His family escaped the Hungarian People's Republic in 1983, and he later returned to set up the Budapest office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 1992.
The family went to Vienna during the summer of 1983 under the auspices of a cultural tour and pleaded for asylum at the US Embassy, citing political and religious oppression.
[citation needed] Sabharwal enrolled at the Ohio State University in January 1984, excelling in both business administration studies and fencing.
[5][6] In 1988 he won OSU's Jack Stephenson Award[7] for Outstanding Scholastic and Academic Achievement at the College of Business and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree with Distinction in Marketing.
He earned his Master of Science degree in management at London Business School in 1996 and a diploma in Company Direction from UK's Institute of Directors in 2009.
[citation needed] Previously, he was chairman of the board of Ogone, a European internet payment services company with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
[citation needed] Sabharwal currently serves on the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Environment Sustainability & Legacy Commission[11] chaired by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.