From Humble Beginnings to Britain's Wealthiest
Gopichand Hinduja, who passed away aged 85 as Britain's wealthiest individual, has left behind an extraordinary legacy spanning continents and industries. The billionaire businessman was part of the four-brother team that transformed their father's modest Indo-Iranian trading operation into a colossal international conglomerate valued at over £35 billion according to this year's Sunday Times Rich List.
The Global Hinduja Empire
Gopichand, known by his initials GP, worked closely with his elder brother Srichand (SP) throughout their careers. The devout and secretive brothers positioned themselves strategically across the globe like modern-day Rothschilds, with Ashok in India, Prakash in Switzerland, and Gopichand alongside SP in London. The two brothers relocated to Britain in 1979 as the Shah's regime in Iran began to collapse, having previously spent two decades building the family business in the Middle Eastern nation.
Their London life reflected their immense wealth, residing in four interconnected mansions purchased from the Crown on Carlton House Terrace overlooking the Mall. Just two years ago, Gopichand celebrated what he described as "my greatest legacy to London" - the £1.25 billion transformation of the Old War Office in Whitehall into the Raffles hotel, complete with gold leaf-covered canapes and royal guests.
Controversies and Business Triumphs
The Hinduja family's rise wasn't without controversy. They faced a 20-year legal battle in India over the infamous "Bofors affair," involving allegations of receiving pay-offs from Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors, though these were eventually dismissed by the high court. In Britain, they attracted unwelcome attention when then cabinet minister Peter Mandelson was forced to resign after allegedly lobbying inappropriately for SP's UK passport application following their £1 million donation to the Faith section of the Millennium Dome.
Despite these challenges, the Hindujas demonstrated remarkable business acumen. Their spectacular deals included persuading Pakistan to allow 1,400 trucks to transport surplus crops from Indian Punjab across its territory to alleviate food shortages in Iran. They also capitalised on Bollywood's popularity in Iran by purchasing film rights for minimal sums, translating them into Farsi, and screening them in their own cinemas.
The family's trophy acquisitions included Ashok Leyland, India's giant truck manufacturer, Gulf Oil's chain of petrol stations across 50 countries, and the world's largest metal fluids manufacturer in the United States, where they maintained an office in Trump Tower during the mid-1980s.
Family Dynamics and Legacy
Born on 29 February 1940 in India, Gopichand was the third of five sons to Parmanand Hinduja and his wife Jamuna. Educated at Jai Hind College in Bombay, he was dispatched to Iran at just 18 years old to lead the family business, remaining there for two decades before moving to Britain. He once reflected: "I grew up trading, and in trading you don't need money. You need to buy and sell and you need to work 24 hours a day. Seven days a week."
While the brothers famously operated under their father's philosophy that "everything belongs to everyone, nothing belongs to anyone," this unity was tested in 2015 when SP claimed exclusive rights to the SP Hinduja bank he had founded in Switzerland. The ensuing legal proceedings were complicated by SP's advancing Alzheimer's disease, though the family later announced an amicable resolution shortly before SP's death in 2023, after which Gopichand assumed the role of chairman.
Gopichand Hinduja is survived by his wife Sunita, whom he married in 1963, their two sons Dheeraj and Sanjay, daughter Rita, and brothers Prakash and Ashok. The family, known for their carefully guarded privacy interspersed with spectacularly lavish celebrations, now returns to that privacy as they mourn the passing of the man who helped build one of Britain's greatest fortunes.
