Anil Agarwal

Anil Agarwal is the Founder and Chairman of Vedanta Group, one of the largest and diversified natural resources groups globally. Born in the state of Bihar in India, Anil Agarwal did not let his humble beginnings limit his achievements. At the age of 19, he left his small town for Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, with only a tiffin box, bedding, and dreams in his eyes. He wished to start his own company but could barely make ends meet. For the next 10 years, he tried his luck with nine different businesses but all of them failed. However, he did not give up. He founded the Vedanta Group in 1976 and has over 45 years of entrepreneurial & business experience. Anil Agarwal's journey from being a metal trader to one of the top global business leaders is an inspiration to many across the world. His vision is to empower India by helping it achieve self-sufficiency in the natural resources and electronics sectors. Under his dynamic leadership, Vedanta has grown from an Indian domestic miner to a global natural resources major, with a world-class portfolio of assets in oil & gas, zinc, silver, aluminium, copper, nickel, iron & steel, and power all of which generate strong cash flows. Vedanta is now venturing into semiconductor and display glass business with the ambition of creating a world-beating electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India. A committed philanthropist, Anil Agarwal believes that businesses must give back to society and help them prosper. He has pledged 75% of his wealth for social impact. He has signed The Giving Pledge, a movement of global philanthropists who have committed to give away the majority of their wealth to causes related to social impact. Anil Agarwal is committed to promoting the well-being of the communities with a particular focus on women and child development. His dream project, Nand Ghar, is developing model anganwadis across India that are focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Anil Agarwal is also committed to nurturing the youth through the promotion of sports and grassroot talent by developing state of the art sports infrastructure in India. Anil Agarwal is passionate about empowering young minds. He regularly mentors and guides entrepreneurs on how to make their business successful and enjoys interacting with students from across the world. He encourages the youth to work hard and shoot for the stars with the simple advice: “Be humble, be fearless.”