Godrej family
Ardeshir Godrej, a lawyer turned entrepreneur, founded the business in a rented Mumbai shed in 1897, initially making locks positioned as more secure than British imports. With brother Pirojsha, the firm expanded into safes and, in 1918, launched the world's first soap made from vegetable rather than animal oil.
How the fortune was built
Over the 20th century the business diversified into appliances, furniture, real estate, agribusiness, and aerospace/defense manufacturing, growing into a roughly $21 billion conglomerate. In May 2024, after years of negotiation, the family split the 127-year-old group: Adi and Nadir Godrej's branch retained the listed Godrej Industries Group (consumer products, properties, agrovet), while cousin Jamshyd Godrej and sister Smita Godrej Crishna's branch took the unlisted Godrej Enterprises Group, centered on Godrej & Boyce.
Where the family invests today
In Godrej Industries Group, Nisaba Godrej runs Godrej Consumer Products as executive chairperson; the group brought in Singapore's Temasek as a minority investor in Godrej Agrovet and has made bolt-on acquisitions such as Savannah Surfactants. In Godrej Enterprises Group, Nyrika Holkar has emerged as the public face, investing in expanded manufacturing capacity for nuclear-, hydrogen-, and geothermal-linked equipment and aerospace components. Neither branch runs a separate named external family office.
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