Ajay Harinath Singh Greatest Brand Leader 2018-2019

Anand Mahindra
Carrying Forward a
Legacy of Trust
A third generation scion of the Mahindra clan, Mr. Anand Mahindra is the Chairperson of the $21
billion Mahindra & Mahindra conglomerate, which is spread across 20 diverse industries from
automobile to information technology to real estate and has been efficiently driving its expansion
domestically and internationally
The foundation of Mahindra group was
laid by Mr. Mahindra’s grandfather
Mr. K. C. Mahindra in Ludhiana,
Punjab. Under his able leadership, the
Mahindra group has spread extensively
from automobiles and agriculture to IT
and aerospace. He has also facilitated
its inorganic growth through varied
acquisitions such as Ssangyong Motors,
Reva Electric Car Company, Satyam
Computer Services, Peugeot Motorcycles,
Gippsland Aeronautics, Aerostaff Australia,
Holiday Club Resorts, and Pininfarina
S.p.A.
Carving His Own Path to the Top
Born and brought up in Mumbai,
Maharashtra, to the late Mr. Harish
Mahindra and Ms. Indira Mahindra, Mr.
Mahindra was an exceptionally bright
student and was equally brilliant in
academics and sports. He obtained a
graduate degree from the Harvard College,
Cambridge, Massachusetts and completed
his Masters in Business Administration
from the Harvard Business School, Boston,
Massachusetts.
In 1981, Mr. Mahindra returned to
India and joined the Mahindra Ugine
Steel Company (MUSCO) as an Executive
Assistant to the Finance Director. In 1989,
he became the President of this leading
group and played a significant role in
expanding the company into the sectors
of real estate development and hospitality.
In 1991, he worked under the capacity of
Deputy Managing Director of Mahindra &
Mahindra Group. He took the responsibility
as the Managing Director of the business
in 1997 and became the Vice Chairman in
2003. In addition, he was a Co-Promoter
of Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd., and
transformed it into a bank in 2003. Owing
to his dedicated efforts, Kotak Mahindra
Bank has emerged as one of the leading
banks in the private sector. Today, he owns
a small but valuable stake in the bank.
Under his quintessential leadership,
Mahindra Group successfully set up global
objectives and standards for achieving
success. In the year 2002, the Mahindra &
Mahindra Group introduced an indigenously
developed SUV, the Scorpio, which not
only made it a popular national brand but
also gave it international recognition. No
wonder, Mahindra Group is best known for
its tractors and its sports utility vehicles,
such as the Scorpio and Bolero. Thus, he
has successfully charted the growth of
the group through both acquisitions and
Greenfield business development.
Under his supervision, the company
opened a new and separate field, Mahindra
Systems and Automotive Technologies
“The World Bank has stated that
educated women help lift nations out
of poverty. if India wants to escape the
gravitational pull of poverty, then it
cannot afford to waste a moment in
ensuring education for all girls”
to lay emphasis on enhanced modules
and to offer better engineering services.
Apart from this, the firm has made
strategic acquisitions of plants in the
United Kingdom and China. Presently, it
has three assembly plants in the United
States of America and has collaborated
with international companies like Renault
SA, Nissan and the International Truck and
Engine Corporation, USA.
Making an Impact
Through his associations and collaborations
with major industry bodies, Mr. Mahindra
has been contributing to the nation’s
prosperity. He has been associated with
several influential bodies both national
and international; including the UN Global
Compact Board, Global Board of Advisors of
the Council on Foreign Relations, World Bank
Group’s Advisory Board for Doing Business
and the International Advisory Council
of Singapore’s Economic Development
Board. He has been the President of The
Confederation of Indian Industry and
served on the boards of the National Stock
Exchange of India and the National Council
of Applied Economic Research. He has also
served the Automotive Research Association
of India (ARAI) as its President and is the
Co-Founder of the Harvard Business School
Association of India, which is an association
devoted to the advancement of professional
management in India. He is currently on
the board of Invest India, the National
Investment Promotion and Facilitation
Agency.
He is a strong votary of arts and culture.
Under his leadership, Mahindra Blues
Festival, Mahindra Excellence in Theatre
Awards and Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow
Festival celebrate and nurture music,
theatre culture, art and history in India. He
also serves on the Board of Trustees of the
Natural History Museum of London and as
Chairman of the India Advisory Council of
the Lincoln Center.
Garnering Glory
For his exceptional contribution to the realm
of business, Mr. Mahindra has been listed
in Barron’s List of Top 30 CEOs worldwide
in the year 2016 and Fortune’s list of the
World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2014. He
received the Best Transformational Leader
Award from the Asian Centre for Corporate
Governance & Sustainability in 2012. He
received the ‘Grand Officer of the Order of
the Star of Italy’ from the President of Italy
in 2013.
He was honored as the Knight of the
50 | india’s greatest leaders 2019-20 |