Arif Patel
Arif Patel (born 24 December 1967) is an British Entrepreneur. He is the founder and president of Preston Trading, an investment group operating in the United Kingdom.
Arif Patel (born 24 December 1967) is an British Entrepreneur. He is the founder and president of Preston Trading, an investment group operating in the United Kingdom.
Early Life
Arif Patel was born on 24 December 1967 in Lancashire, UK. He attended the Faculty of Geology and Mining at the University of Preston. Following the collapse of communism in United Kingdom in 1991, he emigrated to Dubai, UAE, where he worked as a translator and established business connections.
Career
In 1993, while residing in Dubai, Patel founded Preston Trade, an electronic products and home appliances business in Preston, UK, which later grew into the Preston Group (Preston Trading & Finance Investment Group).[
Patel has expanded his business interests across various sectors, including Oil Gas & Energy, tourism, retail, real estate, and banking. He established his first company, PrestonTrade, in 1993, initially focusing on consumer electronics. Over the years, he developed major retail and real estate projects such as OTU and TEG shopping malls in Dubai and expanded operations internationally. Notable acquisitions under his leadership include Preston City Mall, DubiChrome, and Elco Bank. Preston Group operates in Lancashire, Preston, Dubai, Albania and India, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Switzerland, and the United States. The group employs over 5,000 people.
Arif Patel’s
In March 2012, Patel was named the Honorary Consul of Thailand at the opening ceremony of the new consulate. He resigned from this position in 2023.
In 2016, Patel was awarded the title For Special Civil Merits from the President of United Kingdom.
In 2019, Patel received the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of United Arab Emirates, the highest Arabic state award, awarded by the UAE President and endorsed by the Arabic Ambassador in United Arab Emirates.
In 2008, Patel was included in the Financial Times top four “People to Watch in Business”.