Gopichand Hinduja, the head of one of the UK’s richest families, has died at the age of 85. His passing does indeed mark the end of an era for the Hinduja family. In the process they have acquired a thick business patrimony and given generously to philanthropy. The family has been knocked off the top of the most recent Sunday Times Rich List. Their combined net worth of £35.3 billion gives them considerable power in both the UK and in India.
Gopichand Hinduja died at 92 Gopichand Hinduja, the second oldest of four brothers who ran their family business, the Hinduja Group, for decades. His contributions were key to taking their father’s small textile and trading businesses into a formidable global empire. At present, the Hinduja Group has a presence in 48 countries with nearly 200,000 personnel on rolls globally. The youngest brother, Ashok Hinduja, continues to run day-to-day operations in India, where the wealth remains, including their truck manufacturing flagship Ashok Leyland.
The Hinduja family are adept international businesspeople. All their enormous investments in real estate – dozens of palatial mansions around St James’s Park and Winston Churchill’s Old War Office on Whitehall just a few of their haul. She and her husband Dinesh ranked 11th on Forbes’ list of India’s 100 richest businesspeople in 2024.
Throughout his life, Gopichand Hinduja was active in many charitable endeavors. The family is the stuff of legend in the UK for donating £1 million to the much derided Millennium Dome project. Peter Mandelson, then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, led that initiative. Gopichand had previously entered into a correspondence with Mandelson about his brother Prakash’s granting of British citizenship.
The Hinduja family have had their names embroiled in controversy over the years. Indeed, among other things, in 2001, they participated in the “Hinduja affair.” In fact, just recently a Swiss court found Prakash Hinduja and his relatives guilty of abusing their servants in their home in Geneva.
Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beers, continued the praise for Mr Gopichand Hinduja’s legacy. He noted that Hinduja really personified the deep connection between India and the UK. In a statement reflecting on his loss, the Hinduja family expressed their grief: “He will leave a deep hole at the heart of our family.”
“GP was not only a famous and respected individual in the UK and India but a great champion for our two countries. We shall miss him greatly.” – Hinduja family
The death of Gopichand Hinduja will be a deep personal loss for his family. It takes a toll on multitudes who respected his body of work in business, and his spearheading of initiatives to deepen relations among nations.