to choose my career. But I joined our family business purely due to interest and passion. It was fair for him to assume that I won’t complete academics, which I did” says Bhavik.

While wrapping the interview, we wanted to know about his vision and mission for the company in future, “Huge expansion on domestic and general cargo. We want out company to be automated as much as possible. That’s the vision for us to be a complete tech-driven company by all means,” he signs off. BVC Logistics is a market leader in providing integrated solutions within express logistics, contract logistics, project logistics, ocean and air cargo. BVC’s global network enables services to over 100 countries. Within India, the BVC’s domestic network extends to over 3000 pin codes.

True to her wishes, her company, BVC has been actively involved in various CSR activities and has countless awards and accolades to his credit. To name a few, BVC got the Best Logistics Company in 2011 by GJF. For the three consecutive years in a row, it bagged the award in the same category by IBJA, in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Again, it received the Best Logistics Company by Small Business Awards of 2013. In the year, 2013 and 2014, once again, the company was applauded for Best Logistics Company by GJTCI year, 2013 and 2014, once again, the company was applauded for Best Logistics Company by GJTCI (in the last week of December 2015, it’s again being awarded for the same) and the latest being IBJA award on 1st Dec 2015, the list is just endless…

From awards, acclamations, business, work and family, we asked Uday Chinai to tell us about his hobbies and favourite holiday destination. “Previously I loved photography, but now I am more into reading, especially historical and religious books. Travelling is the other thing which I love. Recently, we came from Kashmir. I love going to Hong Kong as well, as it is one of my favourite destinations,” he shares. Though Uday Chinai is not a foodie, he loves Italian and Mexican cuisines. Indian chaat tops the chart when it comes to his favourite dishes. No sweet dishes for him for sure but loves having spicy Indian food, while Gujarati food is always a welcome.