Hinduja Group chief dies at 85

Gopichand P Hinduja, who acquired struggling truck-maker Ashok Leyland and quickly turned it around into one of India's most successful automobile companies, died in London at the age of 85.

The billionaire patriarch of Britain's richest family and chairman of the globe-spanning Hinduja Group conglomerate had been unwell for the past few weeks and died in a London hospital, sources close to his family said.

Born in 1940, Gopichand was the second of the four Hinduja brothers who built the group into a global conglomerate, spanning automotive, energy, banking, and infrastructure. After the death of his elder brother Srichand Hinduja in 2023, he took charge as the chairman of the 35 billion pound Hinduja Group. He is survived by his wife, Sunita, sons Sanjay and Dheeraj, and daughter, Rita.

A graduate of Jai Hind College, Mumbai (1959), Gopichand began his career in the family's trading business in Tehran before expanding its reach across continents.

Acquisition of Ashok Leyland

Under his leadership, the group acquired Gulf Oil in 1984, closely followed by the acquisition of the then-struggling Indian automotive manufacturer, Ashok Leyland, in 1987, which was the first major NRI investment in India. Today, Ashok Leyland is regarded as one of the most successful turnaround stories ever in Indian corporate history.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu termed Gopichand P Hinduja as “a visionary industrialist”, who was “instrumental in transforming the group into a truly global conglomerate”. — PTI