Billionaire industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla was on Wednesday awarded Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, for his contribution to the field of trade and industry. K M Birla, the chairman of Aditya Birla Group, is the fourth person from the Birla family to get the honour. Before him, his mother Rajshree Birla and grand-uncle Ganga Prasad Birla received a Padma Bhushan in 2011 and 2006, respectively. His great-grandfather G D Birla had received Padma Vibhushan – India’s second-highest civilian award – in 1957.
President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Bhushan to Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla for Trade & Industry. He is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. The Group has over a century old legacy. One of the first Indian groups to venture abroad, it has acquired widespread global presence. pic.twitter.com/J6L0XyTxMC
Born in June 1967, Birla is a fifth-generation member of the Birla family from Rajasthan. He was born in Kolkata and grew up in a joint family in Mumbai.
Commenting on the conferment of the award, Birla said receiving the award is ‘humbling’. “The spirit of nation-building and trusteeship has guided my family across generations. And so, to receive this national honour is indeed humbling. I thank President Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this prestigious honour, which I accept on behalf of my 1,40,000 colleagues from 36 countries. This award is a recognition of the longitudinal impact of the Aditya Birla Group— in enriching lives and in demonstrating through actions that business is a force for good,” he said.
Today, we celebrate an important milestone in the legacy of our Group story. One of the highest civilian awards, Padma Bhushan, was bestowed upon our Chairman honoring his remarkable journey as an entrepreneur, industrialist, and philanthropist.#PadmaAwards pic.twitter.com/jO3iAKP45e
K M Birla has been steering the Birla Group for the last 28-plus years. Under his leadership, the group’s turnover has risen 30 times, from $2 billion to $60 billion (as on March 31, 2022). The billionaire has led 40 acquisitions in India and globally, among the highest by any Indian multinational.
Some of the major acquisitions under his leadership include UltraTech Cement from Larsen & Turbo, Future Group’s Pantaloons, and Madura Garments acquired by Indian Rayon and Industries. Through this acquisition, the group became the owner of premium brands such as Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England and Louis Philippe.
In 2020, the group acquired Aleris, a US-based, global aluminium flat-rolled producer. This acquisition made Hindalco one of the world’s largest aluminium companies, with a global footprint spanning 49 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.
Birla, 55, studied at London Business School, and holds an MBA from the University of London. He is also a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Birla was the architect of the first-ever governance code for Corporate India as he chaired the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Committee on Corporate Governance.