Chandra Kant Birla (born 1955) is an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He is the chairman of the CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group).[1]
Early life
Birla was born in 1955 in Kolkata. He completed his schooling at La Martiniere for Boys, Calcutta,[2] and later he graduated with a degree in economics from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.[3] He is the son of industrialist Ganga Prasad Birla and the grandson of Braj Mohan Birla.[4] He gained business expertise under the guidance of his grandfather, B. M. Birla, regarding him as his mentor.[5]
Career
Birla is chairman of the CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group), overseeing its diversified operations across the country.[1]
He is the chairman for various companies under the group umbrella. These include AVTEC, a manufacturer of auto parts, BirlaNu (Formerly HIL Limited), Neosym, National Engineering Industries Limited (manufacturer of NBC Bearings), Orient Electric, and Orient Paper & Industries.[1] He is on the board of directors at Birlasoft.
He is a member of the board of directors of the Commonwealth Business Council,[6] chairman of the board of governors of the Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi,[7] and a trustee of The Calcutta Medical Research Institute.[8] Birla is a member of the National Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).[9] He was also the chairman of the board of governors at the Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur.[10]
Birla was on the board of Century Textile and Industries through his shareholding at Pilani Investment and Industries Corporation, a Birla family holding company.[11][12][13][14]
He was appointed as the chairman of Hindustan Motors in November 1997 and resigned from the chairmanship and directorship in December 2013.[15][16]
Philanthropy
In healthcare and education, their major initiatives comprise the B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre in Kolkata, Calcutta Medical Research Institute, a hospital in Kolkata, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, Modern High School for Girls in Kolkata, and the Rukmani Birla Modern High School in Jaipur.[5]
He oversees the G. P. Birla Archaeological Astronomical and Scientific Research Institute (GPBAASRI), BM Birla Science Centre, and Space Museum in Hyderabad.[17][18]
In April 2020, Birla, his wife Amita Birla, and the CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group) jointly committed a sum of Template:INR35 crores to support the government's efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. Of this, Template:INR25 crores were directed to the PM CARES Fund, with the remaining funds allocated to state government initiatives for the procurement of equipment.[19]
Personal life
In 1975, Birla married Amita Birla, the daughter of Raj Kumar Bagri, a co-founder of the London-based London Metal Exchange and his wife Usha Maheshwary.[20][21] The couple has two daughters.[22]
Recognition
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, honored Birla as a Global Leader for Tomorrow, recognizing him among a select group of industrialists.[5] The Rajasthan Foundation, under the Government of Rajasthan, has listed him among the "Legends of Rajasthan" in the business category.[23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Who is C K Birla?. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ↑ Ambassador Retro triggers nostalgia, Hindustan Motors hopes to revive the car(February 11, 2002).
- ↑ Choosing an Indian Associate How to Evaluate Partnerships for Profit{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Business International Asia/Pacific Limited(1989)
- ↑ GP Birla dies at 87(January 21, 2013).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Marwari Heritage{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. IntegralDMS(2016). ISBN 9781942322061
- ↑ Commonwealth Business Council. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ↑ BIT Mesra. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ↑ About Chairman on CK Birla Group website. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ↑ High level CII Delegation to accompany Finance Minister to Japan(January 1, 2016).
- ↑ IIM-A to be mentor to Udaipur(June 24, 2010).
- ↑ The Divided Birla Clan Aims for Compromise : India's Troubled Empire. The New York Times(May 15, 1996).
- ↑ C K Birla To Skip Century Tex Agm(July 22, 1997).
- ↑ S K Birla, C K Birla resign from board of Century Textiles(February 23, 2006).
- ↑ Birla duo exits Century board(February 23, 2006).
- ↑ C.K. Birla steps down as chairman of Hindustan Motors(December 23, 2013).
- ↑ What next for CK Birla after Hindustan Motors?(June 11, 2014).
- ↑ Space Museum opened at Hyderabad with ISRO Collaboration(2019).
- ↑ City welcomes India's first private space museum. The Times of India(July 27, 2019).
- ↑ CK Birla Group commits Rs 35 crore to PM-CARES Fund(April 4, 2020).
- ↑ Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 2019{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. eBook Partnership(2020). ISBN 9781999767051
- ↑ Meet the Titans of the Metal and Steel Industry.
- ↑ Birla Family Tree: The journey of the Birla legacy from Shiv Narain Birla to Ananya and Vedant Birla. Financialexpress(18 June 2024).
- ↑ Legends of Rajasthan. foundation.rajasthan.gov.in. Rajasthan Foundation. Retrieved 17 November 2023.