Vishal Chordia (pictured above, right, with Kimberley Hickok-Smith) was awarded the 2018 EO Global Citizen of the Year award in Toronto, Canada, in April 2018. We recently talked with him about making time for charity beyond his busy professional and family commitments. 

Vishal heads up a US$100 million food business in India’s spice sector that exports to more than 22 countries throughout the world. Add to this that he’s a devoted husband and father and an active member of EO Pune, it’s hard to imagine that he has time left to do much more.

Yet, since late 2016, he has also worn the hat of chairman of the Maharashtra State Khadi and Village Industries Board (MSKIB), a position that lets him serve as an agent and driver of social and economic change for rural communities throughout his home state in India.

In less than two years, as chairman of the MSKIB, Vishal has reinvigorated the economies of multiple rural areas and helped more than 1,000 residents increase their earnings, start building up their communities and empower their neighbors to do the same. In essence, he has affected a widespread and sustainable change in economy and culture throughout his corner of the world. It’s a tall order for any entrepreneur, but Vishal is proof that it can be done.