Kumar Mangalam Birla: The Fourth-Generation Commodity King

The trajectory of Aditya Birla Group is unparalleled. Ever wondered who is at the helm, lifting the company to new heights? In this article, we bring to you everything about the man behind Aditya Birla Group’s exceptional success story: Kumar Mangalam Birla. He is an Indian industrialist, and the administrator of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the biggest multinationals in India. He is additionally the chancellor of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, and the executive of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Read below to know more about Kumar Mangalam Birla.

Who is Kumar Mangalam Birla?

Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. He is the one who chairs the Boards of the entirety of the Group’s significant companies in India and worldwide. The worldwide corporations involve Novelis, Birla Carbon, Aditya Birla Minerals, Aditya Birla Chemicals, Domsjö Fabriker, and Terrace Bay Pulp Mill. Birla chairs the Boards of Hindalco, Grasim, UltraTech, Vodafone Idea, and Aditya Birla Capital Limited in India. 

The companies are spread across areas of businesses. These incorporate aluminium, copper, concrete, materials (mash, fibre, yarn, texture and marked clothing), carbon dark, protectors, regular assets, agri-business, broadcast communications, monetary administrations, retail, and exchanging.

Birla’s Educational Background

A Commerce Graduate from the University of Mumbai, Birla is a Chartered Accountant. He procured an MBA from the London Business School.

Birla’s Impeccable Business Story

Mr Birla took over as Chairman of the Group in 1995, at 28 years old, after the inopportune downfall of his dad. As Chairman, Mr Birla has taken the Aditya Birla Group to a by and large higher development direction. In the 24 years that he has been in charge of the Group, he has sped up development, fabricated a meritocracy and improved partner esteem. 

All the while, he has raised the Group’s turnover from US$ 2 billion out of 1995, to US$ 46.3 billion. Mr Birla has rebuilt the corporation to arise as a worldwide/public forerunner in the areas in which the Group works. He has made more than 40 acquisitions in 20 years in India and all around the world, the most by an Indian multinational corporation. 

“First create jobs, and then provide skills to people.”

Obtaining of Novelis

The obtaining of Novelis, a worldwide metals major, in 2007, the second biggest procurement ever by an Indian organization, prompted a freshly discovered regard for Indian organisations and stirred up a more significant level of interest in the nation also. The resulting securing of Columbian Chemicals, a US-based organization and the world’s third-biggest carbon dark maker, situated the Group as the No. 1 part in this area, given its own sizable carbon dark activities today.

In like manner, the securing of Domsjö Fabriker, a main Swedish strength mash producer empowers the Group’s Pulp and Fiber business to additionally unite its worldwide position. The procurement of CTP GmbH – Chemicals and Technologies for Polymers in Germany was one more achievement obtained. As of late, Mr Birla through Novelis, our Group organization, had offered Aleris, a US significant metals organisation for a thought of 2.6 billion dollars. 

Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla on the importance of vision and values. #LeadersSpeak pic.twitter.com/x1uGp54o9Y

— Aditya Birla Group (@AdityaBirlaGrp) January 5, 2017

International Businesses

Throughout the long term, Mr Birla has procured fabricating plants in Canada, China, Indonesia and mines in Australia, set up new plants in Egypt, Thailand and China. Close by, he has extended limits in the entirety of the Group’s assembling units. 

In India, he has also made significant acquisitions, among which highlight (a particular rundown) Jaypee Cement plants, Binani Cement, Cement Division of Larsen and Toubro, Indal from Alcan, Madura Garments from Coats Viyella, the Chlor Alkali division of Kanoria Chemicals and Solaris Chemtech Industries. 

The latest consolidation of Vodafone and Idea designed by Mr Birla has made the biggest telecom administrator in India and the world’s second-biggest player. 

“The one important factor that keeps me going is the kind of people I work with.”

Accomplishments of Aditya Birla Group 

Under his stewardship, the Aditya Birla Group appreciates a place of initiative in every one of the significant areas where it works.

• Throughout the long term, Mr Birla has fabricated a profoundly effective meritocratic association, moored by a remarkable power of 120,000 representatives having a place with 42 unique identities.
• The Aditya Birla Group has been positioned fourth in the world and first in the Asia Pacific in the ‘Top Companies for Leaders’ examination 2011, led by AON Hewitt, Fortune Magazine and RBL (an essential HR and initiative Advisory firm).
• The Group topped Nielsen’s Corporate Image Monitor 2014-15 and rose as the Number 1 corporate, the ‘Top tier’, for the third progressive year.
• The Group won once more the pining for acknowledgement of ‘The Best Employers to work for in India’ by AON – Hewitt in 2018.

Accolades Conferred on Birla

• ABLF Global Asian Award, 2019 
• Harmony University, Haryana – ‘Specialist of Philosophy (D.Phil.) Honoris Causa’, 2019 
• CNBC-TV18 – IBLA ‘Exceptional Businessman of the Year 2017’ 
• Ice and Sullivan’s ‘The GIL Visionary Leadership Award’ (Global Innovation Leader) 2017 
• Worldwide Advertising Association’s (IAA) ‘Chief of the Year Award 2016’ 
• Accepted as an Honorary Member – Rotary Club of Mumbai (November 2014) 
• Hi Hall of Fame – Business Leader of the Year 2014 (November 2014) 
• US India Business Council (USIBC) ‘2014 Global Leadership Award’ 
• ‘Business Leader of the Year’, the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence, 2012-13 
• ‘Positioned the fourth Most Powerful CEO (2013)’ in the Economic Times’ Corporate India’s Definitive Power posting of 100 CEOs 
• Indore Management Association’s Award ‘Public Indian Business Icon’, 2013 
• Forbes India Leadership Award – Flagship Award ‘Business person of the Year, 2012’ 
• NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2012 – ‘Most Inspiring Leader’ 

• The Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in acknowledgement of his job in ‘Spearheading incredible designing items including multi-disciplinary designing manners of thinking in the country’ by the Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka, 2012 
• NASSCOM’s ‘Worldwide Business Leader Award’ 2012. 
• CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Award 2012 for ‘Taking India Abroad’ 
• ‘GQ Business Leader of the Year Award – 2011’ from Condé Nast India Pvt. Ltd., a member of Condé Nast Global
• ‘CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010 – Business’, ‘for being the most remarkable money manager and making a triumph out of most organizations including the dawn area’, 2010 
• The All India Management Association’s (AIMA), Managing India Awards 2010 ‘Business Leader of the Year’, 2010 
• The AIMA – ‘RD Tata Corporate Leadership Award’, 2008 
• The Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris causa) in ”acknowledgement of his significant commitment in the field of the business organization” by the G. D. Gasp University of Agriculture and Technology, 2008 

“Failure is not fatal, it’s inevitable. If you don’t fail, it perhaps means you aren’t taking enough risks.”

• ‘For the advancement of innovation and furthermore for the inclusion in the field of Industries in bringing the country at standard with different nations in the field of Industries’, the SRM University in Tamil Nadu presented the Degree of Doctor of Literature, 2008 
• The Asia Pacific Global HR Excellence – ‘Commendable Leader’ Award, 2007 
• ‘The Global Indian Leader of the Year’ by NDTV Profit in their Business Leader Awards class, 2007 
• The Lakshmipat Singhania – IIM, Lucknow ‘Public Leadership Award, Business Leader’, 2006 
• Addressed India at the Ernst and Young World Entrepreneur Award in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2006, where he was drafted as an ‘Individual from the Ernst and Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Academy’ 
• ‘The Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award, 2005 
• ‘Youthful Super Performer in the CEO Category’ by Business Today, 2005 
• Picked by the World Economic Forum (Davos) as one of the ‘Youthful Global Leaders’, 2004 
• ‘The D. Litt (Honoris Causa) Degree’ by The Banaras Hindu University, 2004 
• ‘Privileged Fellowship’ by the All India Management Association, 2004 
• ‘The Business Leader of the Year’, The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2002-2003 

• ‘Financial specialist of the Year-2003’ by Business India 
• The Rajiv Gandhi Award for ‘Business Excellence and his commitment to the country’ by the Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress, 2001 
• The National HRD Network, ‘The Outstanding BusinessMan of the Year’, 2001 
• The Institute of Directors’ ‘Brilliant Peacock National Award for Business Leadership, 2001 
• Hindustan Times, ‘The Businessman of the Year’, 2001
• The Bombay Management Association – ‘The Management Man of the Year 1999-2000’ 
• ‘Among the 10 hotshots of Corporate Finance’ – Global Finance, 1998 
• ‘Among the best 10 of India’s generally appreciated and regarded CEOs and the top CEO of the coming thousand years’, Business World, 1998

“If you cannot collaborate, you cannot succeed. The joy of accomplishing something as a team is far greater than any individual achievement.”

Serving the Marginalised Groups

Mr Birla has regulated the idea of mindfulness at the Aditya Birla Group. With his order, the Group is engaged with several NGOs that particularly influence the living standards of the more fragile areas of society, encompassing many towns that are among the most unfortunate in India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. 

Under Kumar Mangalam Birla’s stewardship, the Group’s CSR speculation is around Rs.250 crore. 

• In India, the Group is occupied with 5,000 towns, contacting 7.5 million individuals yearly and having an effect on their lives through fastidiously considered ventures zeroing in on medical services, training, supportable vocation, foundation and social causes.
• For example, the Group runs 56 schools that give quality instruction to 45,000 youngsters. Of these, more than 18,000 youngsters are from oppressed networks.
• Also, over 100,000 adolescents profit from connecting instructive projects and professional preparation.
• Its 22 clinics watch out for in excess of 1,000,000 townspeople. In accordance with its obligation to maintain a turn of events, it has joined forces with Columbia University in setting up the Columbia Global Center’s Earth Institute in Mumbai.
• To install CSR as a lifestyle in associations, has set up the FICCI – Aditya Birla CSR Center for Excellence, in Delhi.

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