Biography
Kumar Mangalam Birla is one of India’s leading business leaders and the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the country’s largest business groups. He took charge of the group in 1995 at just 28, following the death of his father, Aditya Vikram Birla.
Over the years, Birla has transformed the group from a roughly $2 billion business into a global conglomerate with operations across 40 countries and an annual turnover of around $70 billion.
Born in Kolkata and raised in Mumbai, Birla comes from the fourth generation of the Birla family. He studied commerce in Mumbai, earned an MBA from the University of London and is also a chartered accountant.
Beyond business, he has played an important role in education and serves as Chancellor of BITS Pilani. He was also the chairman of IIM Ahmedabad. In 2023, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to trade and industry.
As of August 2026, Forbes estimated Kumar Mangalam Birla’s net worth at around $24 billion. His children, Ananya Birla and Aryaman Vikram Birla, have also joined the group’s leadership, marking the next generation of the Birla family in business.
