No layoffs, they trusted us: Dubai’s Rizwan Sajan stands by 6,000 workers amid crisis

Employers are aplenty but there are few true leaders. Dubai-based Indian businessman Rizwan Sajan has proved to be one of them by standing by his employees in a crisis rather than take the easier way out—layoffs.

The founder and chairman of Danube Group posted on Instagram a statement that has been winning hearts by the thousands. Amid the West Asia crisis, he has assured his 6,000-strong workforce that their jobs are safe.

Walking the talk

“In good times, everyone talks about growth. But in difficult times, your values are tested,” Sajan wrote. “Our 6,000+ employees have trusted us, worked with us, and built Danube Group brick by brick. Today, it’s my responsibility to stand by them. I’m proud to say that there will be No Layoffs in Danube Group and all salaries will continue to be paid on time,” the post read.

Also read: Strait of Hormuz blockade: ‘Indian friends’ need not worry, says Iran

The image posted also had a message, “Our 6000+ employees are not just our workforce, they are our family. They believed in us, stood by us, and helped build Danube Group into what it is today. In times like these, we stand by them with the same commitment.”

While such statements are clichéd in the corporate world, few do what Sajan actually did. And unsurprisingly, his post went viral, with netizens showering him with appreciation.

‘A true leader’

At the time of this report being written, it had been liked by 36,400 users. One user rightly pointed out that it was not just 6,000 employees but 6,000 families that he had saved. “This is how a leader should be,” wrote another. “A good leader, but more importantly, a good human being,”wrote yet another user.

Sajan grew from humble beginnings in Mumbai to create an Emirati Dirham (AED) 5.13-billion-revenue conglomerate and Danube Properties and is recognized as one of the “Top 100 Indian leaders in the UAE”.

Rags-to-riches story

Born in Mumbai, Sajan lost his father at a young age, leading him to sell books and deliver milk before shifting to the UAE with very little money in 1993. While working at a hardware shop in Dubai, he founded the Danube Group as a small trading firm that same year.

Also read: Key takeaways from Trump’s address: No Iran war endgame, NATO escapes flak

Gradually, it grew into a major Dubai-based conglomerate specializing in building materials, home interiors, and real estate, with footprints in Bahrain, China India, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. In 2014, he established the real estate arm, Danube Properties, which is known for pioneering the 1 per cent monthly payment plan for buyers.

Sajan’s fondness for Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan is well known. His project, Shahrukhz by Danube, a 55-storey commercial tower in Dubai named after the Bollywood superstar, made headlines last year.