Gopichand P Hinduja, chairman of the Hinduja Group and one of Britain’s wealthiest businessmen, has died in London at the age of 85, according to sources close to his family.
Fondly known as ‘GP’ in business circles, Hinduja had been unwell for several weeks and passed away in a London hospital.
Hinduja, representing the second generation of the family business, took charge of the global conglomerate in May 2023 after the death of his elder brother, Srichand Hinduja. He is survived by his wife, Sunita, sons Sanjay and Dheeraj, and daughter, Rita.
Building a global enterprise
Born into a business family that began its operations in pre-independence India, Hinduja joined the family enterprise in Mumbai in 1959. Over the decades, he helped expand the Hinduja Group from an Indo–Middle East trading operation into an international business group with interests in banking, finance, energy, automotive, media, and infrastructure.
Under his leadership, the Group made key acquisitions, including Gulf Oil in 1984 and Ashok Leyland in 1987 — one of the first major investments in India led by non-resident Indians.
A graduate of Jai Hind College in Mumbai, Hinduja received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Westminster and an Honorary Doctorate of Economics from Richmond College, London, according to the Group’s website.
Continuing a family legacy
The Hinduja Group traces its roots to 1919, when founder Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja moved from Sindh – then part of India, now in Pakistan – to Iran to establish the foundation of what would become a multinational business. The Group shifted its base to London in 1979, marking the beginning of its global expansion.
Today, the Group employs about 200,000 people worldwide, with businesses spanning finance, automotive, energy, media, and technology, as reported by media.
The family also owns several properties, including the historic Old War Office building in Whitehall, redeveloped into the Raffles London hotel that opened in September 2023, and Carlton House Terrace near Buckingham Palace.
While Gopichand Hinduja was based in London, his younger brother Prakash lives in Monaco, and the youngest sibling, Ashok, oversees operations in India from Mumbai.
For decades, Hinduja was regarded as the figure who maintained the Group’s stability and discretion, marking his passing as the end of an era for one of the most prominent business families with ties across India and the UK.