Indian businessman
Vikrant Bhargava (विक्रान्त भार्गव; born 14 December 1972)[1] is an Indian-born British businessman, and the co-founder and former marketing director of online casino operator PartyGaming.
Early life and education
Bhargava was born on 14 December 1972 in Jaipur, India,[1] and raised in Rajasthan.[2]
He holds a bachelor's degree in Technology in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi, where he met his future business partner Anurag Dikshit.[3] He also studied at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.[1][3]
Career
Prior to joining PartyGaming, Bhargava was a credit officer at Bank of America, responsible for managing credit exposure and revenue for corporate clients, and a business analyst in the business development division of British Gas.[4][5]
Bhargava joined PartyGaming (formerly iGlobalMedia) as marketing director in early 2000.[2] In July 2001, he oversaw the marketing for the launch of PartyPoker, as well as for Partygaming when it went public in 2005,[1] at the time the London Stock Exchange's largest IPO of an internet company, valued at over $8.5 billion.[6]
In 2005, he owned 15% of PartyGaming, estimated at £450 million.[1]
In May 2006, Bhargava announced he would leave the company's board of directors at the end of the year.[7] He also stepped down from his executive role in the company. Quoted in eGaming Review, John Shepherd, director of PartyGaming corporate communications, credited Bhargava with transforming PartyGaming into a multi-billion pound company.[8] When he left PartyGaming, Bhargava's fortune was estimated to be £850 million.[9] ($1.6 billion at that time)
Bhargava later became the head of a private investment company, Veddis Ventures, registered in Gibraltar.[10] According to the Electoral Commission, Bhargava has donated around £200,000 to the Conservative Party via two of his companies, Stellite Finance and Aria Properties.[10]
Personal life
He married his wife in 2005, and they have two children.[1]
See also
References
External links
