Currimjee Jeewanjee left his hometown in the state of Kutch, India, in 1884, and arrived in Mauritius at the age of 18. In 1890, he established what was to become Currimjee Jeewanjee and Company Limited as a trading company, dealing in the import of foodstuffs and commodities as well as the export of sugar.

Trading and commerce remained Currimjee Jeewanjee & Co Ltd’s (CJ) main activities until the Company started diversifying actively into retail activities in the 1950s and into services in the 1980s. Today, the business activities of CJ are organised into five main clusters: Telecommunication, Media & IT, Real Estate, Hospitality & Tourism, Commerce & Financial Services, and Energy.

This cluster-based structure has enabled Currimjee & Co Ltd to expand into different economic sectors both locally and regionally, inspired by the entrepreneurial ethos of its leaders, while empowering business leaders of individual companies, through delegation and accountability, thereby further enhancing their professionalism and autonomy.

The setting up of Emtel Ltd in 1989 marked a new era in CJ’s history. This flagship company in the Telecommunication, Media & IT Cluster, was the pioneer of mobile telephony in the whole Southern Hemisphere and constituted the launching pad for significant regional expansion. The 1990s also saw the setting up of a series of new ventures, which consolidated previous investments and leveraged the synergies within the relevant clusters. Satellite and direct-to-home pay TV, financial services as well as Tourism Development, including representation of airlines and cargo operations and logistics, are all projects built on inherent competencies and have strengthened the company’s presence locally and in the region.

The first decade of the 21st century saw the Company diversifying actively into the business process outsourcing, hospitality and real estate development sectors, while gradually exiting purely commercial activities.

CJ’s growth is supported by corporate services in human resources, quality assurance, finance and internal audit. These services ensure the implementation of relevant management systems and principles and that all CJ business units are effectively exposed to best practices and guided by the Group’s core values, as it grows inexorably from a family-owned enterprise into a highly sophisticated and professionally managed business organisation. CJ has also taken on consular responsibilities: two of its Directors are Consuls-General, one for Turkey and the other for Japan.

CJ has entered the wide outside world of globalised markets and international competition with the youthful enthusiasm of a dynamic player, believing in the constant renewal of its human resources, its vision and its focus. CJ looks forward to greater achievements, higher profitability and even more exciting projects, convinced that the world belongs to those who dare and choose their partners wisely. Among its Partners, CJ is proud to include Singapore Airlines, Milicom, Total, Canal+, Starwood, Bharti, Virgin and Kuehne & Nagel, to name but a few.