Harsh Vardhan Goenka has been the chairman of RPG Enterprises, one of India’s most prominent business groups, since 1988, when he took over from his father, R. P. Goenka. With an annual revenue of roughly $2 billion, RPG is a significant player in power generation and distribution, information technology, infrastructure, tires, plantations, and medicines.
| Name | Harsh Vardhan Goenka |
| Born | 10/12/1957 |
| Education | The St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata. In 1980, a student at the International Institute of Management Development in Switzerland. |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Children | Vasundhara Patni, Anant Goenka |
Early and Education Life
Harsh Goenka completed his bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata. He then pursued his MBA at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland, and was subsequently appointed to the board of the IMD, Lausanne.
History
The Goenka family is a part of the Marwadi clan of moneylenders and merchants. They are originally from Rajasthan in western India. Ramdutt Goenka, a business-minded family member, established himself in Kolkata, then the capital of India and a significant British Empire commercial hub, as early as the 19th century. The family was successful in their conventional businesses of lending money and trading. Rama Prasad Goenka (born 1930) used the family’s riches to acquire several companies and industries in the 1970s, creating a ready-made commercial conglomerate. Many of these corporations were under pressure from the communist laws and “Licence-Raj” that were then in effect in India. Other corporations were struggling because of internal conflicts. Many of these corporations were under pressure from the socialistic laws and “Licence-Raj” that were then common in India, and other corporations were in trouble because of disputes within their owners’ families. Such enterprises were taken over by RPG in a succession of takeovers for meagre prices, and he used his financial resources and commercial savvy to make them profitable. By the 20th century’s close, RPG managed to assemble a sizable corporate empire in this fashion. The Goenka economic empire is notable for two reasons: first, the fact that none of their significant ventures—all takeovers—were created by them, and second, the resulting diversity and incoherence of these enterprises.
Family Life
The Goenka family is from Rajasthan in northwest India and is part of the Marwadi commercial society. Their presence in Kolkata dates back several generations. Sir Badridas Goenka, Harsh’s great-grandfather, served as the first Indian Chairman of the Imperial Bank of India. Unfortunately, Keshav Prasad Goenka, his son and Harsh’s grandfather, passed away at a young age.
Rama Prasad Goenka, Harsh’s father, founded the RPG Group and was a prosperous businessman. His commercial ventures include the music industry, several kinds of cars, electricity transmission, and plantation estates. In 2010, Harsh and Sanjiv, his lone sibling, split that empire.
In Mumbai, Harsh Goenka resides. He is married to Mala, with whom he has two children: Anant, a boy, and Vasundhara, a daughter who is married to Apoorva Patni, a member of the wealthy Patni family.
Other Interests
Harsh Goenka is the owner of one of the nation’s most well-known collections of modern art. This collection spans multiple generations of artists from different parts of the world and includes a variety of genres and styles. Harsh Goenka has hosted numerous art shows in Mumbai over the past ten years and still supports and inspires upcoming creatives.
He is a member of the Ministry of Culture’s National Culture Fund Council and the National Art Advisory Committee for the National Gallery of Modern Art.
Goenka is passionate about cricket, the most popular sport in India. He supports the CEAT Cricket Ratings, a global and national ranking system that recognizes the world’s top cricketers.
More Information
- Harsh Goenka is the chairman of the $4 billion (revenue) RPG Group and is a member of a renowned Indian business family’s fifth generation.
- RPG is named after the initials of Goenka’s late father, who gave him and younger sibling Sanjiv equal ownership of the family business.
- A notable RPG business is the tyre manufacturer Ceat, which is led by Goenka’s son Anant.
- KEC International, a power transmission company, is Goenka’s most valuable asset.
- He paid homage to India’s frontline workers by commissioning a sizable painting for his corporate headquarters during the pandemic lockdown, which he called a “Wall of Gratitude.“
Awards and achievement
- Harsh Goenka handovering the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dilip Vengsarkar while Huma Qureshi and Sunil Gavaskar look on.
- The CEAT Cricket Awards on May 13,
Please visit for more information about influencers.
KM. Mammen Mappillai – industrialist and founder of MRF.
Aruna Jayanthi Managing Director of Capgemini India.
Dr Raghupati singhania – Chairperson of JK Tyre & Industries
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