Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894–1983), born into a business family, he 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.[5][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]
2017:UltraTech Cement completed the Rs 16,189 crore ($2.3 billion) acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates' six integrated cement plants and five grinding units, having a capacity of 21.2 million tonnes.[32][33]
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]
Affiliated companies
Birla Group Holdings Private Limited (BGHPL) is a key holding company for the Aditya Birla Group and was founded in 1980.
The Aditya Birla Group operates across 36 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.[12]
Metal: Hindalco founded in 1958. Four years later, GD Birla set up India's first integrated aluminium facility at Renukoot. 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 largest cement producer 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: Founded in 2011, Aditya Birla Renewables Limited (ABRL), ABReL is a provider of solar, wind, and hybrid power solutions to public and private-sector customers across India. It operates 2.3 GW renewable capacity in 9 Indian states and announced 4.5 GW by FY2026 through utility and commercial projects.[60]
Mining: The group has mineral resource operations through its subsidiary Essel Mining Industries Ltd.[61]
Telecom: The group has a presence in the telecom sector through its joint venture, Vodafone Idea.[62]
Besides these sectors, the group has also ventured into paints, e-commerce for building materials, and DTC retail via TMRW.[63]
The group implemented programs in partnership with NGOs and government agencies, including the Aditya Birla Public Health Initiative, and Project Unnati.[67]
Healthcare
The group operates 24 hospitals and runs 6,000 medical camps in India.[68][69]
Other contributions
Kumar Mangalam Birla and his family ranked fourth on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List in 2021 and 2022,[70][71] donating ₹377 crore and ₹242 crore respectively.[72][73] The Aditya Birla Group donated ₹500 crore to the PM CARES Fund in 2020.[74] In 2019, Kumar Mangalam Birla created a £15mn scholarship program at the London Business School in memory of his grandfather, Basant Kumar Birla.[75]
