Adi Godrej

Adi Burjorji Godrej (born 3 April 1942) is an Indian billionaire industrialist and businessman, head of the Godrej family, and chairman of the Godrej Group. As of 2018, he has a net worth of US$2.9 billion.[1]

Adi Godrej
Born (1942-04-03) 3 April 1942
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
NationalityIndian
Alma materCathedral & John Connon School
MIT Sloan School of Management
OccupationChairman of Godrej Group
Net worthUS$2.7 billion (February 2020)[1]
Spouse(s)Parmeshwar Adi Godrej
ChildrenNisaba Adi Godrej
Pirojsha Adi Godrej
Tanya Arvind Dubash

Early life

Godrej completed his schooling at The Cathedral & John Connon School. He earned an undergraduate degree from HL college and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity[2] and a member of Tau Beta Pi.

Career

After his return to India, he joined the family business. He modernised the management structure and implemented process improvements. Adi Godrej took the Godrej Group to great heights during the License Raj. He heads the group alongside his brother, managing director of Godrej Industries and chairman of Godrej Agrovet, Nadir Godrej, and his cousin, Godrej & Boyce managing director and chairman, Jamshyd Godrej.

Under his stewardship, Godrej Consumer Products has grown into a strong emerging market FMCG player based on a 3X3 approach to international expansion — building a presence in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across 3 categories (home care, personal wash, hair care).[3]

Beyond Godrej

He has been president of several Indian Trade and Industrial Bodies and associations.

He was the chairman of the Indian School of Business from April 2011 to April 2018[4] and was elected as the president of Confederation of Indian Industry[5][6] (CII) for the year 2012–13. He has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Council of the MIT Sloan School of Management[M3], Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.

Social responsibility

In a recent interview for the Creating Emerging Markets project at the Harvard Business School, Adi Godrej describes his beliefs about corporate social responsibility and explains how the Godrej Group has been involved with philanthropic activities.[7] Godrej Group is a major supporter of the World Wildlife Fund in India, it has developed a green business campus in the Vikhroli township of Mumbai, which includes a 150-acre (0.61 km2) mangrove forest and a school for the children of company employees.

Twenty-five percent of the shares of the Godrej holding company are held in trusts that include the Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation[8] and the Godrej Memorial Trust. Through these trusts the Group supports healthcare, education and environmental sustainability initiatives such as The Mangroves,[9] Teach for India, WWF, and the Godrej Memorial Hospital among others.

Awards

Over the years, he has been a recipient of several awards and recognitions:

  • Rajiv Gandhi Award, 2002.[10]
  • The American India Foundation (AIF) Leadership in Philanthropy Award, 2010.[10]
  • The Entrepreneur of the Year,[11] Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards, 2010.
  • Best Businessman of the Year,[11] GQ Men of the Year Awards, 2010.
  • AIMA-JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award,[10] 2010.
  • Bombay Management Association — Management Man of the Year Award,[11] 2010–2011.
  • Qimpro Platinum Standard Award for Business,[12] 2011.
  • Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2012.[13]
  • Padma Bhushan, 2012.[14]
  • The Asian Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, 2013.
  • All India Management Association-Business Leader of the Year, 2014.[15]
  • Awarded honorary doctorate from TERI School of Advanced Studies in 2018

Personal life

He was married to socialite and philanthropist, Parmeshwar Godrej until her death in October 2016, and has three children. They live in Malabar Hill, South Mumbai.[1]

References
  1. "Forbes profile: Adi Godrej". Forbes. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. Pi Lambda Phi 2010 membership Directory
  3. "Godrej Consumer Products LTD" (PDF). Firstcall Research. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  4. "Indian School of Business". Firstcall Research. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  5. "CII elects Adi Godrej as new President". timesofindia-economictimes. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  6. "CII elects Adi Godrej as new President". Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  7. "Interview with Adi Godrej". Creating Emerging Markets. Harvard Business School.
  8. "Forbes India Magazine — The Godrej Foundation: In Charity They Trust". forbesindia.com. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  9. "Godrej helps preserve Mumbai mangroves". www.sunday-guardian.com. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  10. "The Economist". www.economistinsights.com. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  11. "Adi Godrej, chairman, Godrej Group". www.afternoondc.in. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  12. QimproConnect (28 August 2013), Qimpro Awards 2011 - Qimpro Platinum Standard — Business — Adi Godrej, retrieved 17 March 2016
  13. "Adi Godrej is E&Y Entrepreneur of the year". Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  14. "Padma Bhushan for Adi Godrej, R Thyagarajan — Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  15. "AIMA Managing India Awards 2014". The Hindu. 8 August 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
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