Hinduja, chairman of Hinduja Group, passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness and was, according to people familiar with the matter as quoted by The Financial Times.
The Hinduja family said in a statement: “He was humble and joyful, and a friend to everyone he met … He will also be remembered for his formidable work in building the Hinduja Group over the past 70 years into the global success it is today.”
Hinduja Group is a global conglomerate with interests spanning banking, real estate, oil, entertainment, and commercial vehicles.
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Gopichand Hinduja arrives for the Midnight Mantra Ball at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London Saturday September 24 2005. Photo by PA Images via Reuters |
Hinduja joined the family business in 1959 and, alongside his older brother Srichand, helped transform it from a modest trading enterprise founded in India and Iran in the early 20th century into a worldwide powerhouse.
The two brothers moved to London in the 1970s to run the group, which now employs more than 150,000 people globally, according to The Guardian.
British entrepreneur Sukhpal Ahluwalia, who had known Hinduja for two decades, said he demonstrated “what can be done by people with very humble beginnings,” describing him as “jovial, the soul of the party.”
As Srichand had passed away in 2023, it remains uncertain whether leadership of the group will pass to one of Hinduja’s two surviving brothers.
The youngest, Ashok, leads operations in India, including key businesses such as truck and bus manufacturer Ashok Leyland and IndusInd Bank.
The four brothers had been embroiled in legal disputes over control of assets and power of attorney.
A London judge previously expressed concern that the care of Srichand, who suffered from dementia, had been “marginalized” due to the family feud. The litigation was later settled.
Hinduja was known for his taste for luxury. Jennifer Lopez performed at his son Sanjay’s wedding a decade ago in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
He also held firm religious and astrological beliefs, once remarking, “I strongly believe in planets.”
In 2023, the Hinduja Group opened a GBP1.4 billion luxury hotel in London’s former War Office on Whitehall where guests can stay in Winston Churchill’s former office for US$23,500–32,500 a night.
He considered the hotel his “greatest legacy to London.”
