Ajay Gopikisan Piramal (born 3 August 1955) is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman of thePiramal Group, a conglomerate with interests in pharmaceutical, financial services, real estate, healthcare analytics and glass packaging.[1][2] As of September 2025, his net worth is estimated at US$3.3 billion.[3]
Ajay Piramal was born to Gopikisan Piramal and Lalita Piramal inRajasthan, India on 3 August 1955. In 1977, at age 22, Piramal started out in his family's textile business, founded in 1934 by his grandfather Piramal Chatrabhuj. His father, Gopikisan Piramal, died in 1979, and after five years he lost an older brother to cancer, prompting him to take over the business.[4]
In 1988, Piramal bought Nicholas Laboratories, an Australianmultinational corporation. The company is now ranked fifth among pharma companies in India, having made a string of overseas acquisitions like the Indian subsidiaries of Roche, Boehringer Mannheim, Rhone Poulenc, ICI and Hoechst Research Centre. India's first major shopping mall, Crossroads, was developed from three redundant Piramal factory buildings in Mumbai.[9]
He led Piramal Enterprises Ltd invested inVodafone India by buying 11% in two tranches. The first 5.5%, was bought in 2011 for Rs 2,856crore and the second, the next year for Rs 3,007 crore to buy a 5.5% stake in Vodafone India for INR 30.07 billion ($618 million), taking the total stake to 11%.[10] In April 2014, Piramal Enterprises Ltd. sold its 11% stake for INR 8,900 crore, at a 51.78% premium to the price the company had paid in 2011–12.[11]
After selling his stake in Vodafone India, Piramal paid INR 2,014 crore to buy a 20% stake in Shriram Capital Ltd., an arm of the Chennai-basedShriram Group. The purchase was made in addition to INR 1,636 crore investment in Shriram Transport Finance Co. Ltd. for a 9.9% stake.[12] Piramal also serves as the Chairman of Shriram Group.[13]
Piramal announced in 2019 he planned to resign as chairman of Shriram Capital Ltd. He was named chairman five years earlier.[14]
Piramal finances the Piramal Foundation.[40] The foundation is quoted as taking about 10–15% of his time.[41] The Piramal Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Piramal Group.[42]
The Piramal Foundation has initiatives across Health, Education and Safe Drinking Water, namely Piramal Swasthya,[43] Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership[44] and Piramal Sarvajal,[45] respectively. The Foundation works across 21 states in India, mostly in partnership with state governments.[46]
Piramal is among the Advisory Committee Members of Annamrita,ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (IFRF)[47] that serves 1.2 million meals through its 20 kitchens across India every day.[48]
TheAmbani andPiramal family at the wedding reception of Isha Ambani-Anand Piramal which was situated inRelianceJio Garden.
Ajay Piramal is married toSwati Shah Piramal.[49] They are the parents of two children. Their daughter, Nandini Piramal D'Young, married US citizen Peter D'Young in 2009.[50] Piramal's son, Anand Piramal, married Isha Ambani Piramal (née Ambani), daughter of billionaire businessmanMukesh Dhirubhai Ambani and his wifeNita Dalal Ambani, on 12 December 2018.[51]
Ajay andSwati Piramal had gifted Gulita to the newlyweds, Isha Ambani Piramal and Anand Piramal.[53]
Anand Piramal's parents Ajay andSwati Piramal gave them their home Gulita as a wedding gift. It occupies 50,000 square feet of floor space inWorli, Mumbai, with three basements, multiple dining rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a garden, a hall and a diamond-themed bungalow with a diamond room and a temple room.[54][55][56][57] Estimated to be worth $100 million in 2022, Gulita was bought through an auction by Piramal fromHindustan Unilever for $61.2 million in 2012. Ajay Piramal and his family started the remodeling work for the house in 2015. [58][59] Following the completion of the renovation work, theBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) gave an occupancy certificate to the property in September 2018. The interior is designed likeAntilia, the residence of Isha Ambani before marriage.[60][61]
![The Ambani and Piramal at the wedding reception of Isha Ambani-Anand Piramal (from left to right:-[[Mukesh Ambani]], [[Nita Ambani]], Isha Ambani, Anand Piramal, [[Swati Piramal]], Ajay Piramal](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aThe-Ambani-family-arrives-at-Isha-Ambani-Anand-Piramal-wedding-reception-at-Reliance-Jio-Garden-1.jpg)
