Indian industrialist
Kumar Mangalam Birla (born 14 June 1967) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India. He is the chancellor of the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani[1] and ex-chairman of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.[2] In 2023, Birla received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in India.[3]
As of December 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$23.1 billion.[4]
Born to Aditya Vikram Birla, the eldest of two children, he took over as chairman of the Aditya Birla Group in 1995, at the age of 28, following the death of his father, Aditya Vikram Birla.[5][6] During Birla's tenure as chairman, the group's annual turnover increased from US$2 billion in 1995 to US$65 billion as of March 2024.[7][8][9] Today, the group is present in 41 countries across six continents[7][10] with over 50% of its revenues coming from overseas operations.[11]
Kumar Mangalam Birla was born on June 14, 1967, in Kolkata, West Bengal.[12] He is a fourth-generation member of the Birla family from Pilani, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. He grew up in a joint Marwari business family in Mumbai with his parents, Aditya Vikram Birla and Rajashree Birla, and his younger sister, Vasavadatta Birla.[13][14]
His father, Aditya Vikram Birla, was an Indian Industrialist and philanthropist,[15][16] and his mother, Rajashree Birla, is known for her philanthropic work. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for her contributions to social causes in 2011.[17][18]
Birla completed his high school education at Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai before pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree from H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, University of Mumbai. He married Neerja Birla in 1989, and the couple later moved to London, where Kumar continued his studies at the London Business School, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1992. He is also an honorary fellow at the London Business School.[1]
Birla is also a chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).[19]
Kumar Birla has three children, Ananya Birla (daughter), Aryaman Vikram Birla (son) and Advaitesha Birla (daughter).[20]
In January 2023, Kumar Birla's children, Ananya Birla and Aryaman Vikram Birla, joined the Boards of Grasim Industries, Hindalco Industries, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL), and Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited (ABMCPL).[21]
In 1995, Birla took over the family business and consolidated all the group companies under the brand – Aditya Birla Group (ABG).[22] In 1998, the Aditya Birla Group acquired Digvijay Cement for approximately ₹200 crore, marking its entry into the cement industry.[23] Birla acquired Indian Aluminum Company (INDAL) in 2000.[24] In 2003, Hindalco Industries acquired Nifty Copper Mines in Australia, while the Aditya Birla Group acquired the Mount Gordon Copper mines in Australia.[25][26] In 2004, Birla acquired a majority stake in L&T cement, which was later renamed UltraTech Cement.[27] In the same year, Hindalco Industries announced a merger with all the businesses of Indian Aluminium Company (Indal).[28]
In 2007, Hindalco acquired Atlanta-based Novelis Inc, which was the world's leading producer of aluminium rolled products.[29] In addition to acquiring Novelis Inc., Birla focused on expanding Hindalco's operations, which included investments in greenfield projects in Orissa, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.[30] In 2012, Birla's Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. acquired Future Group's Pantaloon Retail Limited in India. [31] In 2013, Aditya Birla Chemicals acquired the chlor-alkali and phosphoric acid divisions of Solaris Chemtech Industries in India.[32]
Birla's name surfaced in Indian coal allocation scandal, pertaining to the allocation of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009.[33] In 2014, CBI filed closure report against Birla.[34] Since 2015, the Aditya Birla Group consolidated its branded apparel business under its lifestyle retail firm Pantaloons Fashion and Retail India Ltd and renamed it as Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, creating India's largest branded clothing company by revenue and number of sales outlets.[35]
By 2016, Birla launched a new logo for the Aditya Birla Group.[36] In June 2017, UltraTech Cement, chaired by Birla, completed the acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates' six cement plants along with five grinding units.[37] In the same year, Birla revived Applause Entertainment, a media, content and IP creation studio with a focus on creating premium digital drama series.[38]
In 2018, the Aditya Birla Group-owned Idea Cellular merged with Vodafone India to create India's then largest telecom service provider, Vodafone Idea. Also in 2018, UltraTech Cement acquired the cement business of Century Textiles, while Binani Cement became a wholly-owned subsidiary of UltraTech Cement.[39][40] In 2018, Novelis entered into an agreement to acquire Aleris Corporation. The deal was closed for $2.8 billion in 2020.[41]
In August 2021, Birla stepped down as the non-executive chairman of Vodafone Idea.[42][43]
Under Birla's chairmanship, UltraTech Cement announced plans to expand its grey cement production capacity to 200 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) with an investment of ₹32,400 crore.[44] In November 2023, he oversaw the acquisition of Kesoram Industries' cement assets for ₹7,600 crore.[45] By the end of 2023, UltraTech had increased its production capacity by 18.7 MTPA, with an additional 35.5 MTPA in a planned manner across 16 locations.[44] In April 2024, two new greenfield projects were commissioned, adding 5.4 MTPA in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.[46] By April 2024, UltraTech's total grey cement manufacturing capacity had reached 151.6 MTPA.[46] In the same year, Grasim Industries entered the paints business, Birla Opus Paints, with an investment of ₹5,000 crore, paid over three years.[47][48]
In July 2024, Aditya Birla Group launched its jewellery brand Indriya with an investment of ₹5,000 crore.[49][50]
He currently serves as the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group and is the Chancellor of BITS Pilani, which includes its campuses in Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, and Dubai.[51]
He is also the Chairman of the Governing Council of the BITS School of Management (BITSoM) and the Board of Governors of BITS Law School, Mumbai.[52][53]
He is also a Director of the G. D. Birla Medical Research and Education Foundation.[54]
Previously, Birla served as the Chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.[55] He was a Director on the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India and chaired several government and industry committees, including the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Company Affairs, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Committee on Corporate Governance, and the SEBI Committee on Insider Trading. [56].[57]
He also chaired the Board of Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and served as the Convener of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Administrative and Legal Simplifications. Additionally, he was a member of the Prime Minister of India’s Advisory Council on Trade and Industry.[54]
Birla has received several awards, including the International Advertising Association's "CEO of the Year Award" in 2016; the US India Business Council's "Global Leadership Award" in 2014; Economic Times "Business Leader Award" in 2003 and 2013; Forbes India Leadership Award – Flagship Award "Entrepreneur of the Year 2012; NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2012, "Most Inspiring Leader"; CNBCTV18 IBLA "Business Leader for Taking India Abroad 2012"; CNN-IBN "Indian of the Year Award 2010"; JRD Tata "Leadership Award 2008"; NDTV's "Global Indian Leader of the Year 2007".[58]
The Birla family has been involved in philanthropic activities in India, including the establishment of BITS Pilani and several Birla Mandirs (temples), with the most recent one in Goa.[81][82] As per the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021, Kumar Mangalam Birla and his family ranked fourth on the philanthropy list, with donations mostly to the healthcare sector.[83]
Founded in 1999 by Kumar Mangalam Birla in memory of his father, Aditya Vikram Birla, the Aditya Birla Scholarship Programme provides financial assistance to students pursuing degrees in engineering, management, and law. The program collaborates with institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), BITS Pilani, XLRI Jamshedpur, and various law colleges across India. As of 2024, the program has supported 781 students in these fields.[84]
In 2006, Kumar Mangalam Birla established the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune, Maharashtra.[85] The hospital provides healthcare services to the community[86] and is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) and the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH).[87]
In 2019, Kumar Mangalam Birla created a £15 million endowed scholarship program at the London Business School. The BK Birla Scholars Programme supports 10 full-time MBA candidates each year and is named after Birla's late grandfather, Basant Kumar Birla. This is the largest endowed scholarship gift to a European business school.[88]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kumar Mangalam Birla and the Aditya Birla Group contributed INR 500 crore toward relief efforts, which included INR 400 crore to the PM CARES Fund.[89]
Under Kumar Mangalam Birla's leadership, the Aditya Birla Group launched Aadyam Handwoven, a program focused on supporting weaver communities in regions across India such as Varanasi, Pochampally, Bhadoi, Kashmir, Gadwal, Bhuj, and others.[90] In November 2024, the Department of Handlooms and Textiles in Andhra Pradesh partnered with Aadyam Handwoven to support the state's handloom weavers.[91]