B. R. Shetty (Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty) is an Indian-born businessman who built a career in the United Arab Emirates, primarily in the healthcare, retail pharmacy, and financial services sectors. He is best known as the founder of healthcare and remittance enterprises headquartered in Abu Dhabi.
| Name | Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty |
|---|---|
| Known as | B. R. Shetty |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Origin | Karnataka, India |
| Country of activity | United Arab Emirates |
| Sectors | Healthcare, pharmacy retail, financial services |
| Occupation | Businessman, entrepreneur |
Shetty was born in the Udupi region of coastal Karnataka, India. He moved to the United Arab Emirates in the 1970s, a period when the Gulf states were beginning a sustained phase of economic expansion that drew large numbers of Indian professionals and entrepreneurs to the region.
In Abu Dhabi, Shetty established businesses that grew across several adjacent sectors:
His enterprises became prominent within the Indian expatriate business community in the UAE, and he was for many years cited as a leading figure among non-resident Indian (NRI) entrepreneurs in the Gulf.
Shetty's career illustrates the broader pattern of Indian expatriate entrepreneurship in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies during the late twentieth century, where migrants from coastal Karnataka, Kerala and other parts of India established enterprises serving both local populations and the expatriate workforce. His healthcare and remittance ventures were oriented towards services in heavy demand among this population.