ET Awards 2024: Many of our problems existing in several large economies as well, only way to compete is by...: Kumar Mangalam Birla

Talking on India's growth story, Kumar Mangalam Birla expressed that only way for India to compete globally is by investing and not waiting it out. The business tycoon was speaking after he received 'Business Leader of the Year' at the 25th edition of The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence

"Many of the problems that we think are unique to us, to our economy, are actually existing in several large economies as well. The way to compete globally is by investing and not by waiting it out," said Kumar Mangalam during his address.

Further commenting, the business leader has named India and another is North America are his permanent bets, adding that India's story remains firm.

Under Kumar Mangalam Birla's visionary leadership, the Aditya Birla Group has reached remarkable milestones, surpassing $100 billion in market capitalisation. The group expanded its footprint across cement, paints, and branded jewellery while strengthening its core sectors. Known for his focus on scale and innovation, Birla’s legacy as a transformative business leader continues to thrive.

Kumar Mangalam Birla took the group’s reins in 1995 at the age of 28, following father Aditya Birla’s untimely death at 51. Since then, the group’s revenue has grown over 30 times from $2 billion at the time to $66 billion now, with several large acquisitions along the way and a presence in 40 countries. The Aditya Birla Group’s businesses include cement, chemicals, financial services, metals, mining, textiles, fashion retail, paints, trading, hospitality, entertainment, jewellery and telecom.

On international women’s day, the ET Awards for Corporate Excellence 2024 honoured the exceptional leadership of Vishakha Mulye, CEO of Aditya Birla Capital, with the award for Businesswoman of the Year.

Mahindra & Mahindra and Zomato were recognised for their commendable achievements with the awards for Company of the Year and Emerging Company of the Year, respectively. Peyush Bansal, founder and CEO of Lenskart, clinched the Entrepreneur of the Year award and journalist Fareed Zakaria will be bestowed the Global Indian of the Year honour.