SECURITY TODAY was recently invited to the launch of the book The SIS Story. The book was launched by senior leaders of SIS Enterprises, many of whom are also featured in the book, including Dhiraj Singh, Arvind Prasad, Tapash Chaudhury, Shankar Subramaniam, and Sanjay Shankar Ojha, among many others.
SIS is a $1.5 billion Indian multinational that employs over 325,000 people and stands as a market leader in manned guarding, cash logistics, and facility management services.
The book chronicles the extraordinary journey of Ravindra Kishore (R.K.) Sinha and his son Rituraj Sinha, who transformed a modest, regional security business into one of the world’s largest and most respected private security and business support services conglomerates, Security and Intelligence Services (India) Limited, now better known as SIS. This is not just a corporate success story, but a deeply human narrative about ambition, resilience, and the power of disciplined entrepreneurship rooted in small-town values.
The book traces the company’s humble origins in 1974, when Rituraj’s father, Ravindra Kishore Sinha, a journalist-turned-entrepreneur, founded SIS in Patna, Bihar, with a vision to provide dignified employment to ex-servicemen. From its inception, SIS carried a social mission at its heart, blending enterprise with purpose. When Rituraj Sinha, an economics graduate from the University of Leeds, returned to India in the early 2000s, he entered the family business that was plateauing. What followed was an audacious transformation of a traditional manpower agency into a diversified, professionally managed multinational corporation.
Through vivid storytelling and real-life business insights, the book unpacks the challenges of scaling a service enterprise in India’s complex regulatory, infrastructural, and cultural landscape. It reveals how SIS navigated an unorganized industry, professionalized its workforce, adopted global best practices, and leveraged technology long before “digital transformation” became a buzzword.
One of the most remarkable aspects of The SIS Story is its seamless and thoughtfully executed succession planning. Founder Ravindra Kishore Sinha, guided by strong values and vision, laid the foundation for a professional and purpose-driven organization. As the leadership mantle passed to his son, Rituraj Sinha, the transition was further strengthened by the mentorship of Uday Singh, the company’s Group CEO. Uday’s steady guidance and deep operational expertise complemented Rituraj’s strategic outlook and global ambition. Together, they ensured that SIS evolved from a family-led business into a professionally managed global enterprise, an exemplary model of intergenerational and collaborative leadership continuity.
With Uday Singh as his mentor Rituraj’s leadership ushered in a new era of corporate governance, transparency, and global ambition. From securing strategic partnerships and acquisitions in Australia and Southeast Asia, to listing successfully on the Indian stock exchange, his approach combined local insight with global thinking.
At its core, The SIS Story is about perseverance and adaptability, about how a young entrepreneur from Bihar dared to dream beyond boundaries. The narrative explores key inflection points in the company’s growth: the decision to expand into cash logistics and facility management, the acquisition of leading international firms like MSS Security in Australia, and the challenge of maintaining values and integrity amid rapid globalization. It also highlights the company’s internal culture, its commitment to employee welfare, training, and skilling, which have become hallmarks of its sustainability and scale.
Beyond business, the book reflects on the larger themes of leadership, legacy, and the Indian growth story. It celebrates the rise of entrepreneurship from India’s hinterland, challenging the notion that global success is the privilege of metropolitan elites. The SIS journey becomes a metaphor for the new India; confident, competent, and globally competitive, yet grounded in traditional ethics and social responsibility.
Rich with anecdotes, insights, and reflections, The SIS Story is as much a chronicle of a company as it is an inspiring manual for entrepreneurs and business leaders. It demonstrates how vision, professionalism, and integrity can coexist with profit and expansion. In telling the tale of an “accidental entrepreneur” who built a global powerhouse from the unlikely soil of Bihar, the book captures the indomitable spirit of Indian enterprise, proving that no dream is too distant when driven by purpose and perseverance.
