The Life and Legacy of Britain's Richest Man
Gopichand Hinduja, who was listed as the richest person in Britain at the time of his death aged 85, has passed away. He was one of four brothers who transformed their father's modest Indo-Iranian trading business into a colossal international conglomerate valued at over £35 billion according to this year's Sunday Times Rich List.
From Tehran to London: Building a Global Empire
Gopichand first arrived in the UK in 1979, moving from Iran as the Shah's regime collapsed. He settled in London with his elder brother Srichand's family, where they lived in remarkable opulence in four interconnected mansions on Carlton House Terrace, overlooking The Mall. These prestigious properties had been purchased directly from the Crown.
The Hinduja brothers – often referred to by their initials GP, SP, PP, and AP – positioned themselves strategically across the globe like modern-day Rothschilds. While Ashok remained in India and Prakash in Switzerland, Gopichand and Srichand established their base in London.
One of Gopichand's most significant recent projects was the £1.25 billion transformation of the Old War Office in Whitehall into the Raffles hotel, which he described as "my greatest legacy to London" during a lavish opening party attended by royalty and featuring gold leaf-covered canapes.
Controversies and Business Acumen
The family's business practices occasionally attracted controversy. They faced a 20-year legal battle in India over the notorious "Bofors affair," though the courts eventually dismissed allegations that they received pay-offs related to artillery sales to the Indian army.
In Britain, they came under scrutiny when then cabinet minister Peter Mandelson was forced to resign after allegedly lobbying inappropriately for Srichand to obtain a UK passport following the family's £1 million donation to the Faith section of the Millennium Dome.
Despite these challenges, the Hindujas demonstrated remarkable business ingenuity. They once organised a convoy of 1,400 trucks to transport surplus crops from Indian Punjab across Pakistani territory to alleviate food shortages in Iran. Recognising the popularity of Bollywood films in Iran, they cleverly acquired rights for a pittance, translated them into Farsi, and screened them in their own cinemas.
Their significant acquisitions included Ashok Leyland, India's major truck manufacturer, and Gulf Oil's chain of petrol stations across 50 countries. In the United States, they invested a billion dollars in the world's largest metal fluids manufacturer.
Gopichand, born on 29 February 1940, was educated at Jai Hind College in Bombay before being sent to Iran at age 18 to lead the family business. He remained there for two decades before relocating to Britain. He often stated: "I grew up trading, and in trading you don't need money. You need to buy and sell and you need to work 24 hours a day. Seven days a week."
The family's unity was tested in 2015 when Srichand insisted he had sole rights to the SP Hinduja bank in Switzerland, breaking his longstanding relationship with Gopichand. Legal proceedings followed but were complicated by Srichand's advancing Alzheimer's disease. The matter was reportedly resolved amicably shortly before Srichand's death in 2023.
Gopichand Hinduja is survived by his wife Sunita, whom he married in 1963, their two sons Dheeraj and Sanjay, daughter Rita, and his brothers Prakash and Ashok.
