Wadia Group Owner, Nusli Wadia: A Business Leader Who Stood His Ground

Nusli Wadia is the chairman of the Wadia Group, one of India’s oldest and most successful conglomerates. The group has interests in a wide range of industries, including textiles, aviation, food, real estate, and healthcare. Wadia family is the 280-year-old family lineage that owns Britannia Industries, Bombay Dyeing, Punjab Kings, and many other brands.

Nusli Wadia – Basic Details & Education

Nusli Wadia was born in Bombay in 1948 into a wealthy and influential family. His father, Neville Wadia, was the chairman of Bombay Dyeing, the group’s flagship company.
His mother, the late Dina Wadia Jinnah, was the daughter of Muhammed Ali Jinnah and Rattanbai Petit.
Nusli Wadia was educated at the prestigious Mayo College in Ajmer and then went on to study law at Cambridge University.

Nusli Wadia – Career Trajectory

After completing his education, Wadia joined Bombay Dyeing as a trainee in 1962. He quickly rose through the ranks and was appointed managing joint director in 1970.
In 1971, Wadia’s father decided to sell Bombay Dyeing to R. P. Goenka, a Kolkata-based industrialist. Wadia was vehemently opposed to the sale and decided to fight it.
convinced the employees of Bombay Dyeing to buy shares in the company and keep it afloat.
Nusli Wadia also persuaded his mother, Dina Wadia, the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, to sell him her shares in the company. Wadia’s efforts were successful, and he was able to prevent the sale of Bombay Dyeing.
In 1977, Wadia succeeded his father as the chairman of Bombay Dyeing. Amidst his leadership, the company underwent a major transformation.
Nusli Wadia diversified the company’s business interests and expanded its operations into new sectors. He also invested heavily in research and development and introduced new technologies and processes.
As a result of Wadia’s efforts, Bombay Dyeing became one of India’s most successful textile companies. Wadia also expanded the Wadia Group’s interests into other sectors, such as aviation, food, real estate, and healthcare.
In 2005, Nusli Wadia’s son Jeh Wadia launched GoAir, a low-cost airline that revolutionized air travel in India.

Wadia Group Companies

The Wadia Group owns several companies. Below is a list of such companies, of which only the first 4 are listed.

Bombay Dyeing– Established in 1879.
Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation – Established in 1863.

Britannia Industries – Established in 1918. With its origin in the early 20^th century, Britannia’s stock price in today’s date is nearly sets around Rs. 4600.

National Peroxide Limited – Established in 1999.
Gladrags– a fashion magazine of particular interest to Maureen Wadia, a former air hostess. Established in 1959.
Wadia Techno-Engineering Services Limited (WTESL) – Established in 1960.
Go Air– Established in 2005. Go Air was rebranded as Go First.
Punjab Kings– a cricket team, one of the ten franchises playing in the Indian Premier League. It was established in 2008.
Bombay Realty– Established in 2011.

The grandson of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Nusli Wadia and his success story is an inspiration to many entrepreneurs and business leaders. As a corporate samurai, he has shown that achieving success in the face of adversity is possible. He is a true leader who has made a significant contribution to the Indian economy.