Keshub Mahindra, Chairman Emeritus, Mahindra Group, and a pioneer of the Indian auto industry passed away on Wednesday, the group confirmed in a statement.
The 99-year-old was a well-known philanthropist who redefined good corporate governance in India. He was an exemplary statesman, revered for his vision, his business acumen, his leadership by example and for his uncompromising professional integrity.
Born on October 9, 1923, in Shimla, Keshub Mahindra was an alumnus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, US.
He joined Mahindra & Mahindra in 1947 and took on the role of chairman in 1963. Under his stewardship, the company was transformed from its beginnings as a steel trading company to a diversified federation of companies.
Keshub Mahindra had led the Mahindra Group for 48 years as chairman and expanded it from being an automobile manufacturer to other business segments such as IT, real estate, financial services and hospitality. He also played key roles in forging business alliances with global majors such as the Willys Corporation, Mitsubishi, International Harvester, United Technologies, British Telecom among others.
He was also appointed by the government of India to serve on many committees, including the Sachar Commission on Company Law & MRTP and the Central Advisory Council of Industries. From 2004 to 2010, he was a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry.
He was also a member of the apex advisory council of Assocham and was serving as the President Emeritus of the Employers’ Federation of India.
He was an Honorary Fellow of the All India Management Association, New Delhi and a member of the Council of the United World Colleges (International) in the United Kingdom. In 1987, he was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Legion d’honneur by the French government.
“Keshub Mahindra was and will always remain a source of inspiration for me and the entire Mahindra group. He was a man of principles and led from the front to preserve the legacy of our founders,” Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra group, said.
