The Goradia Capital and Goradia Family Office Investment team is comprised of individuals with a unique blend of management and hands-on operating experience. The result is a group that encompasses all disciplines required to evaluate, negotiate, consummate acquisitions and provide support management to the ongoing operations of the acquired company. The team works closely and cooperatively to create winning companies with a focus on value creation.
Vijay Goradia, Founder
Vijay Goradia is a self-made success story. As an immigrant from India in the 1970s, he had a vision to develop an international chemical trading company. From a start-up, Mr. Goradia grew Vinmar International Ltd. into a prominent global marketing, distribution, and project development company with over $3.5 billion in sales in 100 countries and 45 offices worldwide.
Hemant Goradia, Co-Founder
Hemant Goradia served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vinmar International from 2000 to 2020, which he has built and successfully grown over the past twenty years. He will continue with his charge as a member of the Vinmar Board of Directors and focus on other Goradia family investments. Prior to becoming President and Chief Executive Officer, he directed the activities of the Polymers Division at Vinmar.
Mr. Goradia received a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
Vishal Goradia, Non-Executive Director
Vishal Goradia is CEO of the Vinmar Group. He also serves on the boards of Lion Copolymer Holdings, and Indrani’s Light Foundation.
Mr. Goradia joined the Vinmar Group in 2009. His previous roles have included risk management, logistics, plastics and chemicals marketing and distribution, private equity, and project development. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was Senior Vice President of Vinmar.
Mr. Goradia has a B.A. in Philosophy and Economics from Georgetown University.
Dr. Deepak Parikh
Dr. Deepak Parikh has 30+ years of broad experience in specialty & commodity chemicals, plastics, elastomers and several downstream industries. Over the past three decades, Dr. Parikh has worked with Dow Chemical, DuPont, Clariant and Indorama Ventures ltd. During these three decades he has led in the areas of Strategy Development, M&A, JV formations, Investor Relations, Business Integration and carve-outs, Business Development, Crisis Management, Global Management, R&D, Distribution, Digital Platforms and optimizing operations for turn-around. He is on the board of several public listed and privately held companies and JVs including Lion Copolymer.
Dr. Parikh has a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Tennessee / University of Utah and an Executive MBA from London Business School.
Thomas Wells, Managing Director
Thomas (Tom) Wells has more than 40 years of experience in negotiating and financing complex deal structures. He primarily works with platform companies which are controlled by the Goradia Group in managing risk and financing. Mr. Wells’ experience includes 15 years in commercial, international banking and restructuring. He has been at Goradia Capital for 17 years and holds a board position at Lion Copolymer and is president of Vinmar Trade Solutions, an insurance agency which supports the Group.
Mr. Wells is a graduate of the University of Texas and has an MBA from the Thunderbird School of International Management.
Carolynn Mayhew, Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer
Carolynn Mayhew has more than 25 years of in-house and private practice experience as an attorney working for various energy companies, commodity hedge funds, investment banks and in her own law practice. Prior to joining Vinmar, Carolynn was the Chief Legal Officer of Trailstone L.P., Deputy General Counsel of JERA Americas, Inc., Vice President and Senior Counsel of Deutsche Bank and Senior counsel at BP and Hess. Ms. Mayhew’s primary practice areas have focused on corporate law and governance, structured transactions, M&A, labor and employment, and energy trading and compliance. Mrs. Mayhew earned her Juris Doctorate from University of Oklahoma, College of Law, and her Bachelor of Science in Communications from Oklahoma State University.
Tushar Bhuta, Vice President, Projects
Tushar Bhuta has over 30 years of senior managerial experience in the petrochemical industries which includes twenty years with ExxonMobil Chemical. Mr. Bhuta has lived and worked in India, Singapore, Europe and the US and managed a large assignment in the Middle East. He has extensive experience in supply chain, project management, business integration of new petrochemical projects, and product management and sales.
Mr. Bhuta earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the Dept. of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai (UDCT) in India and a MS in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Jayanta Sinha, Vice President, Operations
Mr. Jay Sinha has over 30 years of senior management experience in the chemical industry with responsibilities in capital planning, mergers & acquisitions, marketing and business development, procurement, commercial contracting and project development. He works primarily with capital projects and is closely involved in the operations aspect of several group companies. Past experiences include prospect development for North American Shale, supply and pricing for Global LNG, long term off-take deals and downstream project development for the refinery and petrochemical sectors.
Mr. Sinha earned his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Technology in Operation Research from the National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India and a Master of Business Administration from Indira Gandhi National University, New Delhi, India.
Paula S. Sharp, Vice President, Global Human Resources
Paula Sharp has over 40 years of experience in all aspects of human resources, working for Unocal/Uno-Ven, Lyondell-Citgo Refining, British Petroleum and Texas Petrochemicals Group. Currently, Paula provides human resources leadership to the companies that are part of the Goradia Group. She has also taught for 20 years in the evening HR programs for DePaul University, Rice University and the University of Houston-Clear Lake Master's Degree curriculum.
Mrs. Sharp earned her undergraduate degree in business management from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and an MBA with emphasis on human resources and labor relations from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.