Kumar Mangalam Birla

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 former 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.[5]

Career

1995–2015

In 1995, Birla took over the family business and consolidated all the group companies under the brand – Aditya Birla Group (ABG).[13] Birla acquired Indian Aluminum Company (INDAL) in 2000.[14] In 2003, Hindalco Industries acquired Nifty Copper Mines in Australia, while the Aditya Birla Group acquired the Mount Gordon Copper mines in Australia.[15][16] In 2004, Birla acquired a majority stake in L&T Cement, which was later renamed UltraTech Cement.[17] In the same year, Hindalco Industries announced a merger with all the businesses of Indian Aluminium Company (Indal).[18]

In 2007, Hindalco acquired Atlanta-based Novelis Inc, which was the world's leading producer of aluminium rolled products.[19] In 2012, Birla's Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd acquired Future Group's Pantaloon Retail Limited in India.[20] In 2013, Aditya Birla Chemicals acquired the chlor-alkali and phosphoric acid divisions of Solaris Chemtech Industries in India.[21]

Birla's name surfaced in Indian coal allocation scandal, pertaining to the allocation of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009.[22] In 2014, CBI filed closure report against Birla.[23] 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.[24]

2016–present

By 2016, Birla launched a new logo for the Aditya Birla Group.[25] In June 2017, UltraTech Cement, chaired by Birla, completed the acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates' six cement plants along with five grinding units.[26] In the same year, Birla revived Applause Entertainment, a media, content and IP creation studio with a focus on creating premium digital drama series.[27]

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

birth date	June 14, 1967
birth place	Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, India
alma mater	University of Mumbai (BCom) Chartered Accountant London Business School (MBA)
title	Chairman of Aditya Birla Group
spouse	Neerja Birla (m. 1989)
children	3 (including Ananya)
parents	Aditya Vikram Birla and Rajashree Birla
awards	Padma Bhushan (2023)
relatives	See Birla family

Kumar Mangalam Birla

Early life and education

Family and children

Career

1995–2015

2016–present

Board memberships and affiliations

Honors and awards

Philanthropy

See also

References