Adi Burjorji Godrej-Chairman of the Godrej Group

Adi Burjorji Godrej was born on April 3, 1942 in India. He is an industrialist and a businessman. After earning his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, he joined the company alongside his father, Burjorji Godrej. He is the chairman of the $4.6 billion conglomerate of consumer goods, the 120-year-old Godrej Group. He is in charge of Godrej Consumer Products as well. During the License Raj, Adi Godrej led the Godrej Group to great heights. Under his leadership, Godrej Consumer Products has developed into a powerful FMCG player in emerging markets based on a 3X3 approach to global expansion — establishing a presence across 3 categories in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa, and Latin America) (home care, personal wash, and hair care). Godrej’s extensive experience is based on Adi’s natural intelligence.

Name	Adi Burjorji Godrej – Chairman of Godrej Group
Born	April 3, 1942
Nationality	Indian
Spouse	Parmeshwar Adi Godrej (died in 2016).
Education	Degree (HL College) and MBA (MIT Sloan School of Management).
Children	Nisaba Adi Godrej, Pirojsha Adi Godrej, Tanya Arvind Dubash
Awards	Padma Bhushan

Career

Godrej has aided the 120-year-old family business in its transformation from a closed, socialist economy to a free-market one since he first joined it in 1963. The Godrej Group’s 75-year-old chairman increased the conglomerate’s size and scope by adding new businesses and extending its geographic reach. Additionally, he made sure that everyone in the extended family was dedicated to the bigger goal of generating value for all parties involved.

Additionally, Adi Godrej promoted an environment where outside talent could work side by side with family professionals and saw to it that the company upheld its commitment to being “good and green” even as it pursued financial success. Godrej is a meticulous gentleman with unwavering ethical standards, so his business accomplishments alone do not fully capture who he is. Adi is a role model in the truest sense, say his family, friends, and other business executives. The Godrej Group, led by Adi Godrej, made sure to adopt the best practices by researching its rivals and the demands of the market.

He took over a group that produced locks, safes, wardrobes, and soap, but had a turnover of only 10 crore. He modernised the business and made it into the $5 billion conglomerate it is today. In 2001, he expanded the group’s footprint in Africa by buying three personal care businesses.

The young Godrej made the decision to join a company that was experiencing losses. He implemented a number of process improvements right away to turn the company around. He declared, “I introduced cost-cutting measures, my management philosophy, and procedures like cost accounting and human resources management.”

GCPL is a market leader in many nations, including India. In securing this position of market dominance, particularly in the hair color sector, it has challenged L’Oreal’s power. Godrej had established a significant presence in the nation and had grown to feel indigenous.

Beyond Godrej

He has served as the head of numerous organisations and trade groups in India. In addition to being elected president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the 2012–2013 fiscal year, he served as the chairman of the Indian School of Business from April 2011 to April 2018. He served as chairman of the board of governors of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies and was a member of the dean’s advisory council at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

The fact that neither Godrej nor the group at the helm have experienced any drama is remarkable given that they have been in business for more than a century and across numerous industries. There was not a single problem with the organization’s ability to make important strategic decisions.The Godrej family has clear-cut roles in ownership and management, with the patriarch the patriarch. There is also a family council, to which all shareholders over the age of 18 are invited for regular meetings. This is a useful method for debating and identifying shared goals.

A managing director from outside the family oversees daily management in the majority of large group companies. A focus on conducting business in a “good and green” way is another key attraction. Even the family members who work for the company are strategically placed in roles that call for cooperation among various departments.

Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, and Godrej Memorial Trust are among the trusts that hold 25% of the shares of the Godrej holding company. The organisation supports organisations like The Mangroves, Teach for India, WWF, and the Godrej Memorial Hospital through these trusts, as well as programmes for health care, education, and environmental sustainability.