Tha Lifestyle Feb,2014 | Page 5

THA LIFESTYLE | BUSINESS & FINANCE TAMIL OWNED VIRTUAL MOBILE GIANT LeBARA STRIKES DEAL WITH BORUSSIA DORTMUND FC Did you know that LeBaRa was a combination of their names ‘Le’on , ‘Ba’skaran, and ‘Ra’theesan ? Lebara Mobile reported a turnover of more than £500 million last year. L ebara Mobile , a Virtual Mobile Network Operator founded by Tamil entrepreneurs, announced last May that it has signed a sponsorship deal with the German football club and Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund that will see its branding displayed in its home stadium. The agreement, which went live in July 2013, was Lebara’s first ever sponsorship of an international football team which expands its horizons of branding. Lebara said as a central hub linking Western and Eastern Europe, Germany is an important destination for migrant communities. CEO of Lebara Group, David Moffatt said, “Our partnership with one of the world’s top international football clubs provides a valuable platform for our business to further extend its reach into the migrant community in Germany – our fastest-growing region, but also to tap into other migrant hotspots elsewhere in Europe.” RATHEESAN YOGANATHAN Born on 6 December 1975, he founded Lebara at the age of 25 with his two fellow Tamil friends Rasiah Ranjith Leon and Baskaran Kandiah. He received his education at Havering College, Hornchurch and went on to complete his BsC in aeronautical engineering at Kingston University, London. AYNGARAN INTERNATIONAL’S PARENT COMPANY EROS TOPS UK BOX OFFICE WITH £5.4m IN 2013 Eros International plc , the Parent Company of Ayngaran International , a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, topped the British Box office for Indian films in calendar year 2013 with four out of the top ten films released by the company. Eros earned £5.47million at the UK box office last year capturing a big share of 33% of the British Film market share. Out of the 130 Indian films (Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Punjabi) that hit the theatres in 2013, 42 films belonged to Eros and its subsidiary Ayngaran, which distributes Tamil films overseas. In a further enhancement Ayngaran International is set to produce a new Tamil film, with Director A R Murugadoss on a movie where one of the South Indian leading actors Vijay is acting. The movie is believed to touch the highest ever budget for a Vijay film. Page 1