Early Life:
- Born in 1962, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, to Shantilal Adani and Shantaben Adani, Gautam Adani comes from a Gujarati Jain family.
- He has seven siblings, and his parents had migrated from Tharad in northern Gujarat. His father was a small textile merchant.
Education:
- Adani attended Sheth Chimanlal Nagindas Vidyalaya school in Ahmedabad.
- He enrolled for a bachelor’s degree in commerce at Gujarat University but dropped out after the second year.
Career:
- Adani began his career in 1978 as a diamond sorter for Mahendra Brothers in Mumbai.
- In 1981, he joined a plastics unit in Ahmedabad owned by his elder brother Mahasukhbhai Adani.
- In 1988, he founded Adani Exports, now known as Adani Enterprises, initially dealing in agricultural and power commodities.
- Adani expanded the business into trading metals, textiles, and agro products with the economic liberalization policies.
- In 1994, Adani secured the contract for managerial outsourcing of Mundra Port in Gujarat.
- He established Adani Power in 1996, which became the largest private thermal power producer in India.
- From 2009 to 2012, Adani acquired Abbot Point Port in Australia and Carmichael coal mine in Queensland.
- In 2020, He acquired a 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport.
- In 2022, the Adani family acquired Ambuja Cements and its subsidiary ACC.
- In 2022, He was named the 3rd richest person in the world by Fortune.
Allegations and Controversies:
- Adani has faced allegations of cronyism due to his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- In 2023, Adani and his companies were accused of stock manipulation by Hindenburg Research, leading to a significant drop in Adani Group stocks.
- The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported in August 2023 about documents suggesting Adani Group’s use of individuals and front companies for stock trading, bypassing Indian securities laws.
Personal Life:
- Gautam Adani is married to Priti Adani, and they have two sons, Karan Adani and Jeet Adani.
- In January 1998, Adani and an associate, Shantilal Patel, were allegedly abducted for ransom. The accused were acquitted in 2018 after Adani did not show up for depositions.
- Adani survived the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks by hiding in the hotel kitchen and later in the toilet at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
Philanthropy:
- Priti Adani, Gautam’s wife, has been the chairperson of the Adani Foundation since 1996, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Adani Group.
- In March 2020, Adani contributed ₹100 crore to the PM Cares Fund to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Adani Group has been involved in importing medical oxygen and cylinders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In June 2022, Adani committed to donating Rs 60,000 crore ($7.7 billion) to social causes, administered by the Adani Foundation.
Gautam Adani’s career has been marked by significant success, His philanthropic efforts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been notable.