Balkrishna
Balkrishna (born Balkrishna Subedi;[3][4] 4 August 1972) is an Indian billionaire businessman and chairman of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved. He was reported by Forbes to have a net worth of US$1.5 billion as of January 2020.[2][5][4][6]
Balkrishna | |
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Born | Balkrishna Subedi 4 August 1972[1] Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation | Ayurvedacharya, Businessman |
Known for | 98.6% owner of Patanjali Ayurved |
Net worth | US$1.2 billion (June 2020)[2] |
Title | MD/CEO, Patanjali Ayurved |
Website | www |
Early life
Balkrishna was born on 4 August 1972 in Haridwar, Uttarakhand (then Uttar Pradesh) to Nepalese immigrants, Sumitra Devi and Jay Vallabh Subedi from Syangja, Nepal.[1]
Career
In 1995, Balkrishna and Ramdev founded Divya Yoga Pharmacy in Haridwar, and in 2006, they founded Patanjali Ayurved,[7] a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company involved in the manufacturing and trading of FMCG, herbal, and ayurvedic products.[8] Followers of Ramdev, NRIs Sunita and Sarwan Poddar, helped kick-start the business with a loan. According to Balkrishna, he had taken out a ₹50–60 crore loan at a time when he had never held a personal bank account in his name.[9] In 2012, the company posted a turnover of ₹450 crore (US$63 million) which by 2015–2016 had risen to ₹5,000 crore (US$700 million).[10]
While Ramdev does not hold a stake in Patanjali Ayurved, he is the face of the firm and endorses its products to his followers across his yoga camps and television programmes.[10] Balkrishna owns 98.6% of the company[2] and serves as its managing director.[11] He is a close aide of Ramdev.[12]
Awards
Balkrishna was awarded the Champions of Change award in 2019, for his work in the field of Ayurved.[13][14]
Personal life
Balkrishna lives in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, and is unmarried.[2]
References
- "Nepal followers celebrate Ramdev Aid Acharya Balkrishna's birthday with pomp". Daijiword.com. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- "Forbes profile: Acharya Balkrishna". Forbes. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Priyanka Pathak-Narain (2017). Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev. Juggernaut Books. pp. 25–. ISBN 978-93-86228-38-3.
- "A Billionaire With Fake Degrees And Passport - This Is Patanjali's CEO Acharya Balkrishna". indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- "Billionaire Baba: What makes Patanjali's Acharya Balkrishna one of India's richest". The Economic Times. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- "How Acharya Balkrishna built a multi-crore company - Billionaire Baba". The Economic Times. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- "Billionaire Baba: What makes Patanjali's Acharya Balkrishna one of India's richest". The Economic Times. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- "Ramdev turns his Ayurved enterprise into an FMCG empire". Business Standard. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- "The man who owns 94% of Patanjali Ayurved". The Times of India.
- Singh, Kanishka (14 September 2016). "How our craze for Patanjali made Ramdev aide Acharya Balkrishna one of the wealthiest Indians". Indian Express. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- "Should Patanjali's Dizzying Growth Worry the Competition?". The Wire. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- "Ramdev's close aide and Patanjali CEO Acharya Balakrishna now worth Rs 25,600 crore". DNA. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- Pioneer, The. "Acharya Balkrishna receives Champions of Change Award". The Pioneer.
- "आचार्य बालकृष्ण को 'चैंपियंस ऑफ चेंज' अवार्ड, पूर्व राष्ट्रपति प्रणव मुखर्जी ने किया सम्मानित". Amar Ujala.