Meet AKCEL Group founder Amit Kaushal

Amit Kaushal began his career in Dubai in the late 1990s before expanding into the UK and beyond. 

Today, as chairman, he heads up the global AKCEL Group, a diversified business spanning IT, real estate, investments, and now motorsport. 

In this episode of the Gulf Business podcast, Kaushal tells us about his company’s push into the world of formula racing with AKCEL GP, the group’s branded real estate venture with BNW Developments, and his ambition to build a legacy that leads all the way to Formula One.

Before we get into the motorsport side of things, tell us more about AKCEL Group. It’s quite a diversified business: can you paint a picture for our audience?

Of course. Firstly, thank you for having me. AKCEL Group is built around the concept of transforming aspiration into legacy. That idea is embedded in the name itself:

“A” stands for Aspiration, “K” for Knowledge, “C” for Clarity and Consistency, “E” for Excellence, and “L” for Legacy.

So it’s not just a name — it’s a journey.

In terms of the business, we’re a global conglomerate. Our roots are in IT — specifically consulting and training — and we operate in India, the UK, the US, Ireland, and Dubai. We also own Jetking, which has over 100 IT training centres in India.

We’ve recently entered real estate in the UAE through a branded residence partnership with BNW. Our first flagship project will launch on Dubai Islands, followed by an expansion into Ras Al Khaimah. That’s a huge step for us.

Then, there’s motorsport — which is giving global visibility to our brand. We’re proud to be the first Indian-origin group to own a racing team in this space. It’s a major milestone, especially for the wider South Asian community.

And finally, we have an investment arm that focuses on alternative assets — everything from angel investing to venture capital. So AKCEL Group is built on four key pillars: IT, real estate, motorsport, and investments.

I personally left India around 25 years ago. I started my journey in Dubai back in 1998, then moved to the UK in 2000. And now, life is bringing me full circle — back to Dubai, which has always had a special place in my heart.

Can you tell us more about AKCEL GP and why did you decide to launch it now?

AKCEL GP is our motorsport arm, and we’ve just completed our first season here in the Middle East, competing in Formula 4 and the Formula Regional Middle East Championship. We even made it to a few podiums.

The idea started in Dubai when I met our team principal, Rohit Kaul, a former Formula driver. We shared a common vision, and we realised there’s very little South Asian representation in global motorsport. That inspired us. We wanted to create a platform to nurture young talent and eventually compete in Formula One.

We pulled everything together in just nine months and launched at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa in January 2025. Our drivers come from diverse backgrounds — India, the UK, Romania — and we’re proud to support the Al Qubaisi family too. Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi are now our brand ambassadors and sit on our advisory board. They’re pioneers in UAE motorsport and have been a huge support.

You’ve decided to make the UAE your global base — tell us why.

Dubai is where I began my journey, and strategically it makes perfect sense. It’s now at the centre of global conversations, whether it’s sports, tech, AI, crypto, real estate or investment. Everything is converging here.

Logistically, it’s also ideal for managing operations across both the Indian subcontinent and Europe. For us, it’s not just home: it’s a launchpad.

The business of motorsports is quite complex — it’s not just what we see on track. What have you learned so far?

A lot! We started with a technical partner, but now we’re building our own in-house technical team for our European F4 and FRACA campaigns. That gives us better control, allows us to build in-house performance models, and elevate our drivers.

We’re also setting up a second base in Milan, Italy to manage the April to October European racing season. After that, we’ll compete in Macau and return to the UAE for the 2026 season.

Every person on the team — from our technical director Matthew Norman, to logistics and operations — plays a critical role. It’s a true team sport behind the scenes.

Do you attend every race yourself?

I try to attend as many as possible, but our team principal Rohit Kaul leads the operations on the ground. My role is more strategic: managing partnerships, sponsor relations, and ensuring smooth execution throughout the season.

Sponsors are crucial. Who are some of your key partners?

We’re fortunate to have a great mix. BNW Developments is one of our lead partners. Gulf Business is on our car too — which we’re very proud of. We also have Century Financial, and LifeCoin as sponsors. Each one plays an important role in the ecosystem we’re building.

You’re competing in Formula 4 and Formula Regional — can you explain the difference?

F4 is the first major step after go-karting — the entry point into the Formula ladder. From F4, drivers move to FR (Formula Regional), which is more powerful and covers specific regions — we just raced across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Jeddah.

After FR, drivers can progress to F3, F2 and ultimately F1 — the dream. The difference lies in engine power, car weight and complexity. But every step is crucial.

You mentioned AKCEL Academy: what is its role in terms of your overarching approach to motorsport?

The Academy supports the entire talent pipeline. We identify young drivers early. One of our drivers started go-karting at four and is now eight, and is already a champion from Singapore.

We also have a focus on inclusivity. For example, we’ve reserved one seat for a female driver, and we’re proud to support Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi. We’re also planning an announcement in Barcelona to enter the endurance-based Le Mans series with them.

And we’re supporting Atika, the first Indian female driver to enter an F1 Academy. She’s an inspiration.

So what’s next for AKCEL GP in the next five to ten years?

The short-term focus is to strengthen our presence in F4, F3, and F2. Simultaneously, we’re scaling our Academy and merging racing with IT and engineering.

The long-term aspiration is to reach Formula One and to see our driver on the F1 podium one day. That’s the vision, and we’re fully committed to it.