Jaswinder “Jas” Bedi is a trained textile technologist, having graduated in the United Kingdom in 1984, and has more than 34 years of experience in Kenya’s manufacturing sector.
As industrialist and entrepreneur, he has held multiple leadership roles across business enterprises and industry membership organisations.
In 2022, Oxfam International listed Mr. Bedi among Kenya’s wealthiest individuals, ranking him among the top five, with an estimated net worth of $680 million (approximately Sh77.1 billion), largely derived from his interests in textile manufacturing.
Jaswinder “Jas” Bedi Educational Background
Jaswinder “Jas” Bedi attended the global Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Seminar at Harvard Business School between 2009 and 2010.
Earlier, he studied Textile Technology at Bradford College from 1982 to 1984.
Bedi is a member of the YPO network and was a finalist at the 2016 Africa CEO Forum Awards, where he was later named the 2016 Sikh CEO of the Year.
Career Background
He currently serves as the Chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), a position he has held since June 2023.
Jaswinder, previously served as Vice Chairman from May 2021 to June 2023 and as a Director between March 2017 and May 2021.
Bedi is the Director and Owner of Fine Spinners Ltd in Nairobi, a role he has held since 1996, and Fine Spinners Uganda Limited in Kampala since January 2014.
He is also the Managing Director and Owner of Bedi Investments Limited, a position he has occupied since August 1984.
He serves as Vice Chairman of the East African Business Council since May 2022) and is the Chairman of the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency, a contractual role that ran from August 2019 to August 2025.
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Between August 2020 and August 2022, he was a Board Member of the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).
At the continental level, Bedi chaired the African Cotton & Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) from 2005 to October 2019, leading major regional and international advocacy efforts.
Internationally, he held senior leadership roles at the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), serving as President from November 2016 to September 2018, Vice President from October 2014 to November 2016, and Director from October 2012 to October 2014, based in Switzerland.
His earlier leadership roles include serving as Chairman of the Export Promotion Council of Kenya from March 2016 to March 2019.
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He also served as a Governor at KEPSA between March 2010 and May 2015 and as a Director at the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) from 2006 to September 2012.
Bedi has also held long-standing positions within the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), where he served as Chairman from July 2010 to July 2012 and as a Director from June 1994 to June 2010.
Achievements
He was awarded the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) by President Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2017.
In December 2012, he received the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) from President Mwai Kibaki.
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