C. K. Birla
{{Short description|Indian industrialist and philanthropist (born 1955)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = C. K. Birla
| birth_name = Chandra Kant Birla
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1955}}
| birth_place = Calcutta, West Bengal, India
| nationality = Indian
| other_names =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater = La Martiniere
St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
| occupation = Industrialist
| television =
| title = Chairman, CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group)
| term =
| predecessor = Ganga Prasad Birla
| successor =
| boards =
| spouse = Amita Birla
| children = 2
| parents = Ganga Prasad Birla
Nirmala Devi
| relatives = See Birla family
}}
Chandra Kant Birla (born 1955) is an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He is the chairman of the CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group).{{cite news |title=Who is C K Birla? |url=https://www.business-standard.com/about/who-is-c-k-birla |access-date=17 November 2023 |publisher=Business Standard}}
Early life
Birla was born in 1955 in Kolkata. He completed his schooling at La Martiniere for Boys, Calcutta,{{cite news |last1=Mitra |first1=Sumit |last2=Malik |first2=Ashok |title=Ambassador Retro triggers nostalgia, Hindustan Motors hopes to revive the car |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/economy/story/20020211-ambassador-retro-triggers-nostalgia-hindustan-motors-hopes-to-revive-the-car-795834-2002-02-10 |publisher=India Today |date=February 11, 2002}} and later he graduated with a degree in economics from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.{{cite book |author1=Aprakash Chandra Bose |author2=Rupa K. Bose |title=Choosing an Indian Associate How to Evaluate Partnerships for Profit |date=1989 |publisher=Business International Asia/Pacific Limited |pages=48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F1jwAAAAMAAJ&q=Chandrakant+Birla}} He is the son of industrialist Ganga Prasad Birla and the grandson of Braj Mohan Birla.{{cite news |title=GP Birla dies at 87 |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/gp-birla-dies-at-87-110030700014_1.html |publisher=Business Standard |date=January 21, 2013}} He gained business expertise under the guidance of his grandfather, B. M. Birla, regarding him as his mentor.{{cite book |author1=D. K. Taknet |author-link=D. K. Taknet |title=The Marwari Heritage |date=2016 |publisher=IntegralDMS |isbn=9781942322061 |page=409 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kXS2DAAAQBAJ&dq=Chandra+Kant+Birla&pg=PA409}}
Career
Birla is chairman of the CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group), overseeing its diversified operations across the country.
He is the chairman for various companies under the group umbrella. These include AVTEC, a manufacturer of auto parts, BirlaNu (Formerly HIL Limited), Neosym, National Engineering Industries Limited (manufacturer of NBC Bearings), Orient Electric, and Orient Paper & Industries. He is on the board of directors at Birlasoft.
He is a member of the board of directors of the Commonwealth Business Council,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbcglobal.org/about/board-of-directors/mr-ck-birla |title=Commonwealth Business Council |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418220901/http://www.cbcglobal.org/about/board-of-directors/mr-ck-birla |archive-date=18 April 2014 |url-status=dead}} chairman of the board of governors of the Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi,{{Cite web |url=https://www.bitmesra.ac.in/cms-aboutus.aspx?this=1&mid=1 |title=BIT Mesra |access-date=30 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502010211/https://www.bitmesra.ac.in/cms-aboutus.aspx?this=1&mid=1 |archive-date=2 May 2014 |url-status=dead }} and a trustee of The Calcutta Medical Research Institute.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ckbirlagroup.com/mr-ck-birla.htm |title=About Chairman on CK Birla Group website |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418234029/http://www.ckbirlagroup.com/mr-ck-birla.htm |archive-date=18 April 2014 |url-status=dead}} Birla is a member of the National Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).{{cite news |title=High level CII Delegation to accompany Finance Minister to Japan |url=https://www.cii.in/CS_PressreleasesDetail.aspx?enc=KWp+jfoXo8xr51j1tHBRWCOp10z1Yu8pwkrQXUvjK7UoAT/Av490+L5cDJ3UOX2hFGo4VQdU2OrMQZ4qyA+UXEOXt1yLBRz2uvuNwz0HnAXMyjDAl8biTBbkeMEQCDmApxmFZ4X7YXJOB7fCyB5i6SpEne4AFPIfWT2JUYXXVlzpBiChI33Mtx+r74RrUkLbfo4NVGZ5sKON8c7LV6TVdAumcFtyehMFuPnVftle4cQamU0CCZ4Yjlb/LpZVzflKyddgLe2xzYxZslktsgScwQ== |publisher=CII |date=January 1, 2016}} He was also the chairman of the board of governors at the Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur.{{cite news |title=IIM-A to be mentor to Udaipur |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/iim-a-to-be-mentor-to-udaipur/story-IlOobrNdIrJpuC5EJ16f7O.html |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=June 24, 2010}}
Birla was on the board of Century Textile and Industries through his shareholding at Pilani Investment and Industries Corporation, a Birla family holding company.{{cite news |last1=Chowdhury |first1=Neel |title=The Divided Birla Clan Aims for Compromise : India's Troubled Empire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/15/business/worldbusiness/IHT-the-divided-birla-clan-aims-for-compromise-indias.html |work=The New York Times |date=May 15, 1996}}{{cite news |title=C K Birla To Skip Century Tex Agm |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/c-k-birla-to-skip-century-tex-agm-197072201092_1.html |publisher=Business Standard |date=July 22, 1997}}{{cite news |title=S K Birla, C K Birla resign from board of Century Textiles |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/s-k-birla-c-k-birla-resign-from-board-of-century-textiles-106022300031_1.html |publisher=Business Standard |date=February 23, 2006}}{{cite news |title=Birla duo exits Century board |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/business/birla-duo-exits-century-board/cid/817333 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=February 23, 2006}}
He was appointed as the chairman of Hindustan Motors in November 1997 and resigned from the chairmanship and directorship in December 2013.{{cite news |title=C.K. Birla steps down as chairman of Hindustan Motors |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/jack-ma-loses-usd-683-million-on-alibaba-after-its-shares-drop-by-9-per-cent-11700215873383.html |publisher=Livemint |date=December 23, 2013}}{{cite news |last1=Dutt |first1=Ishita Ayan |title=What next for CK Birla after Hindustan Motors? |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/what-next-for-ck-birla-after-hindustan-motors-114061101349_1.html |publisher=Business Standard |date=June 11, 2014}}
Philanthropy
In healthcare and education, their major initiatives comprise the B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre in Kolkata, Calcutta Medical Research Institute, a hospital in Kolkata, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, Modern High School for Girls in Kolkata, and the Rukmani Birla Modern High School in Jaipur.
He oversees the G. P. Birla Archaeological Astronomical and Scientific Research Institute (GPBAASRI), BM Birla Science Centre, and Space Museum in Hyderabad.{{cite news |title=Space Museum opened at Hyderabad with ISRO Collaboration |url=https://www.isro.gov.in/Space%20Museum%20opened.html |publisher=ISRO |date=2019}}{{cite news |title=City welcomes India's first private space museum |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/city-welcomes-indias-first-private-space-museum/articleshow/70402881.cms |work=The Times of India |date=July 27, 2019}}
In April 2020, Birla, his wife Amita Birla, and the CKA Birla Group (Formerly CK Birla Group) jointly committed a sum of {{INR}}35 crores to support the government's efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. Of this, {{INR}}25 crores were directed to the PM CARES Fund, with the remaining funds allocated to state government initiatives for the procurement of equipment.{{cite news |title=CK Birla Group commits Rs 35 crore to PM-CARES Fund |url=https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/allied-industries/ck-birla-group-commits-rs-35-crore-to-pm-cares-fund/74985920 |publisher=The Economic Times |date=April 4, 2020}}
Personal life
In 1975, Birla married Amita Birla, the daughter of Raj Kumar Bagri, a co-founder of the London-based London Metal Exchange and his wife Usha Maheshwary.{{cite book |author1=Susan Morris |title=Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 2019 |date=2020 |publisher=eBook Partnership |isbn=9781999767051 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=99tHEAAAQBAJ&dq=Chandra+Kant+Birla+wife+Amita+Birla&pg=PA1644}}{{cite news |title=Meet the Titans of the Metal and Steel Industry |url=http://www.indianmetals.com/news/portraits.php |publisher=Indianmetals.com}} The couple has two daughters.{{cite web |title=Birla Family Tree: The journey of the Birla legacy from Shiv Narain Birla to Ananya and Vedant Birla |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/life/lifestyle-birla-family-tree-the-journey-of-the-birla-legacy-from-shiv-narain-to-nirvan-and-vedant-birla-3409662/#:~:text=CK%20Birla%20has%20two%20daughter,President%2C%20Strategy%20at%20HIL%20Limited. |website=Financialexpress |language=en |date=18 June 2024}}
Recognition
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, honored Birla as a Global Leader for Tomorrow, recognizing him among a select group of industrialists. The Rajasthan Foundation, under the Government of Rajasthan, has listed him among the "Legends of Rajasthan" in the business category.{{cite web |title=Legends of Rajasthan |url=https://foundation.rajasthan.gov.in/LegendsOfRajathan.aspx |website=foundation.rajasthan.gov.in |publisher=Rajasthan Foundation |access-date=17 November 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Birla family}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birla, Chandra Kant}}
Category:Businesspeople from Delhi
Category:La Martiniere Calcutta alumni