Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894–1983) Born into a business family, G.D. Birla began his career in the family's trading business. He expanded into various industries like
jute,
cotton, and
textiles.[13] G.D. Birla established multiple manufacturing businesses that laid the foundation for the Aditya Birla Group.[14] He was recognized for his charitable acts and his connection with
Mahatma Gandhi.[15][16]
Aditya Vikram Birla (1943–1995), the grandson of G.D. Birla, grew the group's operations.[17] At 24, Aditya Birla began establishing businesses abroad. In 1969, he founded 19 companies in
Thailand,[18]Malaysia,
Indonesia,
Philippines, and
Egypt.[17][19] Under his leadership, the group diversified into multiple sectors such as
metals,
cement,
textiles, and
telecom.[18]
Kumar Mangalam Birla (1967-current), became the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group in 1995, succeeding his late father Aditya Vikram Birla when he was just 28 years old.[19][20] Under his leadership, the group's annual turnover grew from $2 billion in 1995 to $60 billion in 2022.[7][21]
Timeline
1969: At the age of 24, Aditya Birla assumed control of the group. He set up 19 companies outside India, in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Egypt.[17][19]
1996: The group's revenue was $2 billion.
2007: The group made a major move into the metals industry with the acquisition of
Novelis, a producer of flat-rolled aluminium products, for $6.1 billion.[22][23]
2008: The group ventured into the telecom sector through the acquisition of Spice Communications for $1.8 billion.[24][25]
2010: Aditya Birla Group's cement arm,
UltraTech Cement, acquired the
Dubai-based ETA Star Cement Company for an enterprise value of $380 million.[26][27] This acquisition helped the group become the third-largest cement producer globally (excluding
China).[28]
2011: The group diversified into the
pulp and
fibre industry with the acquisition of
Domsjö Fabriker for $340 million.[29]
2012: The group expanded the fashion and retail segment with the acquisition of
Pantaloons, a branded apparel company, for $437 million.[30][31]
2019: The group acquired Century Cement for $1.2 billion.[35] Group company
ABFRL announced strategic partnership with designer brand
Shantanu and Nikhil.[36][37]
2020: The group purchased the aluminium company
Aleris for $2.8 billion.[38]
2022: The group's revenue reached $60 billion.[42] The group also launched TMRW, a D2C retail platform,[43][44] and Grasim's B2B e-commerce venture in the building materials segment.[45] ABFRL announced a partnership with designer
Masaba Gupta to build a lifestyle portfolio under brand Masaba.[46]
The Aditya Birla Group operates across 36 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.[12]
Metal: In 2007,
Hindalco acquired
Atlanta-based aluminum manufacturer
Novelis Inc. for $6 billion.[47] This made Hindalco the world's largest aluminum rolling company and a major producer of primary aluminum in Asia.[48][49] Its subsidiary, Birla Copper, operates Asia's largest single-site copper smelter.[50]
Cement: The group is the third-largest cement producer globally (excluding China) and the largest in India.[51] It operates under the brand name
UltraTech Cement.[52]
Textiles: Aditya Birla Textiles consists of Textiles (
linen and
wool),
acrylic fiber, and overseas spinning sectors, with manufacturing units across five countries. Its acrylic fibre business has a capacity of about 125,000 tonnes.[53]
Carbon Black: Birla Carbon produces and supplies carbon black additives for tires, plastics, paints, and electronics.[54] It has manufacturing units in
Marietta and
Taloja.[55]
Chemicals: Established in 1984, Aditya Birla Chemicals produces chlor-alkali and
caustic soda, with 8 units in India and 1 in Thailand.[56]
Financial Services: Aditya Birla Capital manages around Rs. 3.6 trillion
AUM and has a lending book of about Rs. 943 billion as of 31 March 2023, through its subsidiaries and joint ventures.[57]
Fashion and Retail: A fashion and lifestyle company headquartered in India, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL) was renamed from Pantaloons in 2015 after Aditya Birla Nuvo acquired major stakes in 2012.[58]
Insulators: Aditya Birla Insulators is India's largest and the world's third-largest insulator manufacturer.[59]
Renewables: Aditya Birla Renewables is a joint venture between Birla Group and
Abraaj, with Birla holding 51% and Abraaj 49%.[60] It operates 2.3 GW renewable capacity in 9 Indian states and announced 4.5 GW by FY2026 through utility and commercial projects.[61]
Mining: The group has mineral resource operations through its subsidiary Essel Mining Industries Ltd.[62]
Telecom: The group has a presence in the telecom sector through its joint venture,
Vodafone Idea.[63]
Besides these sectors, the group has also ventured into paints, e-commerce for building materials, and DTC retail via TMRW.[64]
The group implemented programs in partnership with
NGOs and government agencies, including the Aditya Birla Public Health Initiative, and Project Unnati.[68]
Healthcare
The group operates 24 hospitals and runs 6,000 medical camps in India.[69][70]
Other contributions
Kumar Mangalam Birla and his family ranked fourth on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List in 2021 and 2022,[71][72] donating INR 377 crore and INR 242 crore respectively.[73][74] The Aditya Birla Group donated INR 500 crore to the
PM CARES Fund in 2020.[75] In 2019, Kumar Mangalam Birla created a £15mn scholarship program at the
London Business School in memory of his grandfather,
Basant Kumar Birla.[76]