ET Awards for Corp Excellence: Kumar Mangalam Birla -business leader of the year – redefining legacy, shaping tomorrow
Aditya Birla Group, capped by entry into the elite $100 billion market capitalisation club. The group’s cement business consolidated its position as the largest in India through multiple acquisitions. It entered paints with a plan to add a massive 40% of the industry’s production capacity. Group company Vodafone Idea, India’s third largest telecom player, raised `18,000 crore through the biggest-ever domestic follow-on public offer.
Helmed by 57-year-old Kumar Mangalam Birla — the fourth generation of the Birla family — the group has also forayed into competitive branded jewellery. The jury recognised the outstanding year the group has had, picking Birla as Business Leader of the Year in a unanimous vote. What Kumar has achieved — $100 billion market capitalisation for the group this year — is enormous, said one jury member.
Established early in the 20th century by Ghanshyam Das Birla, the group started off in industries critical to nationbuilding, with the next leg of growth — led by Aditya Vikram Birla — focusing on establishing it on the global stage.
“It is a privilege to receive this honour from ET on behalf of my 187,000 colleagues across the globe. This award is yet another testament to the enduring impact we have created as a business group, and that too in an era of such dramatic change,” Birla told ET.
Birla, who was on the jury, recused himself when the category was discussed. “At the Aditya Birla Group, we find ourselves at a pivotal juncture, strategically placing multiple bets on both our
