Meet man who graduated at 17, MBA at 19, left high-paying CEO job at 40, built Rs 20000 crore company, now is...

Vinod Saraf of Vinati Organics, is among India's richest persons and stands out for his pursuit of passion and entrepreneurial spirit. Born into a middle-class family of traders in Rajasthan, Saraf was academically brilliant since childhood. 

He graduated as a state topper at the age of 17 and by 19, he secured a gold medal in his MBA from BITS Pilani at 19.

However, Vinod Saraf initially faced challenges in securing positions in major multinational corporations due to his Hindi-speaking background. 

He spent almost 10 years working in various textile companies. Eventually, he landed a key role in the Birla Group, becoming the Managing Director of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited under industrialist Aditya Birla's mentorship. 

Saraf also held significant positions in renowned companies such as Grasim Industries, Modern Syntex, and Bhilwara Group, eventually becoming a CEO.

In 1990, Saraf quit as CEO and ventured into entrepreneurship by founding Vinati Organics, a company named after his daughter, which specialised in the production of isopropyl benzene (IBB), a key component in the painkiller drug ibuprofen.

Today, Vinati Organics is led by Saraf's daughter Vinati Saraf Mutreja. With a market capitalisation of approximately Rs 20,014 crore and a personal net worth of around Rs 15,000 crore (USD 1.8 billion), Vinod Saraf has joined the ranks of India's richest with the likes of Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Anand Mahindra, among others.

Saraf was honoured with the 2019 HURUN India Selfmade Entrepreneur of the Year award. At the age of 71, Saraf holds the 96th position on Forbes India's Richest List for 2022 and ranks 1647th on the Global Billionaires list for 2023.