Kumar Mangalam Birla is the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate. He took over as chairman in 1995 at age 28 after his father's sudden death. Under his leadership, the group has expanded significantly and now generates over $24 billion in annual revenue. Birla has received numerous awards and accolades for his business success and leadership. He serves on several boards and advisory councils in both India and internationally. Through his determination and values-based approach, Birla has transformed his father's empire and established himself as one of India's most respected business leaders.
2. Introduction
Born on 14th
June, 1967 at Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia into a Marwari business Birla family
from state of Rajasthan.
He spent his early life in Calcutta and
Mumbai.
A chartered accountant.(1988)
Kumar Mangalam Birla earned an MBA from
the London Business School, where he is also
an Honorary Fellow. (1992)
3. Mr. Birla and his wife, Mrs. Neerja Birla, have
three children, Ananyashree, Aryaman Vikram
and Advaitesha.
Kumar Mangalam Birla took over as Chairman in
1995, at the age of 28, after sudden demise of
his father.
Today, Kumar Mangalam Birla is among the
Top 10 Richest persons of India (7th Richest
person of India) with Net Worth of US $ 10
Billions and above and the 8th Youngest
Billionaire of the World according to Forbes
magazine.
4. The Group
Birla Group has a yearly Revenue of more
than US $ 24 Billions.
1,00,000 + people are working for this Group.
The main Business Industry of Birla group is
Metals, Cement, Textile, Fertilizers and
many others…..
The Aditya Birla Group comprises of 16
companies and joint ventures in India and 22
international companies, mostly in South-east
Asia.
5. Taking India to the world!!
The major Companies of Birla Group are,
Grasim
Hindalco
Ultra-Tech Cement
Aditya Birla Nuvo
Idea Cellular
Aditya Birla Retail
Its Joint Ventures include Birla Sun Life
(Financial Services) and Birla NGK
(Insulators).
6. His Challenges
After sudden demise of his father, noted
industrialist Aditya Birla, after whom the group
is named, when Kumar Mangalam Birla
assumed the mantle at the Aditya Birla Group,
Doubts were raised about his ability to handle
a giant business house.
With interests spanning viscose, textiles and
garments on the one hand and cement,
aluminium and fertilisers on the other.
But Kumar Mangalam proved his skeptics
wrong.
7. He brought in radical changes, changed
business strategies, professionalised the
entire group and replaced internal systems.
Mr. Kumar Mangalam reduced his group's
dependence on the cyclic commodities
sectors by entering consumer products.
Under Kumar Mangalam Birla's leadership,
the Aditya Birla Group, apart from
consolidating its position in existing
businesses, also ventured into sunrise sectors
like cellular telephony, asset management,
software and BPO.
8. When Kumar Mangalam Birla had joined
Aditya Birla Group, In the Birla Group, there
was womb-to-tomb policy. People rarely
retired. And it was assumed that their children
guaranteed jobs with the group.
He changed all that for the benefit of the
Company. According to him, he felt that if
people never retired, then there was no place
for younger people to rise. So it was important
to institute a retirement policy.
9. When Mr. Aditya Birla, Mr. Kumar’s father
died in 1995, the group was already worth
Rs.8,000 Crores.
If Mr. Kumar had been content to manage the
business that his father left him and had not
bothered with acquisitions or new projects, he
would probably be sitting on a group that was
worth around Rs.12,000 Crores today merely
on the basis of normal growth.
And even at that level, he would be still
country’s leading business men.
His Success Story
10. But he struggled for 2 to 3 years to come up
and prove himself and settled his business.
Thus, because of his determination by facing
all the adverse situations today after 15 years
he has transformed his father’s empire to
Rs.34,000 Crores by his Knowledge,
Passion, Entrepreneurship, Interest &
Leadership.
11. His Achievements
Mr. Birla was the first and only industrialist to
have been appointed as a public nominee on
the Governing Board of the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by the
Finance Ministry in the year 1998.
He served as the Chairman of SEBI's 17-
Member Committee on Corporate
Governance constituted in mid-1999, and as
Chairman of SEBI's Committee on Insider
Trading.
12. The Bombay Management Association
honoured Mr. Birla as "The Management
Man of the Year 1999-2000" .
The Rajiv Gandhi Award for "Business
Excellence and his contribution to the country"
by the Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress in
the year 2000.
Ranked among the first five Asian business
leaders for the CNBC/INSEAD sponsored
"Asian Business Leader Award 2002“.
13. Named "The Business Leader of the Year"
by The Economic Times Awards for Corporate
Excellence 2002-2003.
Close on the heels of the Economic Times'
"The Business Leader of the Year" Award,
he was selected Business India's "Business
Man of the Year — 2003". This is indeed
historic, as no Chairman / CEO has ever won
both these prestigious awards in a single
year.
The Indo-American Society's "Young
Achiever Award" .
14. Awarded "The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur
of the Year —- India" in the year 2005.
Named "Young Super Performer in the
CEO Category" by Business Today – 2005.
Represented India at the Ernst & Young
World Entrepreneur Award in Monte Carlo,
Monaco in June 2006, where he was inducted
as a Member of the Ernst & Young World
Entrepreneur of the Year Academy.
15. The media too have showered accolades on
Mr.Kumar Mangalam Birla.
Between 1997 to-date, the NDTV, Star Plus
"India Business Week" designated him as
"The Businessman of the Year".
Global Finance has cited him among the 10
Super Stars of Corporate Finance.
Business World ranked him among the top 10
of India's most admired and respected CEOs
and the top CEO of the coming millennium.
Hindustan Times named him as "The
Businessman of the Year" as well.
16. Present Status
Mr. Birla is also on the Board of the G.D.Birla
Medical Research & Education Foundation,
and a Member of the Board of Governors of
the Birla Institute of Technology & Science
(BITS), Pilani.
He is a Member of the London Business
School's Asia Pacific Advisory Board, which
provides counsel on the School's strategy and
curriculum.
17. Mr. Birla has held and continues to hold
several key and responsible positions on
various regulatory and professional
Boards, such as:
Director of the Central Board of Directors of
the Reserve Bank of India from 27 June 2006.
Chairman of the Advisory Committee
constituted by the Ministry of Company Affairs
for 2006 and 2007.
Member of The Prime Minister of India's
Advisory Council on Trade and Industry
Chairman of the Board of Trade reconstituted
by the Union Minister of Commerce and
Industry.
18. Chairman of the National Safety Council.
Member of The National Council of the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Member of the Apex Advisory Council of The
Associated Chambers of Commerce and
Industry of India.
On The Advisory Council for the Centre for
Corporate Governance.
Member of the Organising Committee for
Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010.
19. His Ideologies and
Characteristics
An Introvert Personality
Straightforward
A Good Leader
Patience
Walks on his values and principles
Growth Oriented
Creative
Works for society
Determined
20. Therefore he is one the most respected
person in the Industry due to his values and
principles.
“He speaks by his work and not by
his words.”