Hinduja Group chairman Gopichand Hinduja passes away in London at 85

Gopichand P. Hinduja, chairman of the multi-billion-dollar Hinduja Group and one of the most influential figures in global business, passed away at a London hospital on Tuesday. He was 85.

Known simply as GP in corporate and diplomatic circles, Gopichand had helmed the Hinduja Group since the death of his elder brother Srichand P. Hinduja (SP) in May 2023. He is survived by his wife Sunita, sons Sanjay and Dheeraj, and daughter Rita.

The 2025 Sunday Times Rich List had recently ranked the Hinduja family as the wealthiest in the United Kingdom, with an estimated fortune of £32.3 billion (Rs 3.38 lakh crore approx.), underscoring their vast holdings across industries and continents.

Born in Mumbai in 1939, Gopichand joined the family business in 1950, when it was still focused on Indo–Middle East trade, particularly in commodities and textiles. Over the decades, he played a pivotal role in transforming the enterprise into a global conglomerate spanning 11 sectors — including automotive, banking and finance, IT, real estate, power, healthcare, and media.

The group’s best-known brands include Ashok Leyland, IndusInd Bank, and NXTDIGITAL Limited, with operations in over 38 countries and employing tens of thousands of people worldwide.

A graduate of Jai Hind College, Mumbai, Gopichand Hinduja also held honorary doctorates from the University of Westminster and Richmond College, according to the company’s official website.

Under Gopichand’s leadership, the Hinduja Group consolidated its global footprint. One of its defining moments came in 1987, when the family acquired Ashok Leyland, then a struggling heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer — marking what was considered India’s first major non-resident investment at the time.

That bold move helped position Ashok Leyland as one of India’s leading automotive brands and underscored the Hinduja Group’s long-term faith in India’s industrial potential.

While Gopichand oversaw the conglomerate’s central management from London, his brothers Prakash Hinduja managed European operations and Ashok Hinduja, the youngest, handled Indian ventures. The eldest, Srichand, who passed away in 2023, had long been regarded as the spiritual and moral head of the family.

The Hinduja family’s global business empire has not been without internal strains. In 2021, a family dispute spilled into a London courtroom after Srichand’s daughters Vinoo and Shanu accused their uncles — Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok — of excluding them from family trusts and financial decision-making while their father was suffering from dementia.

The brothers defended their actions by citing a 2013 family agreement that stated, “everything belongs to everyone and nothing belongs to anyone” — a phrase that has come to symbolise both the unity and complexity of the Hinduja empire.

Despite these challenges, Gopichand remained widely respected for his discipline, low profile, and strong work ethic. He was known to maintain close ties with political leaders across the UK, India, and the Middle East, quietly championing trade and investment links among the three regions.

The Hinduja Group, founded by the family patriarch Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja in 1914, has grown from its Sindh roots into one of the world’s most diversified business houses.

Tributes have begun pouring in from political leaders and industry figures in both India and Britain, hailing Gopichand as a visionary who bridged East and West. His passing marks the end of an era for a family that has shaped India’s global business footprint for over a century.

With IANS inputs