A young Harsh Goenka without a beard: Billionaire's MBA days photo sparks a guessing game

Old photographs have a way of revealing a completely different side of familiar faces, and business leader Harsh Goenka recently gave social media just that. The RPG Enterprises chairman shared a throwback from his MBA days, but one detail immediately caught attention: the younger Goenka had no beard. His post quickly turned into a guessing game, with followers trying to identify him in the group photograph. While some confidently pointed out his position, others simply admired how different yet recognisable the billionaire looked in his younger years.

Harsh Goenka shares throwback from his MBA days

Goenka took to X to share a photograph from his MBA class and added a playful confession about his younger appearance. “I came across my MBA class photo,” he wrote, before adding in parentheses, “I had no beard then��”. That one observation was enough to get his followers looking closely at the photograph and attempting to spot him among his classmates.

Netizens try to identify young Harsh Goenka

The comment section soon turned into a guessing game, with followers trying to figure out where Goenka was standing in the group photograph. One joked that he “wasn’t looking at the camera”, while another confidently guessed he was in the “2nd row, 2nd from right”. A user praised the businessman for looking “very young and very smart”, while another said he was “not difficult to place” and asked about the other Indians in the photograph. One follower called him the “Happiness Brand Ambassador”, praising his “million dollar smile” and humour.

About the billionaire- Harsh Goenka

Harsh V. Goenka is the Chairman of RPG Enterprises, one of India’s major industrial groups. The conglomerate operates across several business segments, including tyres, infrastructure, information technology and other diversified areas. As per information available on the Ceat website, the group has an annual turnover of USD 4.8 billion, reflecting its sizeable presence across multiple sectors.

Goenka studied Economics before pursuing an MBA from the International Institute of Management Development, or IMD, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Harsh Goenka’s education and business roles

Goenka remains associated with IMD and serves on its Foundation Board. His professional journey has also extended beyond RPG Enterprises. He is a past President of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber and is a member of the Executive Committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Within RPG Enterprises, Goenka has held a prominent leadership position for decades. He has been Chairman of the Board of the company since 2001.