Nusli Wadia
Nusli Wadia (born 15 February 1944) is an Indian-born British Parsi businessman, entrepreneur and the chairman of the Wadia Group. He is a part of the prominent business Wadia family, through his father Neville, and the politically influenced Jinnah family, through his mother Dina. He is the grandson of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and is one of the Parsi community's most prominent and influential businessmen.[3][2]
Nusli Wadia | |
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Born | Bombay, British India | 15 February 1944
Nationality | British[1] |
Occupation | Businessman, entrepreneur |
Net worth | US$6 billion (May 2020)[2] |
Spouse(s) | Maureen Wadia |
Children | 2 (Ness and Jehangir) |
Parent(s) | Neville Wadia (father) Dina Jinnah (mother) |
Relatives | See Wadia family |
Personal life
Nusli was born into a Parsi family in Bombay. He is the son of businessman Neville Wadia and Dina Wadia. His maternal grandfather Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan, while, his maternal grandmother, Rattanbai Petit was born into two of the elite Parsi families of India, the Petit—Tata family. Nusli is the direct and only descendant of Jinnah and his family. His great-aunt, Fatima Jinnah, was an important figure in the independent Pakistan movement. Though he was born in India, Nusli's father obtained a British passport for him for the convenience of travel.[1]
He is married to Maureen Wadia, a former air hostess, who heads Gladrags magazine and is one of the organizers of Mrs. India beauty pageant. They have two sons: Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia.[4]
In 2004, Wadia accompanied his mother Dina and sons Ness and Jeh, on a visit to Pakistan, during which he visited the mausoleum of his grandfather Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and grandaunt Fatima Jinnah in Karachi.[5]
Controversy
In 2016, Wadia announced that he will be filing a defamation case against Ratan Tata and his Tata group, after being removed as the independent director of Tata Motors.[6] During the 2016-2019 period, when the trial was ongoing, Wadia's net worth increased from $3.5 to $7billion.[7] In January 2020, Wadia withdrew the defamation case, following Tata's statement that there was no intention to defame Wadia.[8][9]
References
- Cover, Story (31 August 1989). "'Why should I be a threat?' - Interview with Nusli Wadia". India Today. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- "Nusli Wadia". Forbes. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- "Nusli Neville Wadia Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
- Singh, Rohini (13 July 2009). "I want to consolidate: Nusli Wadia". Economic Times. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- "Dina Wadia visits mausoleum of Quaid". DAWN.COM. 27 March 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- "Nusli Wadia To Go Ahead With Defamation Cases Against Tatas". Businessworld. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- Soni, Preeti (15 January 2020). "Billionaire Nusli Wadia could be one of the rare men who battled Ambanis and Tatas and lived to tell the tale". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- Sharma, Prathma (13 January 2020). "Nusli Wadia withdraws criminal defamation suit against Ratan Tata". Livemint. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- Rautray, Samanwaya (14 January 2020). "Nusli Wadia to withdraw defamation cases against Ratan Tata". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 May 2020.