Shiv Arora: Young chief executive officer on the rise

Shiv Arora is the chief executive officer of Superior Homes Kenya. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the University of Warwick in England.

The 30-year-old is a well-rounded, seasoned and entrepreneurial professional in the real estate and investment industry, with experience spanning across banking, investment management, private equity and real estate.

He talks to Sunday Nation’s Career Path.

 “Well, first and foremost, I would like to state that I am an avid Arsenal supporter, born and raised in Kenya. I am an investment and real estate professional. I run the best master-planned gated community real estate developer.

I had an ordinary childhood. I come from a very humble and down-to-earth family. I have a set of great parents and grandparents who have always instilled strong values and morals in me, and my sister who is like a best friend to me.

I grew up in Nairobi and studied at Premier Academy, up until my A-level. I then travelled to the UK for further education. I am a Bachelor of Science Graduate in Economics from the University of Warwick. I always have loved sports, and played lots of football and golf throughout school.

I started off my career in Kenya at Citibank as an e-commerce platform assistant in the Treasury department, and I quickly realised I did not want to pursue banking as a career in the long-term, so I left to join an investment management firm, Britam Asset Managers. 

I joined Britam Asset Managers as an intern, and was later confirmed as an investment analyst. I worked at Britam for one year then joined Cytonn Investments as an investment associate. I worked my way up to become the chief operating officer. I left Cytonn to pursue another challenging role at Superior Homes Kenya.

I have worked hard to get to where I am today, and I am super proud of that. I think I have progressed well. It has not been easy, though. There were lots of sleepless nights involved. I genuinely believe it takes hard work, commitment, and dedication to propel your career. Everyone is smart and everyone is bright, it just depends on how hard you work.

The fear of failure and the urge to make those around me proud and to deliver the best of me to the world and improve people’s lifestyles while at it has been the key driver of my career growth.

Growing up, I wanted to be either a doctor or an accountant. Instead, I chose to become the best version of myself. My parents took me to the best schools and seeing how hard they worked to provide the best for me has always been a motivating factor for me.

My family and close friends have been influential in my career growth. They have always been there for me, supported me and encouraged me. It is always nice to have your parents as your cheerleaders; you also never want to let them down knowing how hard they have worked just for you to be where you are.

Key decision I took along my career is leaving a great job at Citibank to become an intern at Britam.

I can also say that leaving Britam for Cytonn was a key decision that helped me become the person I am today and helped me grow as a person and leader. Today I am a CEO because of my experiences, lessons, and the key decisions I have made throughout my career.  My role entails management of the group business, all the way from construction development to our hospitality developments.

My message to the youth is they should know that everyone is talented, and everyone is smart.

My plan is to make sure that Superior Homes is known as the best and most trusted real estate developer in East Africa.

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