The leading London-based NRI industrialists, the Hinduja family has topped the Asian Rich List 2019 for the successive year with an estimated worth of 25.2 billion pounds, an increase of over 3 billion pounds over the previous year.
The Hinduja Group is an Indian conglomerate company headquartered in London. They are involved in a wide range of activities including import and export, foundries, motor vehicles, trading, call centers, banking, and healthcare.
The Asian Rich List 2019 was released at the Asian Business Awards in London on Friday night.
Indian steel magnate based in the United Kingdom, Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya Mittal remained in second place, with 11.2 billion pounds, a drop of 2.8 billion pounds.
India’s High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam released the list that highlights the exceptional entrepreneurial achievement of the 101 wealthiest Asians in Britain over the past 12 months.
Sri Prakash Lohia, an Indian-born Indonesian billionaire businessman, and the founder and chairman of Indorama Corporation, a diversified petrochemical, and textile company, took the third place with 5.8 billion pounds.
The entries of the Asian Rich List 2019 have a combined wealth of more than 85.2 billion pounds.
The figure is increasing year on year and this year’s overall wealth increases by over 5 billion pounds.
The list features seven new entries, including Hotelier Joginder Sanger and his son Girish Sanger who enter at number 40 on the list with an estimated value of 300 million pounds.
Leading Non-Resident Indian (NRI) entrepreneur Lord Swraj Paul and family are 17th in the list with a net worth 900 million pounds, an increase of 100 million pounds over the previous year.
Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of Asian Marketing Group (AMG) publisher of the Rich List said, “The Asian Rich List is carefully compiled by a team of experts and it is the definitive guide to Asian wealth in Britain.”
Gopi Chand Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group said “our existing portfolio of companies is all in the sunrise sectors. Our focus is on banking and financial services, healthcare and of course, philanthropy.”
In London, the Hindujas are continuing with the conversion of the Old War Office, on which they have a 250-year lease, into a luxury residential and 125-room Raffles Hotel complex.
He said in India, there have been investment worth Rupees 1,000 crore (108 million pounds) in car and bus manufacturers Ashok Leyland, where Gopi Chand Hinduja’s younger son, Dheeraj Hinduja, is chairman.
It recently inaugurated a cutting edge electric vehicle facility in its Ennore plant at Chennai. Ashok Leyland is introducing battery-operated technology in its buses.
Gopi Chand Hinduja said, “All our businesses are going through a digital transformation journey.”
Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), rebranded from HTMT Global, has a presence in 12 countries including the Philippines, the United States, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, and Jamaica. In India, it has 68 “delivery centers” in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai as well as in growing cities such as Mysore, Nagercoil, Durgapur, Siliguri, and Guntur.
In healthcare, special attention is being devoted to spreading “cancer awareness”. In Mumbai, the PD Hinduja Hospital was involved in organizing “the cancer is curable ride” on World Cancer Day on February 4.
By Sowmya Sangam
