Gopichand Hinduja Becomes The Wealthiest Man In UK Again (image: facebook/ Gopichand Hinduja)
Chairperson of Hinduja group, Gopichand Hinduja, has topped the UK’s ‘Rich List 2024’ released by The Sunday Times last week. The British newspaper has released the wealth of the top 350 richest people in the UK, which has marked a decline in the number of billionaires, while the combined wealth of the top 350 has reportedly surpassed Poland”s GDP.
According to the list, Gopichand Hinduja has a total wealth worth of £37.196 billion, which is more than 39 lakh crore in Indian rupees, marking a rise of £2.196 billion in 2024 itself. This is the sixth consecutive time, the Indian-origin British entrepreneur tops the list. Another Indian who featured in the top 10 rankings is Lakshmi Mittal and family, with a net worth of £14.92 billion – in the 8th position.
Notably, the Indian-origin Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, Akshata Murthy, have experienced a remarkable surge in their wealth, exceeding £120 million in growth over last year. Their wealth stood at £651 million and was greater than that of King Charles on the wealth index, UK-based broadcasting networks reported.
Gopichand Hinduja
Gopichand Paramanand Hinduja, popularly known as GP, is the proprietor of the Hinduja Group, originally founded by his father, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, in 1914. Started as a village business in Shikarpur town in Pakistan, the group currently has a presence in diverse sectors including automotive, oil, speciality chemicals, finance, IT, cyber security, health care, trading, infrastructure development, and real estate. The Hinduja family is headed for the sixth consecutive time on the wealthiest list, after Gopichand took over the chairmanship last year.
The 84-year-old Gopichand took over the chairmanship of the group last year following the demise of his brother, Srichand Hinduja, due to dementia. Gopichand was the co-chairman until the death of his brother in May 2023. After the family feud surfaced after the death of Srichand, the business is currently controlled and collectively owned by all four brothers: Srichand”s family, Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok. The family’s group of companies operates in 48 countries in different sectors. In 2019, the Hinduja brothers, Gopichand and Srichand, were named the wealthiest in the UK, and they remained until 2022. Since the 1990s, Gopichand has been constantly ranked among the UK and Asia’s wealthiest people.
Gopichand was a graduate student from Mumbai’s Jai Hind College in 1959 and also holds an honorary doctorate in law and economics from the University of Westminster and London’s Richmond College, respectively. Gopichand obtained British citizenship in 1997.
