Once again, Gopichand Hinduja and his family have secured the top spot on the Sunday Times Rich List, with a net worth of £37.2 billion, up from £35 billion the previous year.
Gopi, one of the four brothers, oversaw the UK operations of the Hinduja Group, the family’s global business empire, alongside his brother Srichand. Sadly, Srichand, aged 87, passed away last year due to dementia. Both of them first reached the top of the Sunday Times Rich List in 2014, when their wealth stood at £11.9 billion.
The Hinduja Group, founded by their father Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, operates in 48 countries across various sectors, including automotive, oil and specialty chemicals, banking and finance, IT, cyber security, healthcare, trading, infrastructure project development, media and entertainment, power, and real estate.
Recently, the group transformed Winston Churchill’s World War Two base into a luxurious five-star hotel, costing £350 million. The hotel features a ballroom that can accommodate 600 guests, an 82-foot swimming pool, a spa, two wine cellars, and a rooftop bar. Additionally, they built 85 two-bedroom apartments, each priced at approximately £5.8 million.
One of the significant acquisitions by the Hinduja Group was Gulf Oil in 1984, and this year, the company’s shareholders are poised to receive their largest dividend payout. Additionally, in 1987, the group acquired Ashok Leyland, which is now India’s largest vehicle manufacturer. Their primary British company, Hinduja Automotives, chaired by Gopi, reported a turnover of £2 billion in 2021.