Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao is one of the few Indians who can rightfully say that, indeed, they are paving the way for progress and development in their country. He is, after all, the founder and chairman of the GMR Group, an international infrastructure developer, builder, and operator based in India. He is also a world-class mechanical engineer and billionaire industrialist as well as generous philanthropist.
As founder chairman of GMR Group, which he established in 1978, he has led its growth into the global market. Today, the global conglomerate has an active presence in seven countries with stakes in highways, airports, and energy structures as well as in large urban developments. GMR Group is also well-known for developing, building and operating national assets in India, an accomplishment that Rao has been recognized by the public and private sectors.
Born into an upper middle-class family engaged in commodities trading and jewelry, Rao became a junior engineer at the Andhra Pradesh Government after his graduation from Andhra University. But his entrepreneurial spirit soon asserted itself and he went into business starting with commodities trading.
He ventured into other businesses including a jute mill, which he used as leverage in acquiring other assets. He eventually divested his business interests in several industries, established Vysya Bank with ING as a collaborator, and entered the energy and infrastructure industries.
His entry into the energy industry became his ticket to becoming India’s leading infrastructure asset developer in terms of asset size, revenues, and market capitalization. Among the assets that his conglomerate owns is Hyderabad's International Airport Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
Furthermore, the GMR Group is known as one of India’s most respected and trusted brands. Rao has also received accolades including the 2007 Economic Times Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
His generosity is just as well-known in India through the GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, a non-profit organization that serves the underserved peoples in 2 locations.
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