 He
graduated at the top of his class from a top U.S. University but could not get a
job in Singapore for two years because he was a minority Indian in Singapore as
this is not uncommon where business is controlled by the majority Chinese who
preferred to hire those who spoke the same language.
Not one to give up easily,
Kannappan Chettiar pursued a University of London law degree as he felt that
anything is possible for one who never gives up. He then went on to prove his
worth. His firm belief in the power of merit and true knowledge helped him scale
new horizons.
Kannappan Chettiar started his
own business and law school in Singapore in the year 1990 immediately after
completing his second degree at the age of 27. Last year his education group,
The Stansfield Group, was ranked No.15 by the Singapore Government's Enterprise
50.
 Chettiar
started the group with zero personal capital and financing, and was a finalist
for the Phoenix Award in 2003 which is awarded to those who succeed against all
odds and in the face of adversity. The group is amongst the top three private
education groups in Singapore with over 4,000 students studying in one of its
six campuses and occupying over 420,000 square feet of space in land scarce
Singapore.
The Stansfield Group owns two
competing institutions, Stansfield College and Singapore Institute of Commerce
(SIC) which are amongst only 3 institutions which are approved by the London
School of Economics (LSE) to conduct diploma and degree programmes. LSE has
produced many world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Stansfield Group expects to
recruit about 400 students this year to study in one of its six campuses for its
undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Singapore.
"Many
Indian parents now prefer to send their children to Singapore as it is safe, and
Singapore is a stepping stone for those eyeing the U.S. or Europe for employment
as well", says Chettiar. The cost of studying for a prestigious LSE degree
is less than half compared to studying in London.
 Chettiar is now in Chennai with
a view to establishing similar high quality colleges in India. "We chose
Chennai to set up our first business school overseas as the people in Chennai
are very international in their outlook, and the presence of such institutions
will help Chennai in attracting more foreign investments," says Chettiar.
The Stansfield Group's annual
turnover in its Singapore operation is about Rs.35 crore. The group has targeted
to achieve Rs.50 -100 crore in its India operations within the next three to
five years and to this extent establish state-of-the-art campus and educational
facilities under its 'Stansfield School of Business' brand name in all major
cities in India and is expected to invest about Rs.170 crore.
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