Gautam Adani, the founder of the conglomerate Adani Group, briefly became the second richest person in the world with a net worth of $155.7 billion (12.37 lakh crore) as of September 16, 2022, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list. The 60-year-old self-made billionaire is currently ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Bernard Arnault, a French tycoon..
Here are five things to know about Adani and his businesses:
- The largest port in India, Mundra, is run by the Adani Group in Gujarat, the state where Adani was born. The Ahmedabad-based infrastructure group is India’s largest closely held thermal coal producer and largest coal trader too.
- Adani entered the cement industry in a major way in May 2022 when he won a bid to buy the Indian cement division of Swiss giant Holcim for $10.5 billion. He pledged to invest up to $70 billion in renewable energy projects in his quest to become the greatest green energy generator in the world.
- According to stock exchange records from March 2022, Adani has a 75% ownership stake in Adani Enterprises, Adani Power, and Adani Transmissions. Additionally, he holds a 37% stake in Adani Total Gas, a 65% stake in Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, and a 61% stake in Adani Green Energy.
- Adani surpassed Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates as the world’s fourth-richest person last month before which he first overtook Mukesh Ambani as the richest Asian in February and became a centibillionaire in April.
{{/usCountry}}- Adani surpassed Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates as the world’s fourth-richest person last month before which he first overtook Mukesh Ambani as the richest Asian in February and became a centibillionaire in April.
{{/usCountry}}- Adani, a college dropout, turned down his father's textile business in 1988 in favour of establishing a commodities export company. He had also survived the terrorist attack in Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in 2008.
(With agency inputs)