Sunny Varkey

Sunny Varkey is a Dubai-based educational entrepreneur. He is the founder and executive chairman of the educational management firm GEMS Education (established in 2000). GEMS Education has a network of over 80 schools in over a dozen countries and is the largest operator of K-12 private schools in the world.

The Varkey family moved to Dubai in 1959, his parents taught English to local Arabs, including members of the royal family.
They founded Our Own English High School in Dubai in 1968, Sunny Varkey took over the operation of the school in 1980.

For schooling sunny attended Infant Jesus School, in Kollam city. He returned to Dubai in 1970. Sunny completed his O-Levels at St. Mary's Catholic High School. He pursued his A-Levels at Bembridge School in the UK for a year, and later completed his A-Levels in Dubai at the British Council.

He was awarded Padma Shri Award (the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India) in 2009.

His father, KS Varkey, and mother, Mariamma, were educators. He is married to Sherly Varkey and has two sons, Dino and Jay.