The Godrej family is an Indian

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

family that manages and largely owns the Godrej Group of company- a

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** ...

founded by Ardeshir Godrej and his brother

Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej (1882–1972) was an Indian businessman, son of Burjorji Godrej and brother of Ardeshir Burjorji Godrej. Projsha with his brother Ardeshir laid the foundation for the international conglomerate Godrej Group. Early lif ...

in 1897. It spans sectors as diverse as real estate, consumer products, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture, security and agricultural products. Headed by

Adi Godrej Adi Burjorji Godrej (born 3 April 1942) is an Indian billionaire businessman and industrialist, head of the Godrej family, and chairman of the Godrej Group. , he has a net worth of US$2.3 billion. Early life Godrej completed his schooling at ...

alongside his brother,

Nadir Godrej Nadir Burjorji Godrej (born 1951) is an Indian chemical engineer, industrialist and member of the Godrej family. He is managing director of Godrej Industries, one of India's biggest businesses, and as chairman of Godrej Agrovet. Background an ...

, and cousin,

Jamshyd Godrej Jamshyd Naoroji Godrej is an Indian industrialist and member of the Godrej family, currently serving as managing director and chairman of Godrej & Boyce, the holding company of the Godrej group. Godrej & Boyce is a diversified business with a p ...

, the family is one of the richest in India; with an estimated net worth of $11.6bn as of 2014.

History

The family's presence in business began in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

in 1897, when Ardeshir Godrej, after reading a newspaper article about rising citywide crime rates, began developing and selling locks, with the assistance of his brother Pirojsha. Ardeshir Godrej died childless; Pirojsha Godrej's sons Burjor,

Sohrab use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Turan , death_cause = Killed in combat by his father, Rostam, with neither Rostam nor Sohrab a ...

, and

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

succeeded in the second generation. Today, grandsons Adi, Nadir, and Jamshyd manage the group. The initial venture, Godrej Brothers, has since diversified across sectors and evolved into multiple companies under the umbrella of the

Godrej Group Godrej Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, which is managed and largely owned by the Godrej family. It was founded by Ardeshir Godrej and Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej in 1897, and operates in sectors includin ...

, including

Godrej Industries Godrej Industries Limited is a holding company of the Godrej Group. The company has its headquarters in Mumbai, India. Division Godrej Industries has the following divisions; * Godrej Chemicals * Godrej Agrovet *Godrej Consumer Products *Godre ...

, Godrej Agrovet, Godrej Consumer Products,

Godrej Properties Godrej Properties Limited is a real estate company with its head office in Mumbai, India. A subsidiary of Godrej Industries Ltd, the company was established in 1990 under the leadership of Adi Godrej. The company is currently developing projects ...

, Godrej Interio, and the holding company Godrej & Boyce.

Estate in Mumbai

Among the family's most valuable assets is a 3,500-acre estate in Vikhroli,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, the value of which is estimated at $12 billion if developed; in 2011, the family announced plans to develop three million square feet by 2017, through an internal joint venture composed of

and

. For decades, the family has preserved some 1,750 acres of

mangrove swamps A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...

within the estate, leading to the 2012 inclusion of Adi Godrej and Jamshyd Godrej in

Forbes magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...

's list of the richest green billionaires. On 18 June 2014, Godrej family bought the iconic bungalow of Homi J. Bhabha, ''Mehrangir'', for Rs. 372 Cr through an auction initiated by the National Center for the Performing Arts in

Members

* Ardeshir Godrej, Cofounder of Godrej Brothers *

, cofounder of Godrej Brothers *Burjor Godrej *

Sohrab Pirojsha Godrej Sohrab Pirojsha Godrej (3 June 1912 – 22 May 2000), popularly known as Soli, was an Indian businessperson, entrepreneur and the chairman of Godrej Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India with interests in real estate, consumer products ...

, chairman of the Group *

Naval Godrej Naval Pirojsha Godrej (1916-1990), fondly known as Naoroji, was born on 3 December 1916. The father of Jamshyd Godrej, the Managing Director & Chairman of Godrej & Boyce, Naval was the youngest son of Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej - an Indian indus ...

, chairman of the

* Parmeshwar Godrej, socialite and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

activist ** Pirojsha Adi Godrej, Managing Director & CEO of Godrej Properties Limited *

, managing director of

and chairman of Godrej Agrovet *

, chairman of Godrej & Boyce * Nyrika Holkar, executive director of Godrej & Boyce * Smita V. Crishna, stock holder of

Charities

The family controls the Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation and Godrej Memorial Trust.

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Adi Godrej : An Overview

References

Parsi people from Mumbai Business families of India Godrej Group Godrej family {{India-business-bio-stub