Kumar Mangalam Birla and Family

Kumar Mangalam Birla inherited a conglomerate at 28 and grew it 33 times.

He took over the Aditya Birla Group in 1995 following his father's death, inheriting a conglomerate that was already substantial but unevenly positioned for an economy that had just opened to competition. Over the three decades since, he has grown the group 33 times by revenue, largely through acquisitions that pushed its core businesses into global scale. The purchase of Novelis in 2007 transformed Hindalco from a domestic smelter into one of the world's largest producers of rolled aluminium products. Roughly 40% of group revenue now comes from international operations.

The current expansion programme, at $25 billion spread across metals, cement, carbon black, and consumer-facing businesses in fashion, paints and real estate, is the largest the group has undertaken. It includes a fully integrated aluminium rolling and recycling facility in Alabama that represents the group's biggest single greenfield investment to date. With the next generation beginning to enter the business, the question Birla has been managing for 30 years passes to a new set of hands.