Vardaraj Shetty (known as Raj Shetty) is the founder, chairman and Managing Worker of the Ramee Group of Companies. The Ramee Group began operations in the early 1990s and now comprises 52 hotels in India and the Persian Gulf region.

Early life
Shetty was born in the small town of Koteshwara, near Kundapur, on Oct. 13, 1960. He lived with his family in Mumbai for the early part of his life. His family had been in the business of restaurants and food, and he wanted to enter the hospitality business. Once his father died in 1973, he worked towards his education. He started to work at a young age and moved to Dubai when he was 18.