A decade before Tata Sons was even born, Seth Shiv Narayan Birla laid the foundation of the Birla Group in 1857. The now $41-billion (`2.5 lakh crore) Aditya Birla Group, the largest conglomerate led by Kumar Mangalam Birla, is the product of a humble journey that began in the picturesque town of Pilani in Rajasthan, when the late Seth Narayan set his sights on cotton trading. Successive generations have ensured that the group’s first love for textiles flourish. Currently, the Birlas enjoy an undisputed position in viscose staple fibre and are also the fifth largest acrylic fibre producer.
One of the company’s flagship brands, Grasim, which was started as a small rayon weaving unit at Gwalior, has now evolved into a successful business unit. Over the years, the group diversified into other key sectors like metals, cement, agri-business, power, financial services, telecommunications, retail and IT. The group’s vision is driven by values such as integrity, commitment, passion, seamlessness and speed.
The country’s third largest private sector firm by value employs more than 1.2 lakh spanning 36 countries and draws over 50 per cent of the total revenues from its overseas operations. Besides the other segments like the MP Birla Group or Birla Corp, the Aditya Birla Group has pulled off some of the boldest global buyouts, including the $6-billion Canadian Novellis purchase in 2007. The deal instantly catapulted Birla’s non-ferrous metals company Hindalco Industries into the world’s largest rolled-aluminium producer.