In the quiet lanes of commerce, where many follow the rules written by others, a few rewrite the script entirely. Aban Pestonjee is one such woman, a pioneer in business not just because of the empires she built but because of the vision that guided her. She did not merely open doors for herself. She built corridors of opportunity for generations to come.
Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to a modest Parsi family, Aban was raised in a close-knit community that valued discipline, honesty, and hard work. Her upbringing was traditional and her early life revolved around family and education. Though she did not have access to elite schooling or formal business training, she developed a sharp sense of responsibility and an intuitive understanding of how to make things work with limited resources.
Her entrepreneurial journey began in the 1960s, not with a grand investment but with a practical solution to a simple problem. As a young homemaker, she found it difficult to access reliable household appliances. Driven by this gap in the market, she began repairing used appliances and selling them from her home garage. It was a bold step in a society where women were expected to stay confined within domestic roles. What started as a small effort quickly caught the attention of local customers who valued quality and trust.
A major turning point came in the late 1970s when Sri Lanka opened its economy to international trade. Recognizing the potential in foreign goods, Aban began importing appliances from Japan and other countries. This move transformed her small venture into a growing retail business. Over the following decades, she expanded into electronics, furniture, real estate, tourism, and environmental solutions. The company she founded, Abans Group, grew to become one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the country.
However, her journey was not without struggle. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, she faced bias and doubt at every stage. Accessing capital, securing suppliers, and earning the respect of peers were constant hurdles. But Aban refused to be sidelined. She relied on her commitment to excellence, her belief in customer satisfaction, and her refusal to compromise on values. She turned each obstacle into an opportunity and each failure into a lesson.
Her leadership style was defined by humility and resilience. She created employment for thousands and built a company culture rooted in integrity. She was especially focused on empowering women, providing them with jobs, training, and a platform to grow. Her success inspired a new generation of Sri Lankan women to think bigger and step into the business world with confidence.
Today, Aban Pestonjee is more than a successful entrepreneur. She is a symbol of what determination, vision, and hard work can achieve. Her legacy lives not only in the stores that bear her name but in the mindset she helped change across an entire nation. She did not just build a business. She built belief.