From Cyclone to Conglomerate: How a former army officer from Odisha built a British business empire

In October 1999, as the Super Cyclone tore through the Odisha coast, killing thousands and flattening entire districts, a teenager in Bhubaneswar was preparing for one of the toughest selection processes in the Indian Armed Forces. Electricity was unavailable for days, and there were no phone lines, coaching institutes, or online mock tests, none of the scaffolding that today's aspirants take for granted. What he did have was a decision he had already made: to serve.

That decision, made in the shadow of the Kargil War, would eventually carry Capt. Arun Kar from a modest household in Odisha to the officers' mess of the Indian Army's Regiment of Artillery, then to boardrooms in London, Amsterdam and Ahmedabad, and finally to the head of a conglomerate spanning technology, sustainability, gaming, agriculture and film.

A Cyclone, a War, and a Decision

As per his description site, two events that had nothing to do with business shaped Kar's early life. The first was the 1999 Super Cyclone, one of the deadliest storms in Odisha's recorded history, which struck while he was still a student at University in Bhubaneswar. The second was the Kargil War, which broke out the same year and, by his own account, reframed how he thought about his future.

"While many of my peers chose the comfort and familiarity of conventional career paths, I was deeply moved by the bravery I saw on the frontlines," Kar has said of that period, describing a single question that changed his trajectory: what was he really doing sitting at home while others fought at the border?

He began preparing on his own for the UPSC-SSB examination for the Combined Defence Services, widely regarded as one of the most demanding officer-selection processes in the world. He cleared the written exam in September 1999 and went through the Services Selection Board process during and immediately after the cyclone, when, as he describes it, even basic survival was a daily negotiation. He secured an All-India Rank of 152 on his first attempt, which he says was achieved with no formal coaching and none of the digital resources available to candidates today.

From the Artillery to the Boardroom
Kar was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery, where he trained in combat operations, real-time decision-making and tactical improvisation, a period he credits with shaping his approach to leadership under pressure. A medical injury during service later forced him to step back from active duty, a turning point that redirected his ambitions.

He went on to pursue an Executive MBA at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, before entering the corporate world through Tech Mahindra, where he spent seven years rising from Team Lead to Program Manager. During that stretch, he led digital transformation and infrastructure work for British Telecom before moving to KPN, one of the Netherlands' largest telecom operators, to head large-scale transformation and data-migration programmes. It was here, he says, that he developed his grounding in enterprise architecture and the intersection of technology with business strategy.

Building Nest Group
He said that corporate experience became the launchpad for Nest Group, the UK-based conglomerate Kar co-founded, which now operates across several sectors: Xpertnest, a technology arm working on AI, IoT, geospatial intelligence and smart city projects. Earthnest, the group's sustainability venture, focused on biodegradable alternatives, renewable energy and climate-conscious infrastructure. Gamenest, a gaming and entertainment brand developing immersive titles and esports content across mobile, PC and console platforms.

The growth of these businesses has also translated into substantial personal wealth. As per reports, Arun Kar's personal net worth is estimated at approximately $145 million, a valuation that is largely asset-driven and fuelled by his equity holdings across multiple ventures alongside a portfolio of income-generating real estate assets.

Beyond Nest Group, Kar has also stepped into media and agriculture. As Executive Director and Producer at Mumbai-based Golden Mouse Productions, he has been involved in a documentary on the Maha Kumbh 2025. Separately, as Executive Director at Balaji Quality Seeds, he has worked on applying AI tools and soil-testing technology to seed processing, aimed at improving outcomes for farmers.

Kar describes his community work as running parallel to his business career rather than separate from it. He has taken part in fundraising for polio vaccination through UNICEF's Vitality Marathon, volunteered with the Vishv Umiya Foundation, and was involved in establishing the Lord Jagannath Temple in Bath, UK.