Sibtein Alibhai

Sibtein Alibhai Asaria is the Founder of Grupo Alfa Corporation, a leading business conglomerate based in the Republic of Costa Rica and with interests on three more continents.

Committed to an ethos of adding value to the Khoja community and to humanity at large, he has also played a significant role in landmark World Federation projects.

Alibhai began his business career in 1982 by starting a food-manufacturing business during his university years. He subsequently expanded the company into a coffee-roasting business, supplying customers in Canada and seventeen states across the eastern United States. In 1989 he visited Costa Rica to vertically integrate the business, but identified fresh opportunities to develop a shopping mall near the bustling city of San Jose. Two years later he moved to Costa Rica and began investing in real estate projects.

Alibhai's scope is global. Grupo Alfa is a conglomerate of ten major local and international companies, with different commercial backgrounds across real estate development, construction, finance, retail, family entertainment, insurance, fast food, gold trading and mining. His most recent venture is healthcare, with an emphasis on developing care homes for the elderly across Europe.

His interests stretch from Costa Rica to the United Arab Emirates, Portugal and countries in East and West Africa. His global credentials are underlined by the fact that he speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi and Gujarati.

He has carefully nurtured strong relationships with individuals, corporates and conglomerates around the globe, allowing the Group to increase its international footprint.

Alibhai is a strong believer in philanthropy and is a highly regarded Khoja community leader.

He was appointed the Ambassador for the renowned Jaffari Community Centre, a $35 million project in Toronto, Canada, where he helped raise donations from the worldwide Khoja community.

He is also the elected Chairman of The World Federation Foundation Fund, a cause he is passionate about as he feels the community’s organizations must be run in a sustainable and strategic manner. He believes the Foundation Fund will help strengthen The World Federation for decades to come.

Alibhai Asaria is also involved in philanthropic efforts as a director of the Asaria Family Foundation, whose mission is the “eradication of poverty through education”.