Described as “reclusive” and “media-shy”, Leena Gandhi Tewari is the heir to a massive pharma fortune. She is the chairperson of privately held company USV India. Her current net worth is $3.7 billion (over Rs 30,000 crore), as per Forbes on February 12, 2023.
This makes her the second richest woman in India, only behind politician and businesswoman Savitri Jindal. She stands ahead of the likes of Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar and Zoho Corp’s Radha Vembu in the list of richest women in India currently.
The company is among the top five in India in the segments of cardiovascular and diabetic medicines. It also makes active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), injectables and biosimilar drugs. The anti-diabetic formulation of USV called Glycoment is among the top 3 in the domestic industry.
Tewari mostly keeps away from the social circuit and parties in Mumbai but is a philanthropist, Fortune reported. Leena supports Dr Sushila Gandhi Centre for Underprivileged Women. The centre mentors girls academic, dance and computer training. Well-known Bollywood actress and businesswoma Juhi Chawla is a friend of Tewari's. She once posted a pic of hers in an outfit ready to attend Tewari's birthday party.
The 65-year-old businesswoman is also a traveller and also likes reading. She is also an author. She wrote a biography on her grandfather, the founder of USV, titled ‘Beyond Pipes and Dreams’. Leena Tewari is a BCom graduate from University of Mumbai and an MBA from Boston University.
She is married to Prashant Tewari, who is the MD of USV and runs the company. Prashant has studied engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Cornell University in US. They have a daughter named Aneesha Gandhi Tewari. She joined USV’s board in August 2022 and has a PhD in molecular biology from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
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