Maintaining excellence across multiple industries demands consistent standards and rigorous operational frameworks. Established in 1998, the QI Group has evolved to become a conglomerate distinguished by its commitment to quality across several industries, with a global presence encompassing more than 30 countries and a workforce exceeding 2,000 employees.
Vijay Eswaran, QI Group’s executive chairman, articulated the company’s approach to growth in a recent interview.
“We were very clear that we have a greater purpose other than being profit-driven. In today’s terms, it’s called stakeholder capitalism,” he said. “The ideology of putting shareholders above all that has driven businesses for the last half a century needs a serious update.”
What Does QI Group Do?
QI Group operates across multiple sectors with interests in education, hospitality, luxury, wellness and lifestyle focused direct selling, and holistic and natural foods-focused retail among several others. Through its direct selling business, it promotes a wide range of wellness and lifestyle products and also supports microentrepreneurship in many emerging economies.
What are QI products?
QI products include luxury items such as Cimier watches. The company also invests in the education sector, boutique hotels and resorts , and even organic food retail with its 2007 acquisition of Hawaii’s Down to Earth chain. QI Group, as the parent company, oversees this range of businesses and investments.
Cimier is a long-established luxury timepiece brand, which celebrated its centennial in 2024. Founded by Joseph Lapanouse, the brand has built a tradition of offering high-quality Swiss watches at affordable prices. It continues to create new timepieces that pay tribute to Swiss watchmaking excellence.
Cimier established a Watch Academy in 2010, offering hands-on workshops where participants learn Swiss watchmaking techniques and build personalized timepieces under the guidance of master craftsmen. Last year, the company developed a new watch to commemorate its centennial.
Education is an anchor of QI Group’s long-term vision, and it established Quest International University in Perak, Malaysia in 2011. QIU has since enrolled approximately 15,000 students from nearly 50 countries, offering programs in medicine, pharmacy, business management, engineering, and information technology. The institution secured a $21.48 million Sukuk Ijarah financing arrangement with a Malaysian bank in 2023, representing the company’s first capital market transaction in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the QI Group’s hospitality operations feature boutique properties across Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Turkey, consistently achieving ratings above four stars on major travel platforms.
Prana Resort Nandana in Koh Samui, Thailand exemplifies this commitment, earning a Gold rating from Thailand’s Green Hotel Standard for its comprehensive environmental initiatives. With rooms overlooking Bangrak Beach, the resort is positioned near key tourist attractions. Its commitment to sustainability includes implementing paperless check-ins, using biodegradable products, and sourcing ingredients locally to reduce its carbon footprint.
QI Group’s retail investments demonstrate similar attention to quality and values alignment. Down to Earth operates as an organic grocery chain across six locations in Oahu and Maui, Hawaii. Established in 1977, the chain specializes in organic, vegetarian, and natural products, reflecting QI Group’s philosophy that profitable business ventures can benefit both communities and the environment. The acquisition has provided the company with experience in brick-and-mortar retail while supporting the growing natural foods market in North America.
Achieving Quality With RYTHM
Four foundational values—integrity, service, sustainability, and leadership—direct quality implementation across all operations at QI Group. The Employee Community Impact program has generated over 125,000 service hours since 2013, encompassing empowering underprivileged communities, environmental conservation and youth education initiatives guided by the company’s RYTHM philosophy, which stands for “Raise Yourself To Help Mankind.”
Its environmental stewardship has further materialized through the Green Legacy program, launched in 2021 to address global reforestation needs. Partnerships with organizations like EcoMatcher have established three 1,000-tree forests in Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines, with additional plantings across Indonesia, Algeria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Morocco, and Malaysia, totaling 25,000 trees.
Eswaran emphasized the importance of employee responsibility in this wide-ranging approach to organizational excellence.
“Create an environment where your employees feel like they are valuable stakeholders,” he said. “Find the right people and give them ownership of what they do. You need a Sherpa to find your way to the top of a mountain. The best thing you can do for your business is to turn your employees into Sherpas.”