Gopichand Parmanand Hinduja (born 29 January 1940) is an Indian-British billionaire businessman controlling the Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group. For many years he was co-chairman with his brother Srichand "S. P." Hinduja who died in May 2023. He and his brother were frequently named among the wealthiest people in the UK and Asia, and in the Sunday Times Rich List 2024 ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed first with an estimated family fortune of £37 billion.[1]
Gopichand Hinduja | |
|---|---|
 Hinduja in 2019 | |
| Born | Gopichand Parmanand Hinduja 29 January 1940 |
| Nationality | Indian, British |
| Alma mater | Jai Hind College |
| Occupation(s) | Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group |
| Spouse | Sunita Hinduja |
| Children | 3, including Dheeraj Hinduja |
| Parent(s) | Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja Jamuna Parmanand Hinduja |
| Relatives | S. P. Hinduja and Prakash Hinduja (brothers) |
Business career
editThe Hinduja brothers began their careers in their father's textile and trading businesses in Bombay, India, and Tehran, Iran.[2] Successful early businesses included the sale of food commodities (onions and potatoes) and iron ore from India to Iran.[3]
With the acquisition of Ashok Leyland (from British Leyland) and Gulf Oil (from Chevron) in the 1980s and the establishment of banks in Switzerland and India in the 1990s, Hinduja Group became one of India's best known businesses alongside such names as Tata, Birla, and Ambani.[4] In 2012, the Group acquired the US firm Houghton International, the world's largest metal fluids manufacturer, for $1.045 billion, forming a consortium with the help of Ghouse Mohammed Asif, (Director of Private Equity of JP Morgan) and Hank Paulson, former United States Secretary of the Treasury and formerly of Goldman Sachs.[5]
Wealth
editAs of May 2024 he is estimated to be the UK's richest person.[6][7] Since the 1990s, he has been consistently ranked among the UK and Asia's wealthiest people.
In 2013, a rich list compiled by Asian Media & Marketing Group, estimated Hinduja's wealth at GBP 19 billion ($24.7 billion).[8] In May 2017, Hinduja topped the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated wealth of GBP 16.2 billion ($21 billion). The Forbes List in March 2018 ranked him and his brother as the world's 55th richest billionaire family with an estimated wealth of $19.5 billion.[9]
In May 2019 The Hinduja brothers, Gopichand and Srichand, were once again named by The Times UK as the UK's wealthiest people, according to the annual Sunday Times Rich List survey.[10]
Hinduja remained in the top spot in 2022,[11] with his estimated wealth growing to an estimated £35Bn in 2023 and £37.2Bn in 2024.[7]
Early life
editGopichand Parmanand Hinduja was born on 29 January 1940, the son of Parmanand Hinduja, and educated at Jai Hind College, Bombay.[12]
Personal life
editHe is married to Sunita Hinduja, and they have two sons and one daughter, Sanjay Hinduja, Dheeraj Hinduja and Rita Hinduja.[12][13] The Hinduja family is of Sindhi heritage.[14] Gopichand and his three brothers are teetotal and vegetarian.[15]
In 2015, their son Sanjay Hinduja married his long-time girlfriend, the designer Anu Mahtani, in Udaipur, India. The wedding cost £15 million and entertainment included the pop singers Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger and actor Arjun Kapoor.[16]
Citizenship
editGopichand obtained British citizenship in 1997.[17]
References
edit- ^ Watts, Robert, ed. (17 May 2024). "The Sunday Times Rich List 2024". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ "The world is their bazaar". Pranaygupte.com. 28 December 1987. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Cragg, Claudia (1996). The New Maharajahs: The Commercial Princes of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – Claudia Cragg – Google Books. Claudia Cragg. ISBN 9780712677615. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "Hinduja to launch $500-mn infra fund". Business-standard.com. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ James Crabtree (7 November 2012). "Hindujas' Gulf Oil agrees $1bn US deal". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2024 revealed". The Times. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Rich List puts Bamford in Top 20". Construction Index. 17 May 2024. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ Andrew Bounds (22 March 2013). "Mittal loses top spot in rich list". Business & Economy. The Financial Times Ltd. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Srichand & Gopichand Hinduja". Forbes. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013.
- ^ Connett, David (11 May 2019). "Hinduja brothers take back top spot in annual Rich List". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2022". thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ a b Europa Publications (2003). The International Who's Who 2004. Psychology Press. p. 733. ISBN 978-1-85743-217-6. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ ":: Hinduja Group - Our Group ::". Hindujagroup.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ Palijo, Waseem (8 January 2019). "Most billionaires in India today once resided in Pakistan's Sindh". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Lamb, Christina; West, Julian (28 January 2001). "The teetotal Hinduja brothers, who partied their way to power". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ "'India's most eligible bachelor' Sanjay Hinduja marries in £15m ceremony". Telegraph.co.uk. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Mandelson resigns over passport deception". The Guardian. 1 February 2001. Retrieved 24 May 2023.