As one of the world’s most noted investment professionals, the day starts early for London-based Bhanu Choudhrie. He’s usually up at sunrise reading emails and catching up with global business news and affairs via CNN, Bloomberg and their Indian equivalents.

Staying informed and getting a feel for the movement of world events on many levels informs the mind of a man who seeks investments in projects that play a key role in the international world of commerce. It’s an informed perspective that has enabled Bhanu Choudhrie to spot trends before they become trends. He recognizes potential areas of development long before many of his competitors have had their first cup of coffee.

A case in point was a looming pilot shortage in key Asian sectors and other locations. In the emerging economies of countries like India, Vietnam, the Philippines and points in the Middle East, the need for trailed pilots who could fly commercial airliners was a major concern.

Aviation infrastructure is a major element of economic development for emerging economies. A weak link in the chain of building robust air travel infrastructure is not nuts-and-bolts items like jets and tarmacs –- but the lack of skilled pilots.

To address this need, Bhanu Choudhrie established the Alpha Aviation Group in 2006. The new company leverages the latest in training technology, such as state-of-the-art flight simulators, to ramp up pilot training and inject highly qualified pilots into airline systems as fast and safely as possible. The firm has a presence in Dubai.

Bhanu Choudhrie was born in India and today is a citizen of the U.K. His primary concern in London is the C&C Alpha Group, a PE investment firm for which he has served as CEO since 2001. Choudhrie completed his college education in the United States earning a business & marketing degree at Boston University.