ARYAMAN BIRLA BIG BUSINESS AND BOLD IDEAS

Fresh out of Harvard Business School, the Birla scion is ready to carry a storied legacy into a new era.

- BY CHE KURRIEN PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARAS TARAPORVALA STYLED BY RAHUL VIJAY

I first met Aryaman Birla, the 28-year-old seventh-generation Birla heir, at a Ralph Lauren Diwali dinner in Mumbai this September.

I immediately noticed that he arrived at the venue alone, without any handlers or entourage, and that he did not draw any unnecessary attention to himself through the event. That was unusual, and it struck me as remarkably self-assured.

Having recently graduated from Harvard Business School and been inducted as a director of the $115 billion Aditya Birla Group, the young Birla has been getting his feet wet at the sprawling business empire, which has interests in cement, metals, paints, textiles, financial services, hospitality and a host of other sectors. The group is also a fashion powerhouse, armed with a slew of brands and retail offerings that address the entire cross section of the Indian market, ranging from Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, Shantnu & Nikhil and Masaba, to scale players like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England, not to mention Pantaloons, The Collective and Tasva, among others. In October, the company opened the ambitious Mumbai outpost of the iconic Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, which is synonymous with fashion, culture and creativity.

Birla is being groomed as a future leader by his father, Kumar Mangalam, who took over as group chairperson 30 years ago—at roughly the same age his son is today. Kumar Mangalam has grown the business 30 times over the years, and like him, his son is looking to help drive long-term, meaningful economic value, while keeping the storied Birla legacy burning bright. While success is never guaranteed, the tailwinds are in Aryaman's favour.