Meet The Wadia Family, The Oldest Business Family In India, Owners Of Britannia, Bombay Dyeing & Other Big Brands

Did you know about the Wadia family? They are India’s most renowned and influential business empire. They are known for their significant contributions in many business fields.

The Wadia family is a Parsi family from Surat, India. They are currently based in Mumbai, India. The Wadia family has a very deep historical significance in India’s business landscape. Their contributions to the business world date back to the 18th century.

Their legacy can be simply checked by the diverse range of businesses they own, some of their philanthropic endeavors, and their long-standing commitment to the development of India’s economy and society. They have left an unignorable mark on the country’s business landscape.

Wadia Family is one of those families in India’s business landscape that flourished during the years of India’s independence. They worked as one of the best shipbuilders under the British East India Company. With this business, they gained immense wealth and influence all over during that time.

Wadia Group Foundation in 1736

Wadia Group was founded by Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736. This business group is one of India’s oldest business groups. It is a multinational business empire and has its headquarters in Mumbai, India.

In 1736, Lovji Wadia gained many contracts with the British East India Company for building ships and ports in Bombay, presently Mumbai. They made Bombay the most important port for the East India Company to undertake colonial exchanges in Asia.

It is said that the national anthem of the US was composed on a ship. But do you know which ship? That ship was HMS Minden, made by India’s oldest conglomerate, the Wadia Empire. Similarly, the group has made many such historical ships for the British East India Company. These ships are HMS Cornwallis, HMS Minden, and HMS Trincomalee.

Wadia family history

Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia set up the business of shipbuilding in Mumbai and made it one of the biggest business empires in India. His wife’s name was Lady Hirabai Wadia. She has managed his family throughout his life and is known as one of the prominent figures of the Wadia family. Lovji Wadia and Hirabai Wadia had several children, but their information is not available.

Nowrosjee Wadia is a famous member of the Wadia family. He was the founder of Bombay Dyeing. His wife’s name was Bai Jerbai, a known philanthropist. They had three sons. His legacy was passed on to his son, Sir Ness Wadia. Sir Ness Wadia had a son named Neville Wadia and a daughter named Clara Eveylne Wadia.

Wadia family connection with Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Neville Wadia was married to Dina Wadia, the only daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan. They had two children, namely Diana and Nusli Wadia. Clara Evelyne Wadia got married to Robert Byng, the 7th Earl of Strafford. Loveji Wadia had two more great-grandsons, namely JBH Wadia and Homi Wadia.

Some other members of the Wadia family are also based in Surat. They are not a part of the shipbuilding company. Alternatively, they had a shipwrecking yard. It is one of the largest places and businesses for dismantling ships.

The Wadia family has businesses in three main branches, each dealing in a particular industry known as textiles, shipping, and jewelry. Some of their other businesses include filmmaking, biscuits and bakery products, tea and rubber plantations, fashion magazines, and aviation.

Wadia family’s connection with Muhammad Ali Jinnah

The Wadia family has a very deep relationship with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder and father of Pakistan. He was the in-laws of the Wadia family. He married off his only daughter, Dina Wadia, to the only son of Sir Ness Wadia, namely Neville Wadia.

Even though Dina Wadia was the only daughter of Jinnah, she still decided to stay in India after her divorce from Neville Wadia.

Business empire of the Wadia family

In 1736, Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia founded the shipbuilding company under which they made ships and ports for the British East India Company. His company built 355 ships, including the first ships for the British navy outside England. The US National Anthem was written on a ship made by his company, HMS Minden.

During the 1800s, some of the important ladies of the Wadia family, like Motlibai Maneckji Wadia, Jerbai Nusserwanji Wadia, and Lady Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir, became famous for their philanthropy. They opened several schools and hospitals and provided support for Zoroastrian temples. The Wadia family followed this as their family tradition.

In 1863, Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited (BBTC) was formed. It is an Indian trading company owned by the Wadia Group. This company deals in selling Burmese tea.

In the year 1879, Nowrosjee Wadia founded Bombay Dyeing, which is one of the largest textile producers in India. It is the flagship company of the Wadia Group. This company was later taken over by his son, Sir Ness Wadia, and its current chairman is Nusli Wadia.

Britannia Industries is one of the biggest Indian multinational FMCG companies. It was founded in 1892. It is one of the oldest biscuit product companies in India and was headed by Nusli Wadia.

In 1999, Wadia Group established National Peroxide Limited (NPL). It was managed by Bombay Dyeing. It had its headquarters in Kalyan, Maharashtra. Loveji Wadia’s great-grandsons, JBH Wadia and Homi Wadia, founded Wadia Movietone in 1933.

Other than all of this, they own several firms, like Gladrags, a fashion magazine; Wadia Techno-Engineering Services Limited (WTESL); Go First (Airline); Punjab Kings of IPL; and Bombay Realty. They founded Nowrosjee Wadia College in Pune in 1932.

Net Worth of the Wadia Family

The Wadia family has a long history of being in various business fields. They have been doing business since 1736. Currently, they are one of the biggest conglomerates in India. The Wadia family net worth is about Rs $7.90 billion, as per Bloomberg.