There are two UK based Indians in the top 100, Lakshmi Mittal and the Hinduja brothers. Mittal, aged 64 was born in Rajasthan and made his fortune in the steel industry. He made headlines in 2004 when he purchased a house in London from Bernie Eccleston for £67 million. At the time it was the most expensive property purchase in the world. In 2007 he became a major shareholder at the London football club Queens Park Rangers. Mittal has not taken an active role in the running of the club, instead appointing his son in law Amit Bhatia as a director at Rangers. He has also shown an interest in promoting and improving sport in India. He founded the Mittal Champions Trust to distribute $9 million to ten Indian athletes with outstanding worldwide potential.
The Hinduja brothers who own the Hinduja group have interests in a varied range of industries. From oil and gas, to the automotive industry and the financial sector. The company celebrated a centenary since its founding last year and was originally based in Mumbai. The family moved the company to London in 1979 and has gone on to become one of the largest conglomerates on the planet. Last year two of the brothers, Srichand and Gopichand were named as the richest men in Britain with a net worth of over £11 billion. The family support a number of charities including a hospital and research centre in Mumbai.
In other positive news for India New Delhi moved onto the top twenty list as the residence to billionaires. Joining Mumbai which has the most in the country at 40 making it the sixth highest in the world. Overall the number of Indians on the list increased by 27 taking it above Russia for the first time.
41st richest Indian on the list is Mukesh Ambani owner of Reliance industries has interests in energy, media and telecoms. Last year was a success for the Mumbai based chairman as he saw his overall wealth increase by 11%. Other notable names in the top 100 include Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharma at 53rd and Tata boss Pallonji Mistry who was ranked at 60th on the list.
