ADI GODREJ (277th on the Forbes list)
Adi Godrej belongs to one of the most blue-blooded Indian business families. According to a media reports, Godrej's secretary for the past 33 years describes him as a man who respects punctuality and one who is impeccably organised with a table that is never clustered.
Godrej has steered the group through the years, constantly helping it keep up with the times. He says his challenge is to use the company's brand image and success to create a modern, efficient, young and consumer-centric organisation which can create a momentum of growth in the future."
Godrej believes every company needs to benchmark itself with global players. The company already receives 10 per cent of its revenue from operations outside India and aims to increase it to around 25 per cent over a 10-year period.
The affable industrialist rates former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, GE CEO Jack Welch and Indian industrialists JRD Tata and Dhirubhai Ambani as people whom he admires.
Godrej's US-educated daughters, Tanya and Nisa, now work with him. A keen sportsman, Godrej loves adventure sports like wind surfing, water skiing and paragliding. He is a major donor to the elite Indian School of Business, affiliated with the Wharton School and Northwestern's Kellogg.
At 61, Forbes says Adi Godrej is worth $2 billion and has ranked him 277th on its list.