As spicy as curry and as sweet as kiwi fruit, the story of Kiwi-Indian Anirudh Raj weaves through the dreamy world of a young overseas student to the ruthless reality of entrepreneurship.
Fifteen years ago, Anirudh arrived in New Zealand armed with nothing but dreams and a student visa. Little did he know the land of the Kiwis would become his second home, not just as a student, but as the proud owner of a college.
Earlier this year, the man from Ambala in the northern Indian state of Haryana took over the reins at one of New Zealand’s leading institutes for culinary arts, the Professional Business and Restaurant School (PBRS) based out of Auckland.
A hobby chef himself, Anirudh says he loved the idea of investing his time and energy in an institution that adds meaningfully to the multicultural landscape of Aotearoa.
“If you want to talk about fine food and culinary arts, PBRS was kind of the obvious choice for me. What better than refining and building on a story that has already proven so successful in New Zealand,” he tells me, sitting at the institute’s multi-storey campus in Auckland Central, a stone’s throw from the iconic Sky Tower.
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PBRS was established in 2000, and it operates a specialist management and hospitality training institute. It aims to provide high-quality courses that are relevant to the needs of the hospitality industry and to the students.
As we walk through the corridors overlooking classrooms brimming with students, Anirudh recalls his journey from India to New Zealand.
“I completed my schooling at Kendriya Vidyalayas back home, as also my bachelor’s degree, before heading to Aotearoa to pursue higher education. I arrived in 2008 to study international business.”
Anirudh began his career as a sales consultant at a local electronics store before venturing full-time into the education sector.
“Education is the passport to future and is something that no one can take away from you. My aim is to offer quality education to international students,” he says.
Having spent nearly 14 years working at educational institutions in New Zealand, Anirudh finally decided to throw his hat in the ring as an entrepreneur.
“I wanted to have my own college as I always had passion for NZ’s international education industry. Over the years, I have contributed to thousands of student’s life by supporting them while they settle down in this country.”