There are many business houses in India, which are influential not only in the country but also abroad. Many of them have been doing business for a long time. Among all these, Wadia Group is the oldest business group of India, which was established in 1736. Wadia Group has been doing business successfully for the last 288 years.
This group has now made its own place in various sectors like textile, aviation and food. The companies under the banner of Wadia Group include famous companies like Britannia Industries and Bombay Dyeing. While Britannia is a leading company in the Indian food market, Bombay Dyeing has its own identity in the field of textile.
Started as a shipbuilding company by Lovji Nusserwanji Wadia, this industrial house is now headed by Nusli Wadia. With a net worth of around Rs 60,000 crores ($7.2 billion), the Wadia Group maintains its strong position in India's business landscape. In this journey of 288 years, the group has not only kept its history alive but has also set new examples of innovation and excellence. The Wadia Group also owns the IPL team Kings XI Punjab.
Parsi businessman Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia, born in Surat in 1702, laid the foundation of Wadia Group in 1736. Nusserwanji Wadia got a contract to build ships and docks from the East India Company in 1736 and this is where the company started. He built 355 ships. Lovji and his brother Sorabji together built Mumbai's first dockyard, which was Asia's first dry dock.
By 1840, within a century of its establishment, the Wadia Group had gained international recognition. In 1863, the group founded The Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Limited, marking it as India's first public trading company. Subsequently, Bombay Dyeing was established in 1879, followed by Britannia Industries in 1918.
The current chairman of Wadia Group is Nusli Wadia. He was born on 15 February 1944. Nusli Wadia is the son of Neville Wadia and Dina Wadia. Dina Wadia was the daughter of Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. She married into an Indian Parsi family against her father's wishes. Nusli Wadia has two sons - Ness Wadia and Jahangir Wadia. Both of them look after the business of the group.
