NRI Visionaries

Anand G. Mahindra
Vice Chairman and Managing Director
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd

Career Graph
Anand G. Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. graduated with Honours (Magna cum laude) from Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1977. In 1981 he secured an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts. He returned to India that year and joined Mahindra Ugine Steel Company Ltd (MUSCO), the country’s foremost producer of specialty steels, as Executive Assistant to the Finance Director. In 1989 he was appointed President and Deputy Managing Director of the company. During his stint at MUSCO, he initiated the Mahindra Group’s diversification into the new business areas of real estate development and hospitality management.

In the summer of 1991, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the country’s dominant producer of off-road vehicles and agricultural tractors. He initiated a comprehensive change programme in Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. to make the company an efficient and aggressive competitor in the new liberalized economic environment in India.

In April 1997, he was appointed Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, and in January 2003 given the additional responsibility of Vice Chairman.

Today, the Mahindra Group isa US $ 14.4 billion organization, and one of India’s top 10 industrial houses. Mahindra has evolved into a socially and environmentally responsible global federation of companies with a leading presence in each sector in which it is present. 

Mahindra is present across the automotive spectrum -two-wheelers, three-wheelers, commercial vehicles, SUVs, MPVs to sedans, tractors, and even powerboats and aircrafts.In addition, the Group’s diversified nature of business spans many frontiers – automotive components, Finance, Insurance, IT, Retail, Real Estate, Hospitality,Logistics, After-Market.

During Anand’s tenure, Mahindra has also grown inorganically, seizing opportunities across the globe. Recent acquisitions include Ssangyong Motors, Reva Electric Car Company, Satyam Computer Services, Aerostaff Australia, Gippsland Aeronautics among others.


Industry Participant
Anand Mahindra is the co-founder of the Harvard Business School Association of India, an association dedicated to the promotion of professional management in India.

He was a co-promoter of Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd., which in 2003 was converted into a bank. Kotak Mahindra is one of the foremost private sector banks today.

As a leading industry figure, he has served as President of the Confederation of Indian Industry in 2003-04 and has also been President of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). He also served on the Boards of the National Stock Exchange of India and the National Council of Applied Economic Research.


Recognition
Anand continues to receive several honours, a few of which are:

•    ‘Knight of the Order of Merit’ by the President of the French Republic.
•    Rajiv Gandhi Award 2004 for outstanding contribution in the business field
•    2005 Leadership Award from the American India Foundation for his, and the

Mahindra Group’s commitment to corporate social responsibility.
•    CNBC Asia Business Leader Award for the year 2006.
•    The Most Inspiring Corporate Leader of the Year 2007 from NDTV Profit.
•    Business Man of the Year 2007 from Business India.
•    Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award 2008.
•    National Statesman for Excellence in Business Practices – Qimpro Platinum

Standard 2008 Award by Qimpro Foundation.
•    CNBC TV18 Outstanding Business Leader of the Year 2009
•    Business Leader of the Year 2009 by Economic Times
•    Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year India award for 2009
•    Indian of the Year award 2009 by NDTV
•    IMC Juran Quality Medal 2010 by IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality

Award Trust
•    Featured in Asia’s 25 most powerful business people of 2011 by Fortune magazine
•    Lloyds Banking Group Business Leader of the Year Award at The Asian
Awards 2011
•    JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award 2011 from the All India Management
Association
•    Global Leadership Award June 2012 by the US-India Business Council Contribution to Thought Leadership
Anand frequently shares his views and ideas on Indian economy and business through his writings in some of India’s leading business magazines.

He is one businessman to have grasped the power of the social media and has set a trend on how it can be used for business, brand building, consumer interaction  He is on Twitter under the handle @anandmahindra and has around half a million followers.


Beyond Mahindra
Anand serves on the following Boards and Committees:
1.    India Design Council – Chairman
2.    National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), Government of India – Council and Executive Committee
3.    The Nehru Centre, Mumbai - Executive Committee
4.    Empowered Committee on Mumbai Transformation
5.    India Council for Sustainable Development – Member
6.    Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Society
7.    Board of Trade, Government of India
8.    Mission Steering Group (MSG) – Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)
9.    Governing Council of the National Institute of Design - Chairman


Global Influencer
A regular at World Economic Forum’s annual meetings, Anand Mahindra was the WEF co-chair in 2009. He represents Indian industry at several global meets, including the APEC CEO Summit in 2009.

Fortune magazine has named him as one of the top 25 most powerful business people in Asia for the year 2011.

Anand has been appointed as the Honorary Ambassador of Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea with effect from 24th November 2011 for a period of 2 years.

Anand also serves as a member of the International Advisory Board of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, which is the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance it’s position as a global business centre.


Other Boards and Committees that he serves on:
1.    Board of Trustees of the Asia Society, New York.
2.    Harvard Business School - Asia–Pacific Advisory Board
3.    Harvard University Asia Centre - Advisory Committee
4.    Asia Business Council
5.    Visiting Committee, MIT Medialab
6.    Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations
7.    Board of Trustees of the Sundance Institute, USA


Beyond Business
A firm believer in the power of education, Anand initiated the Nanhi Kali programme about two decadesagoto provide free education to economically underprivileged girls in the country. There are over 70,000 Nanhi Kalis across the country today.

He is a Trustee of the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust, which provides scholarships to students, and is also on the Board of Governors of the Mahindra United World College of India.

Anand believes that a study of liberal arts is essential in shaping leaders of the future.

He has given the largest personal donation overseas by an Indian – an endowment of 10 million USD to the Harvard Humanities Center, which is being relaunched as the Mahindra Humanities Center.

He is a strong votary of arts and culture. Mahindra recently launched the Mahindra Sanatkada Festival, which celebrates the art, culture, and history of Lucknow.

Anandis co-founder of NaandiDanone, which is the largest safe drinking water provider to rural areas of the country catering to nearly 3 million customers.

Anand is also a Life Trusteeon the Board of Naandi Foundation, a leader in providing meals to 1.3 million children daily and academic support in over 1800 government schools.  Naandi also brings the best of agriculture and natural resource management to the largest number of small and marginal farmers across the country.

Updated 13th June 2012