Nusli Wadia

Nusli Wadia (born 15 February 1944) is an Indian businessman. He is the chairman of the Wadia Group, a conglomerate with interests in various industries such as textiles, aviation, chemicals, and real estate. His father, Neville Wadia, was a prominent businessman, and his mother, Dina Wadia, was the daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder and first Governor-General of Pakistan. Wadia's family has been influential in Indian business circles for several generations.

Nusli Wadia
Born	(1944-02-15) 15 February 1944 (age 81) Bombay, British India
Occupation	Businessman
Spouse	Maureen Wadia ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	Ness Wadia Jehangir Wadia
Parents	Neville Wadia (father) Dina Wadia (mother)
Family	Wadia family Jinnah family

Wadia's early career in business saw him taking the reins of the Wadia Group, overseeing its expansion into diverse sectors, including the establishment of companies like Bombay Dyeing, and his active involvement in the airline industry with GoAir. Under his leadership, the Wadia Group became one of India's largest and most well-known conglomerates.

He has faced controversies, including high-profile legal battles involving the Indian corporate world. In particular, his longstanding rivalry with the Ambani family has drawn attention. Additionally, Wadia was once involved in a legal dispute with the Tatas concerning his role as an independent director at Tata Group, which resulted in a strained relationship with the powerful corporate house.

Wadia has been an active philanthropist, supporting educational and healthcare causes in India. In his personal life, he married his wife, Maureen Wadia, and they have two children, Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia.

Nusli Wadia holds the position of the head of the Wadia family, and with the Wadia Group's extensive legacy, he continues to play a prominent role in India's business landscape. Additionally, Wadia, and his sons are the direct and only living descendants of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Early life

Nusli Neville Wadia was born in Bombay to businessman Neville Wadia and Dina Wadia. On his paternal side he belongs to the prominent Parsi Wadia family; while belonging to the Jinnah family, of Gujarati Muslim background, on his maternal side.

His maternal grandfather Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan, and his grandmother, Rattanbai Petit was born into the elite Parsi family of India. His paternal grandfather, Sir Ness Wadia was a well-known textile industrialist, who played an important role during the late 19th century in turning the city of Bombay into one of the world's largest cotton trading centers. His paternal grandmother was an Englishwoman, Evelyne Clara Powell, from Yorkshire. His great-aunt was the politician and stateswoman Fatima Jinnah. His paternal aunt Clara Evelyne Wadia was married to Robert Byng, 7th Earl of Strafford. Through his parents' families, he is related to several of subcontinent’s political figures and business people.

For some time, Wadia held British citizenship by descent, as both his parents had been born in the UK. Wadia was educated at Cathedral and John Connon School. He was also educated at the Rugby School in England. During his school days in the UK he recalled how he never liked school and was never good at school and did not like living abroad either. He later went to study in the United States, earning a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Florida.^[1]

Business career

In 1962, Nusli entered Bombay Dyeing as a trainee in the spring mills. In 1970, Nusli was appointed joint managing director. In 1971, Nusli learned that his father was planning to sell the company to R. P. Goenka and move abroad. Nusli was only 26 at the time and had his own ambitions to run the company. With the help of his mother, sister, friends, and mentor J.R.D Tata he acquired 11 per cent of the company's shares and went on to persuade the employees to pool their savings and buy shares to prevent the sale. Nusli then flew to London where his father was making the deal, and convinced him not to sell the company or emigrate. In 1977, Nusli succeeded his father as the chairman of the company.

In 2016, Wadia announced that he would be filing a defamation case against Ratan Tata and his Tata group, after being removed as the independent director of Tata Motors.^[2] During the 2016–19 period, when the trial was ongoing, Wadia's net worth increased from US$3.5 billion to US$7 billion.^[3] In January 2020, Wadia withdrew the defamation case, following Tata's statement that there was no intention to defame Wadia.^[4][5]

Personal life

Wadia is married to Maureen Wadia, a former air hostess, who heads Gladrags magazine and is one of the organizers of the Mrs. India beauty pageant. They have two sons: Ness and Jehangir Wadia.^[6]

In 2004, Wadia accompanied his mother, Dina, and sons, Ness and Jehangir, on a visit to Pakistan, during which he visited the mausoleum of his grandfather, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and great-aunt Fatima Jinnah in Karachi.^[7]