- Sunday, February 23, 2025
The patriarch, a British national, had played a major role in expanding the group’s businesses.
By: Shubham Ghosh
Srichand Parmanand Hinduja, the eldest of the four Hinduja brothers and chairman of the Hinduja Group, died in London on Wednesday (17) after a prolonged illness. His family said the patriarch passed away peacefully with the loved ones around.
He was 87. He is survived by his three businessmen brothers Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok; two daughters Shanu and Vinoo and grandchildren.
“Gopichand, Prakash, Ashok and the whole Hinduja family with a heavy heart regret to announce the passing away of our family patriarch, and chairman of Hinduja Group, Mr S P Hinduja today,” a spokesperson for the family said.
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It described the senior Hinduja, who was also referred to as ‘SP’ by his business allies and associates, as a “visionary and mentor to the family bestowing the founding principles and values of our late father, PD Hinduja”.
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“He played a very important role alongside his brothers in building a strong relationship between his host country, the UK, and his home country, India. A titan amongst his peers, S P Hinduja truly lived and embodied the Hinduja Group’s founding principles and values. A deeply spiritual and philanthropic person, he was courageous in action and generous at heart,” it added.
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“The Hinduja family is in grief and sorrow at his demise. Our prayers to the Almighty to grant his soul eternal place at His Lotus Feet,” the statement said.
The daughters of SP Hinduja, paid their late father tributes by saying that he will be remembered for his contributions to bringing Indian culture onto the global stage through his work and philanthropy.
“SP journeyed through life and with deep humility and dignity, always seeking to bring people together in a common interest,” they said in a joint statement.
SP Hinduja was born in Karachi in then British India and modern-day Pakistan on November 25, 1935, to Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, the founder of the Hinduja Group, and Jamuna Parmanand Hinduja.
The group was founded in the 1910s by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, who initially operated in Shikarpur in modern-day Pakistan and Mumbai (then Bombay), India. He set up the company’s first international operation in Iran in 1919 and the group’s headquarters remained there till 1979 when it was forced to shift base to Europe due to the Islamic Revolution.
After receiving his education in Mumbai in the early 1950s, “SP” joined his father in the family business as a teenager and went on to become the chairman of the Hinduja Group and its charitable foundations.
SP Hinduja and his brother Gopichand moved to London in 1979 to improve the export business.
The senior Hinduja helped to expand the business operations along the Silk Road. He took courageous entrepreneurial steps to build businesses that are economically sustainable and take initiatives for bigger multicultural understanding.
Over the years, SP Hinduja founded global businesses, including two banks, and acquired several companies to set up a robust family business architecture. He also played a big cultural role in business by bringing global cultures today, especially Indian culture, to the world. by creating gateways between the South Asian nation with western states such as the US and the UK. This legacy of his has been upheld by his daughters and grandchildren. He has also been an adviser to world leaders.
Together with his brothers Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok Hinduja, he played a significant role in the diversification and expansion of the Hinduja Group which harbours interests across sectors, including power, oil and gas, banking and healthcare .
The Hinduja family topped the UK’s ‘Asian Rich List 2022’, published by the Asian Media Group, with an estimated wealth of £30.5 billion.
It was in January this year that Hinduja’s wife Madhu Hinduja passed away at the age of 82. Dharam, their only son, died in Mauritius in 1992.
(With agency inputs)
