Beyond Business: For Vishal Group's Agrawal, Charity and Commerce Go Hand in Hand

Arpit Agrawal serves as an executive director and senior strategist for Vishal Group, one of Nepal's largest business conglomerates and he has played a key role in modernizing the firm's operations and driving growth in emerging markets. But just as he seeks to serve Nepal's economy -- the group employs around 21,000 people at the moment -- he also is aiding society.

Agrawal is also the vice president of the Vishal Group Foundation, a private operating charity that supports the transition to sustainability in Nepal through corporate, humanitarian, and government channels. "I navigate the interests of our board and match them with the contemporary humanitarian needs of Nepali society," says Agrawal. "In that way we can design and direct effective and impactful programs to the benefit of all."

A born modernizer

Agrawal is the youngest director at Vishal Group, a multigenerational business that has involved his enterprising family for decades. As would be expected, he has brought new and fresh ideas and energy into the firm. This has involved technological operations to the company's distribution operations, which cover more than 30 countries around Asia. Moving manual systems over to data-driven, digital processes has required strategic thinking and application.

What that has meant is the implementation of cloud-based infrastructure for planning, inventory, and supply-chain visibility, as well as the roll out of automated inventory management and predictive analytics. When he's not lost in the cloud, Agrawal also has both feet on the ground. Distribution requires planes, trains, and trucks. Agrawal worked to make their routes make sense. This over time has reduced transportation costs and improved overall delivery efficiency.

"These innovations have quadrupled the scale of our distribution business between 2013 and 2025 and strengthened our company's position in Nepal's FMCG sector," he says.

Strategic thinking

Agrawal sees his own core strengths as being in emerging market expansion, cross-border supply chain development, multi-channel retail platform building, and long-term strategic partnership development.

"I specialize in identifying growth opportunities in markets that require customized operational models and deep cultural understanding," he says. "I am particularly passionate about translating global brand positioning into locally relevant consumer experiences."

This focus on strategic thinking for generating long-term gains, along with what he calls "operational empathy" is the hallmark of his work. It also helps to make Vishal Group a more modern, diversified, and socially responsible business, not in Nepal, but throughout South Asia, and now Africa.

Some of the numbers around these operations are astonishing. Agrawal has helped to add more than 30 brands and 750 products to Vishal Group's marketplace. He's also worked to better engage international partners, enhancing their communication and managing relationships. A graduate of Florida Southern College and Hult International Business School, he's retained that global outlook as he helps to steer his family's business in Nepal toward adjacent markets.

"Retaining partnerships is a sign of trust," he says. "And it shows that we can be stable in a competitive market."

Making an impact

But wealth isn't worth anything unless it's smartly applied. Vishal Group has sought not only to build the Nepalese economy but to actively engage in projects that support society and it has done so through the Vishal Group Foundation. Here again Agrawal has shined, helping to lead projects focused on education, disaster relief, and long-term community development in Nepal.

Disaster relief certainly has been in need. Just a decade ago, Nepal lived through the Ghorka Earthquake, one of the greatest disasters in the country's history. Over 9,000 people were killed, 22,000 injured, and millions displaced. Vishal Group assisted in disaster relief in providing tents, food, water, and sanitary supplies, and continues to do so, especially in its remote districts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vishal Group Foundation was also there, distributing tens of thousands of relief packets to quarantine centers and populations at risk, and liaising with volunteer groups and NGOs. There has also been continued assistance in education, and Vishal Group Foundation has supported scholarships book distribution to students from less privileged backgrounds.

"Our motto within the Vishal Group is building better lives," says Agrawal. "And we do that through ethical enterprise and making a positive community impact."

Looking ahead, Agrawal wants to apply the same transformational talents to Vishal Group's humanitarian work that have fueled its expansion into frontier markets and allowed it to reach billions of customers with its diverse offerings, which range from food to hospitality to finance.

"In general, I practice a positive attitude to risk and change," he says. "It's allowed me to build on existing capabilities and to position my company at the very cutting-edge of emerging markets."

He applies that mindset in the foundation too, shifting its focus toward transformational impact, moving away from isolated projects toward systemic change and partnering with organizations that understand local realities.

"For me, business and responsibility are connected," says Agrawal. "There can't be growth without responsibility."