Global 6.qxp_A4 Temp 13/03/2015 19:29 Page 19
38
Harsh & Sanjiv Goenka, India
Conglomerate
$ 2.7 bn
R
PG Enterprises is a prominent player in power generation and distribution, retail, information technology, entertainment, power transmission infrastructure, chemicals, tyres, plantations and life sciences. The founder R P Goenka’s sons Harsh and Sanjiv took over as chairman and vice-chairman respectively in 1988. The former moved to Mumbai; the latter remains in Kolkata. Their supermarket chain Spencer's is expanding noticeably.
40
Simon, Bobby & Robin Arora, UK
Retail
S
$ 2.65 bn
imon Arora went to Cambridge, then worked in the City of London before returning to the north-west of England in 1995 to form a company with his brother Bobby to design, source and distribute homewares and soft furnishings for major retailers. They then took over a struggling B&M Retail. Joined by another brother Robin, they sold a 60% stake to an American private equity group to fund an expansion into nearly 400 stores.
Asian Voice Global Indian Rich List - 2015
39
Rajan Raheja & Family, India
T
Conglomerate
$ 2.7 bn
he Mumbai-based Rajan Raheja Group operates in areas as diverse as hotels, property, ceramic tiles, cement, automotive and industrial batteries (Exide), cable TV (Hathway) and publishing (Outlook magazine). Around half his fortune comes from his Exide business which has a two-third market share in car batteries.
41
I
Romesh Wadhwani & Family, USA
Private Equity
$ 2.5 bn
n 1995 Indian born Dr. Romesh Wadhwani started Aspect Development in Silicon Valley. In 2000, he sold the company to i2 for $9.3 billion in stock only to realise i2 had internal operational problems. 18 months later he left to invest in several software companies focused on innovation, which he named The Symphony Group.
19