Meet the next tycoons who will run India Inc’s biggest companies

A shift is underway in India’s biggest business families. The handover of control to a new generation is well and truly on.In some storied institutions, young blood has already taken the reins, while in the others, they are being eased in and are learning the ropes. Some are names you might have seen and heard, while others are yet to have the spotlight shine on them.In this ET Special, we invite you to meet the successors.AMBANIIn September of 2023, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) officially brought his three children onto the board of his retail-to-refining conglomerate.Welcoming his 33-year-old twins, Isha and Akash, along with 30-year-old Anant, Ambani had then stated, “The combination of the seasoned expertise of senior leaders and the fresh ambition of the new generation will lead to new and exciting milestones in Reliance’s journey.”After completing his studies, Akash Ambani joined Reliance Jio in 2014. He is involved with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and played a key role in securing a $5.7bn investment from Meta in Jio Platforms in 2020. At Jio, he spearheads the push into emerging tech like AI, Blockchain and Internet of Things. He is closely involved in the development of products and all digital services applications.Isha Ambani is helming the company’s retail, e-commerce and luxury verticals. She has been driving Reliance Retail into new categories and formats such as fashion, beauty, e-commerce and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), apart from forging partnerships with leading international brands. She graduated from Yale University with a double major in psychology and South Asian Studies and holds an MBA from Stanford.Meanwhile, Anant Ambani is focused on the expansion of the energy and materials businesses of Reliance Industries and its global operations in renewable and green energy. A graduate of Brown University, US, he is passionate about animal welfare and is currently driving a welfare initiative named Vantara, and serves on the board of Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of RIL. medium120279839TATAThe next generation of the Tatas comprising Tata Sons chairman Noel Tata’s three children — Neville, Leah and Maya — made a quiet entry into the $104.5bn Tata Group a few years back. A senior official close to the Tatas said that Noel wanted his children to be exposed to all areas of business and learn the ropes.Neville Tata, 32, is now the head of Star Bazaar, the hypermarket unit of Trent, which houses Tata Group’s retail businesses. An alumnus of Bayes Business School, UK, Neville became part of Trent in 2016, heading packaged food and beverages before managing Zudio, a runaway success.Maya Tata, 36, is with Tata Digital and was involved in the launch of the Tata Neu app. She started her career at Tata Opportunities Fund, a prominent PE fund within Tata Capital, working on portfolio management and investor relations. Currently, she also serves on the board of the Tata Medical Centre Trust.Leah Tata, 39, Noel’s eldest daughter, is a vice-president at Indian Hotels and currently handles the Gateway brand. She holds a degree in marketing from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. She managed the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, having begun her career as an assistant sales manager at Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces.GODREJIn May last year, there was an ownership realignment in the Godrej Group, and it is now divided into Godrej Enterprises Group (GEG) and Godrej Industries Group (GIG).Godrej Enterprises Group: Nyrika Holkar, 42, executive director and future managing director candidate at Godrej & Boyce, worked her way up through areas such as digital strategy, brand management, legal affairs, and specialised in M&A at AZB & Partners. Jamshyd Godrej’s daughter studied law at the University of London and leads the legal and corporate advisory functions for all 14 group companies.Godrej Industries Group: Pirojsha Godrej, 44, the son of Adi Godrej, is the executive vice-chairperson of the group and will succeed Nadir Godrej as the chairperson in August 2026. He earned his spurs at Godrej Properties and was instrumental in taking the company public in 2010, raising $100mn. He was appointed CEO of Godrej Properties in 2012. medium120279904BAJAJThe Bajaj Group has done away with the chairman’s position and has been operating through consensus via a family council, which includes Rahul Bajaj’s sons Rajiv and Sanjiv, his cousins Shekhar and Niraj, and the latter’s son Nirav. The recently deceased Madhur Bajaj was also a part of this six-member council.Rishabnayan Bajaj, 27, the son of Rajiv Bajaj, MD and CEO, Bajaj Auto, joined the company last year as divisional manager (product strategy - EV). He is an engineer from Loughborough University, UK, and has often been seen accompanying his father at major company events.In August last year, the Bajaj Group announced an entry into the healthcare sector, with Nirav Bajaj, 33, head of corporate strategy at Mukand, a Bajaj Group company, overseeing the project. Nirav is the son of Niraj Bajaj and did his engineering at Brunel University of London, and is an MBA from Harvard.Sanjiv Bajaj’s children will likely move into roles in the company once they finish their education.ADANIGautam Adani, 62, is likely to shift control to his scions in the next 8-10 years. Though the next generation is working at different businesses, the Adani heirs keep a low profile.Vinod Adani’s (Gautam’s elder brother) son Pranav Adani, 45, has been overseeing communications and all consumer-facing businesses. He began his career in 1999 with Adani Wilmar and spearheads Adani Realty. He is leading the group’s most ambitious project to date: The redevelopment of Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums. He is an alumnus of Boston University and Harvard Business School.Gautam Adani’s son Karan Adani, 37, rose through the ranks and became the CEO of Adani Ports SEZ in 2016. Under him, the company expanded from four to 12 ports and increased its cargo handling capacity 10x to 500mn metric tonnes. He has also played a role in growing the group’s cement business and has a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, US.Jeet Adani, 26, Gautam Adani’s younger son is a director at Adani airports. He joined the group in 2019 after attending the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He started his career in the group CFO’s office, dealing with strategic finance, capital markets and risk & governance policy.Sagar Adani, 30, son of Rajesh Adani (younger brother of Gautam Adani) joined the group in 2015 after graduating in economics from Brown University. He is credited with building the solar and wind portfolio of Adani Green Energy and currently oversees organisation building as well as all strategic and financial matters at the company. medium120279870BIRLALast year, the two older Birla scions joined the boards of the group’s flagship companies, Grasim Industries and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. They were also appointed as directors on the board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation, the apex body responsible for providing strategic direction to the Aditya Birla Group’s businesses.The elder daughter of chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, 29-year-old Ananya Birla founded her first company, Svatantra Microfin, at the age of 17. It is now the second-largest microfinance institution with an AUM (assets under management) of more than ₹16,000 crore and has a team strength of 19,500. The company attracted the largest PE investment deal in the microfinance sector of ₹1,930 crore.Before entering business, Aryaman Vikram Birla, 27, was a professional cricketer. He is closely involved with several of the group’s businesses, including fashion and retail, real estate, paints and fashion D2C platform TMRW. He also runs the group’s hospitality business with marquee brands like Yauatcha, Hakkasan, Nara Thai and Ode. He also runs the group’s VC fund — Aditya Birla Ventures.