Sohrab Pirojsha Godrej (3 June 1912 – 22 May 2000), popularly known as Soli, was an Indian businessperson, entrepreneur and the chairman of

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 ...

, one of the largest conglomerates in India with interests in real estate, consumer products, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture, security and agricultural products. He is a former

Sheriff of Mumbai The Sheriff of Bombay is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Bombay. The Sheriff is an officer of the High Court and the nominal Head of the High Court Department which carries out the or ...

Early life

Born on 3 June 1912 to Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej, the co-founder of

, in

Mumbai 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 the western Indian state of Maharashtra, he did his schooling at Queen Mary School and St. Xavier's High School and graduated in science from

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is aff ...

. After the death of his father in 1972, he became the chairman of the group.

Career

Along with being the chairman of Godrej Group of Industries, Mr. Godrej had a wide range of interests, which included scientific management, environment, population control and development, education, social welfare, international affairs, archaeology and heritage conservation. He was the past-president of the

International Chamber of Commerce The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every sec ...

- India; the Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India; Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Indo-Belgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He served as the

in 1983 and was also the president of the Indo-French Technical Association.

Beyond Godrej

Sohrab Godrej was closely connected with various organisations committed to the preservation of nature, wildlife and environment as President Emeritus of the World Wide Fund for Nature - India. He was also the vice-president of the Bombay Natural History Society, president of the National Society of the Friends of the Trees, patron of the Family Planning Association of India and governing board member of the Population Foundation of India among others.

Awards

The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, in 1999, for his contributions to Indian business. He was presented with the White Pelican award by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He was also awarded the Indira Gandhi Pariyavaran Puraskar in 1991.

Personal life

His life has been documented in his memoirs, ''Abundant living, restless striving'', co-written by his long-time friend, B. K. Karanjia.

References

External links

* Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in trade and industry 1912 births 2000 deaths Indian male writers Businesspeople from Mumbai St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Indian business executives Godrej Group Sheriffs of Mumbai Godrej family {{India-business-bio-stub