Rizwan Sajan (born December 27, 1963) is an Indian entrepreneur based in the United Arab Emirates. As Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, he oversees a diversified conglomerate spanning building materials, real estate, and home furnishings across 10 countries. With an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, he is widely regarded as one of the richest Indians in Dubai — and he now brings that story to a global audience as a cast member in Netflix's Desi Bling.
Early Life and Background of Rizwan Sajan
Rizwan Sajan was born on December 27, 1963, in Ghatkopar, a lower-middle-class neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His father died when Rizwan was just 16, forcing him to leave school and take on various jobs to support the family — selling books, making box files, delivering milk, and selling fireworks on the street.
At 18, he moved to Kuwait where he worked as a trainee salesman in his uncle's building materials store. He excelled in sales but was forced to flee during the Gulf War in 1991, returning briefly to Mumbai before setting his sights on Dubai.
Business Career: Building the Danube Group
Rizwan Sajan arrived in Dubai in 1993 and founded Danube as a small trading firm. Over three decades, he transformed that humble start into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Key milestones in Danube Group's growth include:
- 2006 — Launched Milano for sanitary solutions - 2008 — Established Danube Home for furnishings and interiors - 2012 — Created Alucopanel for aluminium composite manufacturing - 2014 — Entered real estate with Danube Properties, pioneering the innovative "1% payment plan" that opened luxury apartments to a wider buyer base - 2018 — Acquired rights to Filmfare Middle East - 2019 — Diversified into hospitality with Danube Hospitality - 2022 — Launched Danube Sports - 2025 — Announced the SHAHRUKHZ commercial tower project in partnership with Shah Rukh Khan
Today, Danube Group operates nine businesses across 50 locations in 10 countries — including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, India, China, and Canada — employing more than 3,600 people and reporting revenues of AED 5.13 billion.
Leadership, Recognition, and Awards
Rizwan Sajan is widely recognised as a transformative business leader. Forbes Middle East has named him one of the Top 100 Indian Leaders in the UAE and he has won the Forbes Top Indian Business Leader in the Arab World title six consecutive times. He has also received the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Excellence Award and the Economic Times Global Indian Leader award in 2022.
His signature achievement — the "1% payment plan" for Dubai real estate — earned him the nickname "Dubai's 1% Man" and is credited with making property ownership accessible to thousands of middle-income buyers across the region.
Family
Rizwan Sajan is married to Sameera Sajan, who co-founded Danube Group alongside him. Together they have one son, Adel Sajan, who is also involved in the business.
Rizwan Sajan in Desi Bling
Rizwan Sajan appears in Desi Bling, the Netflix reality series following affluent Indian expatriates living in Dubai. As the show's wealthiest cast member, he represents the entrepreneurial leadership of Dubai's Indian community. His story — from street vendor in Mumbai to billionaire property developer — is the centrepiece narrative of his presence on the show.
He continues to lead Danube Group while expanding his public profile through the series, bringing wider attention to the Indian expatriate success story in the UAE.
