Meet the richest family in the UK - how four brothers made £37.2billion

17 May 2024 , 07:22

1337     0

Gopichand Hinduja is an Indian-born British billionaire businessman (Image: PA)

Gopichand Hinduja and his family have once again topped the Sunday Times Rich List with an enormous fortune of £37.2billion.

This is up from £35billion last year. But who exactly is Gopi Hinduja and how did his family create their incredible wealth. Gopi, 84, is an Indian-born British billionaire businessman and the co-chairman of his family's global business empire the Hinduja Group. A description of their empire by The Sunday Times reads: "The family’s group of companies operates in 48 countries and almost a dozen sectors: automotive, oil and specialty chemicals, banking and finance, IT, cyber security, healthcare, trading, infrastructure project development, media and entertainment, power, and real estate."

Gopi is one of two brothers, out of four overall, who took control of the family business empire. Globally, the business belonged to all four brothers - Srichand, Gopi, Prakash and Ashok - with Sri, 87, and Gopi mainly managing UK interests. Sri sadly died last year at the age of 87 after a reported battle with dementia. The brothers first reached the top of the Sunday Times Rich List in 2014, when their wealth stood at £11.9 billion. The multinational business is the brainchild of their father, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduj, who originally traded goods in the Sindh region of India.

Gopichand Hinduja (L), Prakash Hinduja (C) and Srichand Hinduja (R) (AFP/Getty Images)

He moved the business headquarters to Iran in 1919, before his sons moved the base to London in 1979. Shortly before their father died in 1971, the brothers claim he told them to "advance fearlessly". The sons expanded the business globally, investing in everything from trucking to banking, IT and media. One of the brother's recent business quests over the last few years was in London and involved the £350million development of the Old War Office - Winston Churchill's base during World War Two.

Gopichand Hinduja (L) and Srichand Hinduja (R) (AFP/Getty Images)

The historic building was transformed into a stunning five star hotel, complete with a ballroom for 600 guests, an 82ft swimming pool, a spa, two wine cellars, a rooftop bar and 85 apartments - the two bedroom apartments are priced at around £5.8million. Hinduja Group acquired one of its most significant enterprises in 1984 when they bought Gulf Oil. This year the company's shareholders are set to receive their highest dividend payout. The group also acquired Ashok Leyland in 1987 - now India's biggest vehicle manufactuer.

Elon Musk makes history by becoming the first person in the world to lose $200bn

Their main British company, Hinduja Automotives is chaired by Gopi and turned over £2billion in 2021. While they may head up the rich list for phenomenal wealth, Gopi has previously said: "If you consider one to be rich because of his money, you are wrong. I consider someone to be rich if he has good friends, good contacts, good relationships."

This article was first published on May 19, 2023.

Abigail O'Leary