Adani
Since the inception in 1988, the company has grown exponentially. Over the last 25 years, it has established itself as a leading infrastructure conglomerate from India and put together an integrated value chain that is unique and in many ways unparalleled anywhere in the world. Be it resources, logistics, energy or agriculture, people heading each vertical take pride in what they do and each one of them sincerely believe that they are doing their part in nation building and touching the lives of millions of people. It is this belief that keeps the group’s culture vibrant and alive. Gautam Adani is one of India’s most astute businessmen with an appetite for big risks. His latest, an audacious push in the global markets when companies are turning more conservative, is expanding one of the world’s largest coal mines in Australia at $21.7 billion, and building a greenfield multi-purpose port near Kuala Lumpur. He’s still bullish in India when many private entrepreneurs are shying away, pledging Rs 49,000 crore investments in Gujarat in January 2017. Adani’s are India’s largest power producer with over 11,000 MW capacity, plans to add 10,000 MW of renewable power, with solar projects in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan. The next generation Karan, 29, is the CEO of Adani Port & SEZ; Jeet, 19, is studying at University of Pennsylvania. Gautam Adani’s wife Priti manages Adani Foundation, Brother Rajesh oversees the trading business.
Ajay Piramal – Chairman, Piramal Group & Shriram Group
Born on August 3, 1955, Ajay Piramal is one of India’s leading industrialists, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs. He is the Chairman of a business conglomerate, Piramal Group & Shriram Group with activities in healthcare, financial services, real estate, information services, glass packaging etc. Apart from India, the group has set-ups in the US, UK, European Union, Japan, Pacific and South Asia, with the products being sold in more than 100 countries. The group employs 76,000+ personnel and serves over 100 million customers. Apart from group companies, he serves on the Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors and as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Indore, and Pratham (largest NGO in the space of Primary Education). He is a Member of the Alternative Investment Policy Advisory Committee (AIPAC) constituted by SEBI, as well as the National Council of Confederation of Indian Industry. He is also the Non-Executive Director of Tata Sons and the Co-Chair of UKIndia CEO forum. Earlier, he was a member of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Council for Trade & Industry and the Board of Trade constituted by the Ministry of Commerce. In addition, he was a member of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Task Force on pharmaceuticals and knowledgebased industries, and served on the Central Board of State Bank of India for 12 years. He is a recipient of several national and international awards such as Corporate Citizen of the Year award by AIMA Managing India Awards (2016). He has been attending the annual meetings of World Economic Forum for twenty years. B. Sc (Hons) from Bombay University; Master in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies; Advanced Management Programme, Harvard, Piramal, has been conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Philosophy (D. Phil) by the Amity University, India.
Ashwin Dani
Paints tycoon Ashwin Dani is the nonexecutive vice chairman of $2.3 billion (revenue) Asian Paints, founded by his father and three others in 1942. Dani joined APIL in 1968 as Senior Executive, after a stint at BASF (then Inmont Corp) in Detroit, US for a short period. He has subsequently held various positions in the company as Director (R&D), Director (Works), Whole-time Director and Vice Chairman before taking over as ViceChairman and Managing Director in 1998. Dani is a B.Tech (Pigments, Paints and Varnishes) from UDCT, Bombay University and holds a Masters in Polymer Science from the University of Arkon, Ohio. He also has a Diploma in Colour Science from Rensellaer Polytechnic, Troy, New York. He has many firsts to his credit in terms of introduction of new products in the Indian market such as Novel finishing system for woods, Automotive Refinishing system and Vinyl Pyridiene Latex. APL has operations in 19 countries and is looking to expand in Africa and Southeast Asia. His son Malav sits on the company’s board. Dani is a yoga practioner and collects art. He has a board seat in pharma billionaire Dilip Shanghvi’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries.
Ashwin Choksi
The company has come a long way since its small beginnings in 1942. It was set up as a partnership firm by four friends who were willing to take on the world’s biggest, most famous paint companies operating in India at that time. Over the course of 25 years, Asian Paints became a corporate force and India’s leading paints company. Driven by its strong consumer-focus and innovative spirit, the company has been the market leader in paints since 1967. Today, it is double the size of any other paint company in India. Asian Paints manufactures a wide range of paints for decorative and industrial use. Ashwin Choksi is the son of one of 4 cofounders of Asian Paints and the company’s nonexecutive chairman.The company, run by a professional CEO, is adding capacity in anticipation of a spurt in domestic demand as economic growth picks up.
Bajaj
Hamara Bajaj is a tagline that is synonymous with one of the most trusted names in India’s automobile industry. Founded by Mahatma Gandhi’s close aide, Jamnalal Bajaj, in 1926 and taken over by his son in 1946, Bajaj ventured into manufacturing scooters which have made Indian lives easier for decades now. When Rahul Bajaj took charge of the business in 1965, he helped the two wheeler giant scale new heights. The Bajaj family that controls the 90-year-old Bajaj Group saw its wealth increase by $1.3 billion, partly from the 70% rise in shares of financial services arm Bajaj Finserv. The group’s financial-services business is overseen by Sanjiv Bajaj, younger son of 77-year-old chairman Rahul Bajaj, who shares fortune with cousins Shekhar, Madhur and Niraj. Motorcycle maker Bajaj Auto, run by patriarch’s older son Rajiv, introduced the V15, a 150cc motorcycle partly made with metal from INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier. The company has begun exporting Qute, a new four-wheel/ quadricycle but is awaiting court approval to introduce it in India.
Benu Gopal Bangur (Shree Cement)
Benu Gopal Bangur is the chairman of Shree Cement which was founded in 1979 and is the leading cement maker in Northern India. He is also the Chairman of the Board of NBI Industrial Finance Co Ltd. and the Director of Khemka Properties Pvt. Ltd., Digvijay Finlease Ltd. and The Didwana Industrial Corporation Ltd. Patriarch Benu Gopal Bangur enjoyed a 50% boost to his wealth on soaring shares of his Shree Cement, among India’s top cement producers. The company benefited from a surge in sales and lower energy costs due to a fall in coal prices. His son Hari Mohan, a chemical engineer, and grandson Prashant, a B-school grad, who together run Shree, have earmarked $330 million for capacity expansion. Bangur was born into a leading business family in Kolkata with interests in jute, paper, cement and power. He had inherited an unprofitable cement outfit after a split in the family conglomerate in 1992 and went on to turn it around.
Birla’s
The Birla family business which is a market leader in products ranging from cement from apparel, traces its roots to a jute mill started in 1919 at the hands of Ghanshyam Das Birla. As generations put their effort into shaping the firm’s future, Birla came to be the most commonly mentioned name in India whenever wealth was discussed. Kumar Birla has been heading the Aditya Birla Group for 20 years and now it achieved more success in the manufacturing sector. Kumar Mangalam Birla (49) is the Chairman of the US $41 billion multinational Aditya Birla Group, which operates in 36 countries across six continents. Over 50% of its revenues flow from its operations outside India. Birla has restructured the businesses to emerge as a global/national leader in the sectors in which the group operates. He has made 36 acquisitions in 19 years in India and globally, the highest by an Indian multinational in India. He holds key responsible positions on various regulatory and professional boards. He is on the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Apex Advisory Council of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. He has won recognition for his exemplary contribution to leadership processes and institution/systems building. A commerce graduate from Mumbai University, Birla is a Chartered Accountant. He earned an MBA from the London Business School.
BR Shetty
Dr. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty (“Dr. B R Shetty”) owes much of his success to the people around him and those who believe in him. Former pharma salesman B.R.Shetty, who immigrated from Kerala to Abu Dhabi in 1972, is expanding his healthcare empire with acquisitions. His London-listed NMC Health, one of UAE’s largest hospital chains, acquired Al Zahra Hospital in Sharjah for $560 million last December. His holding outfit, BRS Ventures, announced a $1.8 billion investment with the Andhra Pradesh state government for projects in healthcare, hospitality and education. Shetty’s other interests include generics firm Neopharma which has tied up with Pfizer and Merck Serono for contract manufacturing. He is married to Dr. Chandrakumari R Shetty, who has been a great support to help pursue his vision over the years and help win recognition and love from around the world. Among his family are his four children, three daughters and a son, who have followed in his footsteps and have added great value to the growth and expansion of his business endeavours, and in making the world a better place.
Cyrus Poonawalla
Chairman of Poonawalla Group which includes Serum Institute of India, India’s top biotech company and the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.3 billion doses).”Forbes Richest Billionaire’s’ List released in March 2017 listed Dr. Poonawalla as the 7th richest person in India and 159th in the world with a net worth of $ 8.1 billion”. Vaccine billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla founded Serum Institute of India in 1966 and went on to make it one of the world’s largest vaccine makers by volume, producing 1.3 billion doses annually. Serum, which son Adar helps him run, reported a record profit of $360 million on revenue of $695 million in the last fiscal year ended March 2016 but sales have since flat lined amid increased competition. Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla has contributed tremendously, both as the Chairperson of the Royal Western India Turf Club and as breeder of classic race horses and has received every possible top national and international award for the same. Poonawalla recently contributed $2.5 million for a hospital named after his late wife, to treat the underprivileged.
Desh Bandhu Gupta
Former chemistry professor, Desh Bandhu Gupta, dipped into his wife’s savings to buy a tiny vitamin company in 1968. Today his Lupin is India’s second largest generics firm deriving more than half of its $2.1 billion revenues from the U. S. and Japan. Run by daughter Vinita and son Nilesh, it has been on an acquisition spree to expand its global footprint, notably in Japan. Lupin’s most recent acquisition in that country, a portfolio of 21 brands from Osaka-based Shionogi, has boosted its position by becoming the sixth largest generics player in the Japanese market. His goal was simple; to manufacture and deliver quality, affordable medicines . It has been the core principle and guiding philosophy behind everything the Gupta’s have undertaken and achieved over close to five decades. At Lupin, success is not just about growth or performance, it has always been about doing the right thing no matter how challenging the environment; about backing the ideas and having the conviction to see them through. It is about being the transformation within. That is the only thing that ensures leadership in a changing world. At Lupin, leadership is given and numbers are just milestones on a glorious path. Desh Bandhu Gupta, founder and chairman of generics maker Lupin died on June 26, 2017 in Mumbai at age 79. The pharma pioneer, who is believed to have been ailing, had a 47% stake in Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Lupin, which earned him a place among the world’s billionaires with a fortune of $3.6 billion. Lupin has also featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world’s biggest public companies.
Dilip Sanghvi
Dilip Sanghvi founded Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and serves as its managing director. The son of a pharmaceuticals distributor, he borrowed $200 from his father to start Sun in 1983 to make psychiatric drugs. The company is the world’s fifth largest generics maker and India’s most valuable pharma outfit. He grew Sun through a series of shrewd acquisitions. Sanghvi has extensive industrial experience in the pharmaceutical industry. A first generation entrepreneur, Shanghvi has won numerous awards and recognitions, including Forbes’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2014), Economic Times’ Business Leader of the Year (2014) and many more. He is also Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd., and Chairman of the Shantilal Shanghvi Foundation. He holds a B.Com degree from the University of Calcutta.
Harsh Mariwala
Harsh Mariwala transformed his family’s traditional business of trading in spices and edible oils, into Marico, among the country’s leading consumer goods companies. Marico, which is best known for its Saffola cooking oil and Parachute hair oil, sells in 25 countries and aspires to be an Indian multinational. His other interests include Kaya, a chain of skin care clinics. Sharrp Ventures, his family office, is looked after by son Rishabh. Currently, Mariwala is writing a book about his business career. Marico has also established strong consumer franchises in Asia and Africa. Under his leadership, Marico has achieved several awards and external recognition – over 100 in number in the last few years. Some of them are: The NDTV Profit ‘Best Business Leadership’ Award in the FMCG (Personal Hygiene) category, in 2007 and 2009, and was rated as one of India’s Most Innovative companies by the Business Today – Monitor Group Innovation Study (2008). Conferred with the Ernst & Young ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award (2009) in the Manufacturing category, Harsh Mariwala’s entrepreneurial drive and passion for innovation, enthused him to establish the Marico Innovation Foundation in 2003.
Godrej
One of the oldest enterprises in India, Godrej is a name all Indian households know, be it consumer goods or home appliances. The group was established by lawyer Ardeshir Godrej, who gave up his profession to make locks in 1897. He launched the world’s first soap product made from vegetable oil in 1918. His brother Pirojsha went on to acquire a vast parcel of land in suburban Mumbai that remains the family’s biggest asset to this day which is now helmed by MIT graduate Adi Godrej and his brother Jamshed. Godrej Consumer Products, overseen by Adi Godrej, boosted its presence in Africa with the acquisition of three personal-care companies in Zambia, Senegal and Kenya.
Hindujas
Four close-knit siblings, Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok, control the Hinduja Group, a far-flung multinational empire with businesses ranging from trucks and lubricants to banking and cable television. The group was started by their father, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, who initially traded goods in the Sindh region of India (now Pakistan) then moved to Iran in 1919, where the group was headquartered until his sons moved the base to London in 1979. The brothers own valuable real estate in London, including their home Carlton House Terrace and the historic Old War Office building in Whitehall. Srichand and Gopichand live in London and Prakash resides in Geneva. Youngest sibling, Ashok oversees their Indian interests from Mumbai. As children of Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash have joined the empire, the third generation of the Hidujas seems to be moving ahead quite fast.
Jain Family
The Jain family controls media powerhouse Bennett Coleman & Co. ltd., which is chaired by matriarch Indu Jain and run by sons Samir and Vineet. It is best known for its daily newspaper The Times of India, the world’s largest daily newspaper by circulation; The Economic Times, the world’s biggest financial newspaper after the Wall Street Journal; and TV news channel Times Now. The group has formed a joint venture with U.S.-based Vice Media to produce digital, mobile and TV content for the Indian market. Its new Bennett University, which collaborates with U.S.-based Babson College and Georgia Institute of Technology, was inaugurated by the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, where it is located. Indu Jain was honored with the Padma Bhushan, one of the nation’s highest civilian awards.
Kalanithi Maran
The sun is shining again on media baron Kalanithi Maran’s Sun TV Network, a regional television heavyweight founded by him in 1993. Kalanithi was born into a politically influential and active family. His father, Murasoli Maran is the former Union Minister of Commerce, and his brother Dayanidhi Maran is India’s textile minister. He is also the grand nephew of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi. He studied at Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai, and completed his graduation from Loyola College, Chennai. In college, he was the student’s union chairman and stood up for many causes. He went on to pursue a MBA degree from University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. In 1991, he married a Kannadiga, Kaveri who is the Joint Managing Director of Sun Network. In 1992, their daughter was born whom they named Kavya. He won the “Young Businessman” award from CNBC, Ernst and young. Kalanithi Maran has developed a reputation for identifying ‘The-next-big-thing’ on time, and working successfully towards its implementation.
Kushal Pal Singh
Property baron Dr. Kushal Pal Singh, popularly known as K. P. Singh, is the Chairman of the Board of DLF Limited, India’s largest real estate company with a pan India presence in over 24 Cities across 15 States. Dr. K.P. Singh pursued Aeronautical Engineering in UK, after graduating in Science and was subsequently selected to the Indian Army by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK and thereafter commissioned into a renowned cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. In 1960, he joined American Universal Electric Company and soon after its merger with DLF Universal Limited in 1979, he took over as the Managing Director. One of Dr. K. P. Singh’s most outstanding contributions to the Indian economy has been his historic pioneering role in creating world-class infrastructure to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). Dr. K. P. Singh is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. The most prestigious of which is the Padma Bhushan award, conferred to him by the Government of India on January 26, 2010. He has also been conferred honorary doctorate degree by the G. B. Pant Agriculture University. He is the recipient of the Delhi Ratna Award by the Government of Delhi for his valuable contribution towards the development of the national capital.
Kapil & Rahul Bhatia
Father and son Kapil & Rahul Bhatia get the bulk of their wealth from Bombay stock Exchange-listed InterGlobe Aviation, which owns IndiGo, India’s largest and most profitable airline, with a market share of 40%. The airline, which was cofounded with billionaire airline veteran Rakesh Gangwal, began flying in 2006 and flew past older rivals on its reputation for punctuality. Today it has a fleet of 126 aircraft and flies to 41 destinations, including 5 overseas. The Bhatias are mulling a public listing of their travel commerce firm InterGlobe Technology Quotient. Kapil Bhatia is Executive Chairman of InterGlobe Enterprises. An early entrant in the travel industry, Mr. Bhatia began his career as Sales Manager of an IATA agency. In 1964, he founded Delhi Express Travels, which gradually developed into a group of travel related organizations. He continued as the Managing Director of Delhi Express Travels for over 25 years. InterGlobe Enterprises has grown from a single company to a formidable travel corporation as a result of Mr. Bhatia’s foresight and the confidence he displayed in his team. Rahul Bhatia is Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Enterprises. He set the foundation for the enterprise in 1989 with its flagship business of Air Transport Management. He is also Promoter and Non-Executive Director of InterGlobe Aviation. Mr. Bhatia holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
Kuldip Singh & Gurbachan Singh Dhingra Choksi
Mr. Kuldip Singh Dhingra is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Berger Paints India. A science graduate from Hindu College, Delhi University, Gurbachan Singh Dhingra is the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1993. Siblings Kuldip and Gurbachan Singh Dhingra are the fourth generation in a family of paint makers and get their wealth from a 75% stake in Kolkataheadquartered paint company. Family’s paint business extends back to their grandfather and great grandfather who started a paint shop in 1898 in Amritsar, Punjab. Their father began making paints but sold the business. The brothers restarted what was then called UK Paints in the 1960s and later made it profitable. In 1991, they bought Berger Paints, then the country’s smallest player. Two of their children sit on Berger’s board and are being groomed to succeed.
Lohia Family
Sri Prakash Lohia, who cofounded petrochemicals powerhouse Indorama with his father, Mohan Lal Lohia, in 1975, remains group chairman. He has more than 40 years of experience in the manufacturing industry and sits on the boards of various companies of the group. He is also the Chairman of Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (listed on the Thai Stock Exchange). He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Delhi. SP Lohia’s son, Amit, who is its group managing director, handles day-to-day operations. Amit Lohia had joined Indorama in 1995 and has successfully run businesses, led turnaround of distressed assets, and implemented green-field projects for the group in different parts of the world and sits on the boards of various companies of the group. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the Wharton School of Business. S.P.’s younger brother, Aloke, heads Bangkok-based Indorama Ventures, a petrochemical giant, which in 2016, formed a joint venture with India-based Dhunseri Petrochem.
Ma Yusuff Ali
Middle East retail king M.A. Yusuff Ali presides over $7.4 billion (revenue) LuLu Group, with 133 stores in the Gulf region, India, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia. New projects include a $300 million investment in Trivandrum in South India that will include a mall, hotel and convention center. The group’s hospitality arm owns Dubai’s first Steigenberger hotel, a German luxury hotel brand and a 50% stake in the newly renovated Sheraton hotel in Muscat. His astute business vision and strategic mind have evolved ambitious growth plans for the group and ensured their materialization through a team of people who share his drive and dynamism. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates, the group is best known in the Gulf through a chain of popular shopping malls and hypermarkets which serve the widest segments of multi-ethnic residents in the region. he was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award by H.E. Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Hon’ble President of India on May 5, 2008. He was the first non-resident Indian from the Gulf and the Middle East countries to be honored with this coveted award by the Government of India. The crowning glory in his career came when he was overwhelmingly elected by the U.A.E. business community as the Director Board member of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI).
Madhukar Parekh
Madhukar Parekh, chairman of Pidilite Industries, founded by his late father Balvant Parekh in 1954, benefited from an uptick in Pidilite shares on rising profits due to lower raw material costs. The company, now run by a professional CEO, gets more than half its $811 million revenue from adhesives and sealants but is best known for its white glue Fevicol. Fevicol is now the largest selling adhesives brand in Asia. It has formed a joint venture with an Italian company to make wood finishes. Four family members work at the company. Madhukar Parekh has been an Executive Director of Pidilite Industries Ltd since 1972. and Vinyl Chemicals India Ltd. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from UDCT and an MS in Chemical Engineering from University of Wisconsin, USA.
Mahindra’s
Harvard grad Anand Mahindra is the third generation to run the $17.8 billion (revenue) Mahindra group and gets his wealth from listed flagship Mahindra & Mahindra as well as a small stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank. India’s largest maker of tractors and utility vehicles, M&M has businesses that range from autos and hospitality to IT and aerospace. Mahindra recently teamed up with ride-sharing firm Ola to provide 40,000 cars. With 4.4 million followers on Twitter, Mahindra was named among the top 10 global CEOs to follow by financial media firm Benzinga, alongside Bill Gates and Tim Cook. He has served on several influential bodies, national and international, including the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, the International Advisory Council of Singapore’s Economic Development Board and the board of the National Stock Exchange of India. Mahindra has been named in Barron’s List of Top 30 CEOs worldwide (2016) and Fortune Magazine’s list of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders (2014). He was appointed ’Knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honour’ by the President of the French Republic (2016). He is an incisive business commentator and humanitarian with over 4.3 million followers on Twitter. Among his many social change initiatives is the Nanhi Kali programme, which, for the last two decades, has provided over 250,000 underprivileged girls access to high quality education.
Micky Jagtiani
Middle East retail magnate Micky Jagtiani drove a taxi in London before moving to Bahrain and starting a baby products shop in 1973. He built it into the Dubaiheadquarted Landmark Group, which his wife Renuka helps him run. With estimated annual revenue of $6 billion, Landmark has more than 2,200 stores spread across the Middle East, Africa and India. Micky Jagtiani is the visionary and the driving force behind the Landmark Group’s phenomenal growth and success. He has led the group, with a strong philosophy that promotes a dynamic culture of entrepreneurship. Under his leadership, the group has evolved over four decades to emerge as the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate. Deeply passionate and committed to social causes, Micky strongly believes that every organization has a responsibility to give back to society. He has two daughters Aarti and Nisha. Aarti Jagtiani is leading the growth and expansion of Landmark Group’s – Oasis Mall and is significantly involved in driving its corporate strategic projects forward. Nisha Jagtiani started her career with the group by assisting in the establishment of Landmark International. She then moved to support Raza Beig on Splash and they jointly launched Iconic in 2009, the region’s trendy fashion destination.
Murali Divi
Indian pharma magnate Dr. Murali Divi founded generics maker Divi’s Laboratories 27 years ago in south India. Today, it is one of the world’s largest producers of Naproxen, the ingredient in a popular anti-inflammatory drug. A fitness fanatic, Divi does yoga every day and spends weekends at his organic farm. Divi holds a doctorate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Kakatiya University, Warangal. He is a member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Chemical Society, American Cosmetic Society and American Pharmaceutical Association. He has extensive experience of over 30 years in the pharmaceutical ingredients industry. Divi has considerable expertise in implementing and managing bulk fine chemical manufacturing facilities conforming to GMP/ US-FDA standards. He has led R&D teams and developed efficient processes for speciality chemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates, herbicides and rodenticides and custom synthesis.
Pallonji Mistry
Reclusive Indian-born tycoon Pallonji Mistry controls Mumbai-headquartered engineering and construction giant, 152-year-old Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which is run by his older son Shapoor. The family’s biggest asset is an 18.4% stake in Tata Sons, the holding outfit of the $103 billion (revenue) Tata Group, a conglomerate of more than 100 companies. Born in the year 1929 Pallonji Mistry is the hidden billionaire of the world. Pallonji is an Irish-Indian and the Chairman Emeritus of Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Under the Shapoorji Pallonji Group banner, he also owns Shapoorji Pallonji Construction Limited, Forbes Textiles, Eureka Forbes Limited and a list of other Subsidiaries that fall under the conglomerate. This vast empire of his is widely spread across India, West Asia and Africa. The 150-year old company although lesser known, but has made some of the iconic structures like the in the world Reserve Bank of India buildings, Bombay Stock Exchange building, The Taj Mahal Hotels, Palace of the Sultan of Oman in Oman, and many, many more. Today, he has grown his way up to become the Chairman Emeritus of the company which is now being Chaired by Pallonji’s eldest son Shapoor Mistry. In business, his simply and primary policy has always been to solve every single problem immediately, before it aggravated. Moving on to the rest of the family, Pallonji has two sons (Shapoor & Cyrus) and two daughters (Aloo & Laila).
Pankaj Patel
Indian pharma magnate Pankaj Patel runs listed company Cadila Healthcare, which was cofounded by his late father in 1952 as Cadila Laboratories to make vitamins. Patel, a pharmacy grad who joined the firm in 1976, took charge two decades ago after a formal separation between the two founding families. The $1.5 billion (revenues) firm is among India’s top five generic makers, headquartered in the Western Indian city of Ahmedabad. In a bid to expand in the U.S. market, Cadila recently agreed to buy speciality pharma firm Sentynl Therapeutics for $171 million. Third-generation scion, Sharvil, Pankaj’s son, has been working at Cadila since 2007 and chairs Zydus, maker of popular sugar-substitute Sugar Free. Patel is also chairman of the Indian Institute of Management-Udaipur.
Pawan Munjal
Pawan Munjal, son of late Brijmohan Lall Munjal, founder of Hero Group, who died in 2015 at age 92, runs motorcycle flagship Hero MotoCorp. A former partner of Japan’s Honda, Hero is the world’s largest producer of 2-wheelers by volume. It has sold more than 70 million units to date, of which close to 7 million were sold in 2016. Mr. Munjal is the Chairman, Managing Director & CEO of the Company. He is responsible for growth and strategic planning for the entire Group. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Munjal has been instrumental in bringing about technological and managerial excellence in the Company’s operations. He has been the Chairman of several Committees of CII. He is also on the board of Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow and Indian School of Business. An avid golfer, Mr. Munjal is Past Chairman of the Asian PGA Tour Board of Directors and the Past President of Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI). Under his guidance, Hero MotoCorp launched the Hero Indian Sports Academy (HISA) in collaboration with Laureus Foundation to provide equal opportunities in sports to various communities and to reward talent in the country. Pawan has led a global expansion after parting ways with Honda 6 years ago. Hero’s first overseas factory is located in Colombia and it is building a new one in Bangladesh. The company has also invested $126 million in a new research unit in Jaipur city that employs 500 engineers. In what was seen as a family divide, younger sibling Sunil stepped down as Hero’s joint managing director last August to run his own independent businesses.
Premji
Tech Magnate Azim Premji’s $7.7 billion (revenue) Wipro, India’s thirdlargest out sourcer, has been on a buying spree to boost growth. Its most recent acquisition was Appirio, a cloud consulting firm based in Indianapolis, for $500 million. Azim Premji, a graduate in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, USA has been at the helm of Wipro Limited since the late 1960’s, turning what was then a $2 million hydrogenated cooking fat company into close to $ 8 billion Revenue IT, BPO and R&D Services organization with a presence in 58 countries, that it is today. The overall Wipro group revenues are $ 9 billion. Wipro was started in 1945 as Western Indian Vegetable Products to make cooking oil from peanuts. Premji abandoned his studies to look after the family business in 1966 when his father Mohamed Hasham Premji died. He added new products such as soaps to the company’s portfolio, but a timely expansion into software brought him riches. Last year, Premji completed 5 decades as Wipro’s boss. Over the years, Azim Premji has received numerous honors and accolades, which he considers as recognitions for Team Wipro. Business Week featured him on their cover of the October 2003 issue with the sobriquet “India’s Tech King” and listed him amongst the top 30 entrepreneurs in world history in July 2007. Premji became the first Indian recipient of the Faraday Medal and has been conferred honorary doctorates by the Michigan State University and Wesleyan University (in the US), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Roorkee and Kharagpur amongst others. Azim Premji is married to Yasmeen Premji and they have two sons – Tariq and Rishad. Rishad is currently working as the Chief Strategy Officer for the IT business activities of Wipro.
P V Ramaprasad Reddy
P.V. Ramaprasad Reddy, a postgraduate in Commerce, is the promoter of the Company. Prior to promoting Aurobindo Pharma in 1986, he held management positions in various pharmaceutical companies. He leads strategic planning of the Company. P.V.Ramprasad Reddy chairs generics maker Aurobindo Pharma, which he co-founded in 1986. The company gets 85% of its $2.1 billion revenue from international markets. Last year, Aurobindo’s shares fell after a U. S. FDA inspection resulted in adverse observations about one of its factories that makes antiretroviral drugs. The company responded to the FDA’s concerns and subsequently got an approval from the American regulator. Aurobindo recently expanded its European footprint with the $144 million acquisition of Portugal’s pharma producer Generis Farmaceutica.
Ravi Pillai
Ravi Pillai is the Chairman and MD of the RP Group of Companies. Pillai is the founder MD of the construction giant of the gulf, Naseer S Al Hajri Corporation, based at Bahrain is popularly known as the “Ambani of the Gulf”. With more than 60,000 people working for him, Pillai has the biggest Indian workforce in Saudi. He has stakes in hotel chains and the petrochemical business. Indian-born farmer’s son, Ravi Pillai migrated to the Gulf after his small construction business in his native Kerala state went bust due to a workers’ strike. With help from a well-connected local partner who put in capital, he started over in 1979 and eventually built his RP Group of Companies into a $5.3 billion (revenue) construction heavyweight riding the Middle East boom. Among the biggest employers of Indians in the Middle East, last year he pledged to employ 3,000 Indians from the thousands who had lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia due to an economic slowdown. The construction magnate has used his Gulf riches to invest back home, picking up stakes in banks, hotels, real estate. Ravi Pillai has been awarded the Padam Shri by the Government of India in 2010 and the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman in 2008. He is a recipient of a doctoral degree from by the Excelsior College, New York.
Samprada Singh
Pharma magnate Samprada Singh founded Alkem Laboratories more than four decades ago. Samprada Singh is a respected professional in the Indian pharmaceutical industry having an overall experience of 42 years. He is one of the co-founders of the company. He has received various prestigious awards such as the ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ by Pharma Business and Technology in 2000, the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the Pharmaceutical Leadership Summit 2009, ‘Asian Grid Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award 2006’, the ‘Life Time Contribution Award’ by the Express Pharma Excellence Awards in 2004 and ‘Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 2nd Annual AWACS Awards in Marketing Excellence, 2015. He has been bestowed with the ‘Pride of Bihar’ award at the Bihar Healthcare Achievers Awards 2014. Samprada Singh – Chairman Emeritus, has served on the Board since incorporation.
Shiv Nadar
Shiv Nadar is the Founder and the chairman of HCL and Shiv Nadar Foundation. Nadar was part of the elite DCM management trainee system where he met several of the people with whom he was soon to impact an entire industry as a pioneer of modern computing. In 1976, eight young men left DCM to create HCL in a Delhi Barsati – a garage startup with a compelling vision – that the microprocessor would change the world. A visionary, Nadar made HCL an engine of invention turning dreams into reality. HCL, under Nadar’s leadership, revolutionized Indian technology and product innovation with many world firsts to its credit – the first 8-bit microprocessor-based computer in 1978. HCL has created several valuable Joint Ventures and alliances with marquee partners such as Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Perot Systems, Deutsche Bank and Toshiba among others, to emerge as a global technology enterprise. In 1994, Nadar established what he believed was closest to his heart – the philanthropic Shiv Nadar Foundation and created its first initiative in Chennai, the SSN Institutions, that is a top ranked engineering college. In recognition of his pioneering role in business and philanthropy in India and across the globe, Nadar has received several honours and accolades in the past, notable being the Padma Bhushan from the President of India in 2008. Nadar stays in Delhi with his wife Kiran Nadar, an internationally renowned bridge player and an avid art collector, has established the iconic Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, India’s largest private philanthropic art museum.
Shashi & Ravi Ruia
Ravi Ruia is the founder of one of the biggest companies in the world, The Essar Group. He established and started the Essar Company along with his younger brother, Shashi Ruia. Today, Ravi Ruia finds a place amongst the richest Indians across the globe. The Essar Group has a global presence today and it is present in many industries and operates as a conglomerate. Essar Group operates into communications, oil and natural gas, shipping, power, steel, minerals, ports and above all logistics. The extent of its operations can be gauged from the fact that it is present in five continents, 20 countries and employees close to 75,000 people. Ravi was born into a business family where he grew up with his brother Shashi. Today they are close business associates and partners working together to take the Essar group to newer heights each day.
Subhash Chandra
Dr. Subhash Chandra (DSC) is an independent Member of the Upper House of Parliament from the state of Haryana. He is also the Chairman of the Essel Group of Companies and is amongst the leading lights of the global media & entertainment industry. A selfmade man, and a true visionary, DSC has consistently demonstrated his ability to identify new businesses and lead them on the path of success. Media magnate Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises, is the flagship of his Essel Group, and run by sons Punit and Amit. The television broadcaster’s array of 75 channels reaches more than one billion viewers in 171 countries. Zee’s presence in Southeast Asia covers Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. DSC has made his mark as an influential philanthropist in India. He has set up TALEEM (Transnational Alternate Learning for Emancipation and Empowerment through Multimedia) to provide access to quality education. For his contributions to the industry, DSC has been awarded the 2011 International Emmy Directorate Award at their 39th International Emmy Awards night in New York. He became the first Indian ever to receive a Directorate Award recognizing excellence in television programming outside the United States. For DSC’s immense contribution to the socio-economic wellbeing, the Canada India Foundation recognized him with the Global Indian Award.
Sudhir & Samir Mehta
Older brother Sudhir joined his father’s pharma business in the 1970s and pushed for the diversification into energy. Today family’s most valuable asset is a 53% stake in Torrent Power, which distributes to more than two million customers annually; its stock has jumped four-fold this year. Sudhir is a cricket fan. Samir plays tennis. He took office as the Chairman of the Torrent conglomerate from April, 1998 and has put in concerted efforts for the development and growth of Torrent. Samir Mehta, 52, is the Vice Chairman of the USD 2.75 billion Torrent Group and Chairman of Torrent Pharma. A B-School grad, Mehta has hands-on exposure and experience in the nuances of business and management. Torrent Group is being ably guided by Mehta through his analytical and professional approach. He has been providing strong strategic direction to all the business units of the Group. Samir joined the Torrent Group in 1980s when he was 22. He is more focused on the pharma side, which makes bulk drugs and formulations sold in 50 countries.
Sunil Mittal
Indian Telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal is the Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading conglomerates with diversified interests in telecom, insurance, real estate, agri and food, besides other ventures. Bharti has joint ventures with several global leaders: Singtel, SoftBank, AXA, Del Monte amongst others. Bharti Airtel, the group’s flagship company, is amongst the world’s largest telecommunications companies, offering mobile, fixed broadband and digital TV solutions to over 350 million customers across India, South Asia and Africa. Sunil has been the pioneer of the mobile revolution in India. At a time when mobile telecom was considered inaccessible for the masses, Bharti Airtel revolutionized the business model to offer affordable voice and data services. Sunil is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, awarded to individuals for demonstrating distinguished services of high order. He has also been awarded Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Honor – the utmost honor accorded by the institute to its alumni. He is the recipient of GSMA’s prestigious Chairman award, besides being decorated with numerous industry honors. Sunil has been conferred Honorary Doctorates by several leading universities in India and UK. Sunil is closely associated with spearheading the Indian industry’s global trade, collaboration and policy- he has served on the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Trade & Industry.
Thapar
Gautam Thapar, Founder and Chairman of the Avantha Group, is widely recognized for his thought leadership, and was appointed Member of the former National Security Advisory Board. Gautam takes his social responsibilities seriously; this is manifested in his involvement across three sectors: education, leadership development and sports. He is President of Thapar University, Former Chairman of the Board of Governors – National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), and Chairman of the CII-Avantha Center for Competitiveness for SMEs, past President of All India Management Association (AIMA). He was awarded AIMA Honorary Life Fellowship in 2013. A former Chairman of The Ananta Aspen Centre, he is President of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). In 2013, King’s College, London conferred an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of Gautam’s ‘exceptional achievements in the fields of industry and philanthropy.
Tulsi Tanti
Since establishing it in 1995, Tulsi Tanti has driven Suzlon with the aim to pursue sustainable social, economic and ecological development. A world renowned expert on alternative energy, he believes in creating sustainable businesses and economies through energy independence and security. Tanti leads the strategic growth initiatives for the businesses of Suzlon Group. Tulsi Tanti, Chairman, Suzlon Group is a qualified Mechanical Engineer. Tanti has driven Suzlon not as a business, but as a cause – contributing to the world by creating sustainable social, economic and ecological development, by using the very best of technology to help mitigate the global climate crisis. Tulsi Tanti originally hails from Gujarat and is presently based in Pune, Maharashtra. Tulsi Tanti was earlier into textiles. He started his textile business in Gujarat. But he found that the prospects stunted due to infrastructural bottlenecks. The biggest of them all was the cost and unavailability of power, which formed a high proportion of operating expenses of textile industry. In 1990, Tulsi Tanti invested in two windmills and realized its huge potential. In 1995, he formed Suzlon and gradually quit textiles. Suzlon Energy is the sixth largest wind energy company in the world and the largest in Asia.
Uday Kotak
Uday Kotak is the Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited. As a young 26-year-old entrepreneur in 1985, Uday Kotak started Kotak Capital Management Finance Ltd. (which later became Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd). The vision was to eventually become a banking company. Private Indian banks were not even a speck on the horizon at that time. On March 22, 2003, Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd. became the first non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India’s corporate history to be converted into a bank. Uday has a strong focus on community development and inclusive growth which is reflected by the group’s initiatives to provide low cost services to rural customers and its welfare programmes. Uday feels strongly that education is key to the alleviation of the social malaise afflicting India’s underprivileged. In a bid to address this issue, he has established the Kotak Education Foundation that focuses on the educational needs of underprivileged children.
Uday holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. He has received several honours and accolades in the past like Sole Indian Financier to feature in Money Masters: The Most Powerful People in The Financial World, by Forbes magazine, USA (May 2016), recognised as ‘Entrepreneur of the Decade’ by Bombay Management Association (BMA) in 2015 to name but a few.
Vikram Lal
Vikram Lal – the founder and former CEO of Eicher Motors, Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer based in New Delhi, India, studied engineering in Germany after his schooling in the Doon School, and in 1966 joined Eicher Tractors, started by his father. He retired from the Chairmanship of the Eicher Group in 1997, and has since then been involved in a number of voluntary organizations. He is the President of Common Cause, a Public Interest Organization. Lal has spent his post-retirement years volunteering at non-profits like Common Cause, a public interest organization, the Shroff Charity Eye Hospital in Delhi and his own Goodearth Education Foundation. A licenced paragliding pilot, he also publishes high quality maps of Indian cities and guides for the country’s tourist hot-spots. His wife Anita and daughter Simran run Good Earth, a popular homestore chain. He is also Trustee of Vikram Sarabhai Foundation. As a hobby he publishes high quality maps of Indian cities and tourist guides for various places of interest in India.
Vivek Chaand Sehgal
Mr. Vivek Chaand Sehgal is a Promoter of Samvardhana Motherson Finance Limited. Mr. Sehgal established Motherson in 1975 and Motherson Sehgal Cables in 1977. He served as Executive Officer of Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd. He has over 36 years of experience in the auto industry. Wealth of Vivek Chaand Sehgal, cofounder of the $7.2 billion (revenue) Samvardhana Motherson Group got a 41.6 billion boost as profits at auto-components flagship Motherson Sumi Systems rose 38% in the year ended March 2016, giving a fillip to its shares. Japanese partner Sumitomo owns more than a fourth of Motherson Sumi, which has 145 factories in 25 countries and gets 85% of its $5.7 billion revenue from overseas. Continuing its strategy of growing through acquisitions, the company recently agreed to pay $620 million to acquire Finland’s PKC Group, an auto parts supplier. He started the group in 1975 as a silver trading outfit along with his mother, hence the name Motherson.
Wadia
The Wadia Group was founded by Loeji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736, when he opened a marine construction company. The Wadia Group, perhaps India’s oldest conglomerate, traces its roots back to at least 200 years before the country’s independence. To put things in perspective, two of the group’s four publicly traded companies have been listed for more than a century. One of the two, Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co. Ltd, has declared a dividend every year for more than 125 years and Bombay Burmah Trading Corp. Ltd (BBTC) was only the second Indian company to list on BSE, Asia’s oldest bourse. The group’s journey began in 1736 when Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia set up a marine construction company, which went on to build 355 ships including the first ships constructed for the British navy outside England. In 1879, the Wadias set up Bombay Dyeing, which went on to become the group’s most popular brand. Around 1913, the Wadia Group acquired BBTC. After independence, it entered businesses including chemicals, engineering services, lamination and precision springs. In 1952, Neville Wadia, the father of present-day chairman Nusli Wadia, joined the business after the demise of his father. Twenty-five years later, in 1977, Nusli Wadia entered the business. Today, the group is present across sectors such as real estate, aviation, consumer products, plantations, chemicals and healthcare. Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia (Jeh), Wadia’s sons, are now actively involved in the business. Nusli Wadia is still at the helm of the group and a succession plan is yet to be finalized.
Yusuf Hamied
Yusuf Hamied is the non-executive chairman of $2 billion (revenue) generics maker Cipla, known for its portfolio of affordable generic drugs, such as for HIV/AIDS. The company appointed a new CEO and named Hamied’s niece Samina Vaziralli as executive vice chairman last September. Cipla is expanding overseas, notably in South Africa, where it is building a new $90 million plant to make biosimilar drugs in Durban. Cipla was also one of a group of companies that successfully bid for drugs divested by Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals. He inherited the company in 1972 from his father Khwaja Abdul Hamied, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, who founded Cipla in Mumbai in 1935 with the aim of making India selfsufficient in essential medicines.
