Remembering Keshub Mahindra, chairman emeritus of Mahindra and Mahindra

“A doyen of Indian industry”, “one of the tallest personalities in Indian industry”, “extraordinary”, “warm and compassionate”... Tributes are pouring in from far and wide following the demise of billionaire Keshub Mahindra, the chairman emeritus of Mahindra and Mahindra.

He died on Wednesday at the age of 99. With a net worth of $1.2 billion according to Forbes, Keshub Mahindra was India's oldest billionaire.

Keshub Mahindra served as the chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra for 48 years. Under his leadership, Mahindra and Mahindra transformed from its beginnings as a steel trading firm to an automobile giant. Over the years, it also entered other businesses like information technology, hospitality and financial services.

A graduate from Wharton University, USA, Keshub Mahindra had retired as chairman in 2012, handing over the reins to nephew Anand Mahindra.

Keshub Mahindra was and will always remain a source of inspiration for him and the entire Mahindra Group, said Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group.

"He was a man of principles and led from the front to preserve the legacy of our founders which has ensured that the organisation has remained rooted in ethics, values and good corporate governance. Mr Keshub Mahindra was known for his astute business acumen that helped in transforming Mahindra into a diversified federation of companies," he said.

He further added that Keshub Mahindra's compassion and people-centric approach made him a global business icon, who was much loved and respected.

"The industrial world has lost one of the tallest personalities today. Keshub Mahindra had no match; the nicest person I had the privilege of knowing. I always looked forward to meetings with him and was inspired by how he connected business, economics and social matters," Pawan Goenka, the former managing director of Mahindra and Mahindra said.

Born on October 9, 1923, Keshub Mahindra joined the company in 1947 and became chairman in 1963. Apart from heading Mahindra and Mahindra, he also served on the boards of many companies such as Sail (Steel Authority of India), Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, and ICICI among others.

He was also the founder chairman of HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation) and vice chairman of HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corp). He had been appointed by the government of India to serve on many committees as well.

"I shall always cherish the memory of Keshub Mahindra, a doyen of Indian Industry. It was an honour to receive my degree from him at IIMA. I remember his kind words at the start of my career. Years later I was to experience his inspiring leadership at Mahindra," wrote SP Shukla, the chairman of Mahindra Aerospace and Mahindra Defence.

Other industry leaders also mourned Keshub Mahindra's demise.

"Keshubji lived a glorious life guiding the growth of Mahindra group for nearly five decades. With his endearing personality, he could navigate many a challenging situations. My deepest condolences to the family, employees and well wishers of Mahindra Group," wrote Gautam Singhania, chairman and MD of Raymond.

He was an extraordinarily warm compassionate person who led by example and put India first always, said TV Mohandas Pai, the former Infosys director.

C.P. Gurnani, the MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, said he would remember Keshub Mahindra for building a Mahindra for India, and building India with Mahindra.

"His legacy will be about what businesses can do, when their heart is in the right place," he said.

Mahesh Babu, CEO of Ashok Leyland's unit Switch Mobility, said the Indian industry lost a great leader. "He revolutionised Indian industry with human touch," he noted.