Indoo Shivdasani was the son of a member of the Indian Civil Service.  He, his father and many other members of his family were educated both in India and in the UK.  After Clare College Cambridge, rather than following in his father’s footsteps, he became an entrepreneur, setting up his own business.  Within a few years his business had worldwide interests in agro-allied industries, finance, industry and trade in India, the UK, Switzerland, France and West Africa. 

He credited his Cambridge education for broadening his commercial and cultural interests. He was a firm believer in the importance of higher education overseas for the young. He saw this as a way to foster their talent and develop their capacity to contribute to modern society.