Post by : Rameen Ariff

London: Gopichand P. Hinduja, who led the global conglomerate Hinduja Group and was a prominent figure in international business, has died in London at the age of 85.

Known in corporate circles as ‘GP’, he was the second of four brothers who collectively expanded a family trading house into a multinational empire. His elder brother Srichand passed in 2023; brothers Prakash and Ashok continue to oversee parts of the family business.

Gopichand entered the family enterprise in 1950 and played a central role in broadening its reach from Indo–Middle East trading into a diversified group operating across key industries such as automotive, banking and finance, IT, healthcare, energy, real estate and media.

An alumnus of Jai Hind College in Mumbai, he was later awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Westminster and Richmond College in recognition of his business achievements and philanthropic work.

Under his stewardship the Hinduja Group became a widely recognised example of Indian entrepreneurship abroad, with marquee assets including Ashok Leyland, IndusInd Bank and NXTDIGITAL Limited among its holdings.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 recently identified the Hinduja family as the wealthiest in the UK, estimating their combined fortune at £32.3 billion.

While the family enjoyed remarkable success, it also endured public legal disputes over succession and control—most notably a 2021 court battle in London. Gopichand, with Prakash and Ashok, referenced a 2013 family pact that asserted “everything belongs to everyone and nothing belongs to anyone,” a phrase that reflected both past unity and present tensions. His death closes a significant chapter in a leading global business dynasty.

#Global