Leaving a great legacy behind, Indian billionaire Ashwin Dani, who was a non-executive director and member of the promotion team at Asian Paints Ltd., passed away at the age of 79. Son of one of the four co-founders of India's largest paint manufacturer, Suryakant Dani, he was tasked with expanding it into new international markets while he was in charge.
In 1968, Dani began working for the business, which had a market value of Rs 3,00,000 crore as of September 28. From 1997 to 2009, he served as vice-chairman and managing director. Afterward, he was appointed non-executive chairman, a position from which Dani exited in 2021.
The organization's rise as the largest paint manufacturer in the nation with a group revenue of 34,875 crore in 2023 was greatly aided by Dani's contributions. Forbes projects that the combined net worth of Ashwin Dani and his family to be at $7.7 billion (Rs 6,40,80,55,50,000) by 2023.
Born on September 26, 1944, he grew up in Mumbai. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Mumbai University in 1966. Later, he traveled to the US to enroll in the University of Akron's Master of Chemical Engineering course. In Detroit, he began his work as a scientist. Following that, as a senior executive, he joined the Asian Paints company, owned by his family.
Ashwin Dani was the first to popularize the idea of computer color matching, which is now widely used in sectors like paints, polymers, printing inks, and textiles. He is also credited for developing ground-breaking goods including the Automotive Refinishing solution, a quick-drying alkyd enamel that is widely used in the automotive aftermarket, and Apcolite Natural Wood Finish, a modern coating solution for wood materials.
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