Keshub Mahindra, former Chairman of the Mahindra Group, died at the age of 99.

Keshub Mahindra died at the age of 99, just days after re-entering the Forbes billionaire list for 2023. With a net worth of $1.2 billion, the former chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra was the oldest billionaire in India.

Keshub Mahindra's name has been making the rounds online as India's oldest billionaire in recent days. Keshub Mahindra died on Wednesday at the age of 99, just days after re-entering the Forbes billionaire list for 2023.

With a net worth of $1.2 billion, the former chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra was the oldest billionaire in India. Following 48 years as chairman of the Mahindra Group, he retired in 2012 and handed over the responsibilities to his nephew Anand Mahindra.

Keshub Mahindra was born in Shimla on October 9, 1923, and attended the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. On October 2, 1945, his father Jagdish Chandra Mahindra, together with his brother Kailash Chandra Mahindra and Malik Ghulam Muhammad, co-founded the Mahindra Group as Mahindra and Muhammad. At the time, the corporation was merely a steel trading enterprise. Subsequently, in 1948, the company was renamed Mahindra and Mahindra.

When word of his death broke on Wednesday, there was regret that the former Chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra will not be present to celebrate his 100th birthday on October 9 this year. It would have been the ideal homage to someone who was well-known in corporate India and was the essence of kindness and elegance.

Keshub Mahindra joined his father's company in 1947, which began by producing and marketing utility vehicles. From 1963 through 2012, he served as the firm's chairman. He then appointed his nephew Anand Mahindra to succeed him.

He was a key contributor to the Mahindra Group's diversification as it moved away from primarily assembling Willy's Jeeps. The $19 billion conglomerate, on the other hand, is today known for its tractors and sport utility vehicles, in addition to having a presence in software services, hospitality, and real estate.

Mahindra died just days after re-entering Forbes' list of India's Richest Billionaires for 2023. He was India's oldest billionaire. He has a net worth of $1.2 billion.

Mahindra was appointed to a number of government committees during his tenure, including the Sachar Committee on Business Law and Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTO) Laws and the Central Advisory Council of Industry. From 2004 until 2010, he served on the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry.

In 1987, the French government named Mahindra a Knight de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'honneur. Mahindra has also served on the boards of directors and councils of major corporations such as Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, ICICI, IFC, Steel Authority of India Limited, and Indian Hotels.