Godrej may see restructuring as clan differs on business strategy
Consumer goods-to-real estate conglomerate Godrej could see a restructuring as differences have surfaced between family members over the way forward for the 122-year-old, $5-billion enterprise. Group chairman Adi Godrej and his brother Nadir Godrej are on one side while cousins Jamshyd Godrej and Smitha Godrej Crishna are on the other.
A TV report said the clan is also split over the development of a 1,000-acre land parcel they own in Mumbai.
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The conflict within the Godrej family over business strategy may be as much a clash of personalities as a difference in world views, especially among the younger lot.
A source close to the Godrejs said there have been no visible undercurrents due to the differences. “They attend board meetings and are very cordial towards each other,” said the source.
Another person who knows the family, told TOI, “It was just a matter of time, the younger generation would want to move in different directions. They are fast movers and there is bound to be friction if the others can’t keep up,’’ said this person, not wishing to be identified.
Group chairman Adi Godrej and his brother Nadir Godrej form one faction, while the other is led by cousins Jamshyd Godrej and Smitha Godrej Crishna. “Adi is flamboyant with an international social scene. He is very clever and a sharp businessman with deep knowledge of the commodity market. Jamshyd, on the other hand, is much lower on the radar and does not enjoy society life. He prefers sailing the seas to anything else, and is simple and very hard working,’’ said the source.
“Adi’s children are all hands on in the business, very pushy and sharp. Under son Pirojsha, the Godrej Properties stock has been booming,’’ said a leading property market expert. Jamshyd, business sources said, is probably grooming his niece, Nyrika. “Nyrika is a lawyer and works with Jamshyd,’’ said insiders. Jamshyd’s son Navroze lives in Goa, is into music and designs clothes. “He has a Zen like existence and is not money minded at all,’’ said a family friend.
The Godrej group was founded by Ardeshir Godrej and his younger brother Pirojsha Godrej in 1897. Its origins started with the sale of locks after Ardeshir read news reports about rising burglaries in Mumbai. Over the decades, the group expanded into several areas including soaps (the enterprise is said to have produced the first soap in the world using vegetable oil), appliances and real estate.
Ardeshir died childless, while Pirojsha had four sons — Sohrab, Dosa, Burjor and Naval. Sohrab had no children. Dosa’s son, Rishad, is not involved in the running of the enterprise, though he remains a shareholder. A wildlife enthusiast and photographer, he doesn’t have any children. Burjor’s children are Adi and Nadir, who between them oversee Godrej Properties, Godrej Industries, Godrej Consumer Products and Godrej Agrovet. Naval’s children are Jamshyd and Smitha. Jamshyd is the chairman of Godrej & Boyce, the unlisted holding company of the conglomerate. Smitha is not involved in the running of the business but her husband (Vijay Crishna) and daughter (Nyrika Holkar) are. Adi’s three children Tanya, Nisaba and Pirojsha are involved with the business, so are Nadir’s two children except the youngest Hormusji. His eldest son Burjis is with Godrej Agrovet and the second one Sohrab is with Godrej Industries. Jamshyd’s son Navroze is a non-executive director of Godrej & Boyce while daughter Raika is yet to make a formal entry into the group.
Most of the family members sit on the boards of group companies. They also directly or indirectly hold stakes in all the group entities. The family (Adi, Jamshyd, Nadir, Smitha and Rishad) own between 9% and 10% each in Godrej & Boyce, while about 24% is held by a philanthropic trust created by the family and 27% is owned by Godrej Investments.
Godrej & Boyce is the largest private land owner in the city. Government records show its land holdings in Vikhroli, Nahur and Kurla aggregate 3,401 acres. In recent years, the group has been commercially developing large residential projects on these lands. The real estate business seems to be the primary cause of differences.
Although a large chunk of it is a well-protected mangrove sprawl in Vikhroli, the state slum authority estimates that at least 300 acres near Vikhroli station have been encroached upon. Godrej acquired the land in the eastern suburbs sometime in the early 1940s from the Bombay high court receiver. This land was originally given by the East India Company to Parsi merchant Framjee Banaji in the 1830s and came up for sale in 1941-42. After acquiring this land, the Godrej group started buying adjoining plots by negotiating with 200 plot owners. In the past decade, the group has become one of the leading real estate players in Mumbai.
The source cited earlier said: “I am amazed that in 2011 when they involved outsiders for future conflict resolution, they did not work out the dispute over this 1,000-acre plot (in Vikhroli, a city suburb).’’
