ET Family Business Awards' winners in the limelight: Apollo Hospitals and Muthoot FinCorp

APOLLO HOSPITALS

"We share a lot of things together—good times, jobs, work and ideas. I must thank my sisters; we are all equals in what we do."

— Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals

For Apollo Hospitals, the Economic Times Family Business of the Year – Mega award is both a recognition and a reminder of the responsibility that comes with carrying forward founder Prathap C. Reddy's vision of making world-class healthcare accessible to every Indian, Executive Vice-Chairperson Preetha Reddy said.


Accepting the award, Preetha credited her three sisters for helping build the institution together, saying they have always worked as equals. All four sisters shared the podium.

Founded in 1983, Apollo Hospitals has grown from a single hospital into India's largest integrated healthcare network, with more than 10,000 beds across 74 hospitals, over 13,000 doctors, 2,300 diagnostic centres, 700 clinics and 6,800 pharmacies. The company is now making a sharp strategic push toward technology-led healthcare.

"The next decade will be defined by how we multiply our impact through innovation, technology and partnerships," said Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise. She said the company will continue to create value across the healthcare ecosystem, driven by the customer—or the patient.

Shobana Kamineni, Executive Chairperson of Apollo HealthCo and Apollo Pharmacies, said the four sisters are each other's best friends. "So, there is something in that for women diversity."

Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director at Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, expressed gratitude for the trust of patients, the support of shareholders, and the dedication of doctors and other employees.

MUTHOOT FINCORP

"There were many occasions when we thought the business may not exist the next day. But we learnt that we have to endure."

— Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman, Muthoot FinCorp

After nearly 140 years in business, the Muthoot family says its greatest lesson has not been about growth or scale, but survival.

Accepting the ET Family Business of the Year – Large award for Muthoot FinCorp, Chairman Thomas John Muthoot said the group's business was built on the values handed down through generations.

"We are fortunate that our founding fathers gave us the platform and foundational values to build this business," he said. "We are now into the fourth generation, with the fifth generation already coming up."

Muthoot traced the company's evolution from a Kerala-based gold loan business into a diversified financial services company with a nationwide presence, but said the journey had been far from easy.

"One hundred and thirty-nine years was not an easy journey for us," he said. "There were many occasions when we thought the business may not exist the next day. But we learnt from our earlier generations that we have to endure."

He dedicated the award as much to the group's 14,000 employees as to the family behind the 139-year-old business, which has evolved from a grain merchant in Kerala into one of the country's largest diversified non-banking financial companies.

Muthoot said the group's growth had been driven by its employees, even as the family continued to lead the business.

Looking ahead, he said the biggest challenge for family-owned businesses would be remaining relevant in a rapidly changing environment.