Karan Adani is an Indian businessman, who is the scion of the Adani Group. He is known for being the son of the Indian business tycoon and founder of the Adani group Gautam Adani; As of September 2022, Gautam Adani is the richest person in India and Asia and the third richest person in the world. Karan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ). In September 2022, Karan was elevated as the Chairman of ACC, a subsidiary of Ambuja Cements.
Wiki/Biography
Karan Gautam Adani was born on Tuesday, 7 April 1987 (age 35 years; as of 2022) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. His zodiac sign is Aries. Karan Adani graduated in Economics (2009) from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, US.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Karan Adani belongs to a Gujarati Jain family.
Parents & Siblings
Karan Adani is the son of the Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani and the Indian dentist and philanthropist Priti Adani. He has a younger brother, Jeet Adani, who is the vice president of finance at Adani Group.
Wife & Children
Karan Adani tied the knot with Paridhi Shroff, a businesswoman, on 11 February 2013. Paridhi is a partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. She is the daughter of Cyril Shroff, an Indian corporate lawyer and managing partner of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, India’s biggest law firm. Together they have a daughter named Anuradha Karan Adani, who was born in 2016.
Career
Karan Adani joined Adani Port and SEZ Ltd in 2009 as a director. Initially, he learned the intricacies of the port operations at Mundra port. In 2016, Karan was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.
Subsequently, he launched several campaigns for the expansion and development of Adani Ports and Terminals, Industrial Land, and Logistics. In 2018, under the leadership of Karan, APSEZ acquired 97% stake in Marine Infrastructure Developer, which runs the Kattupalli Port (about 30 km from Chennai Port and adjoining the Ennore Port) in Tamil Nadu from Larsen and Toubro, making it the 10th port in APSEZ network; APSEZ acquired the stake for Rs 1,950 crore.
Talking about the acquisition in a media conversation, Karan said,
We are thankful to the Tamil Nadu government and the ministry of commerce for giving approvals in record time. Adani Ports is committed to making Katupalli Port one of the largest ports in southern India. We are going to start our construction to diversify the cargo of the port and will be adding 40 MMT of new capacity in the next three years. We are confident that with our superior infrastructure and efficient handling of cargo we will be able to reduce logistics cost of industries in the region and be one of the engines of growth.”
Karan-led APSEZ has grown from two ports to a string of 10 ports and terminals over the years. In 2019, Adani Group snapped up six contracts to modernize airports in smaller non-metro cities across India in a public-private partnership with the Airports Authority of India, and Karan Adani was made the head of the projects. The airports which came under the contract include Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Jaipur International Airport, Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Mangalore International Airport, and Trivandrum International Airport.
Known for his hands-on approach and execution skills, Karan played a key role in the acquisition of Ambuja Cements and ACC by the Adani Group for Rs. 640 crores. On 16 September 2022, Karan Adani was named Chairman of ACC Limited, an Indian cement producer, headquartered in Mumbai. Additionally, he has been appointed as the non-executive director of Ambuja Cement.
Facts/Trivia
- As per Karan’s Twitter account, he is a technology enthusiast, and he is striving to create economic growth through sustainable business practices.
- Apparently, during his initial years at Adani Port and SEZ Ltd., Karan used to travel to Mundra Port, Gujarat, by train to get a better understanding of the diverse portfolio at Mundra port.
- In 2014, Karan received The Economic Times Award in the Emerging Company category on behalf of Adani Ports & SEZ Limited.
- Karan considers his father his inspiration. During an interview, Karan revealed that his father had given him three pieces of instrumental advice that have helped him to carry on his business activities effectively. The first is to remain grounded, the second to keep it simple, and lastly, to always consider scale.
- He often engages in social activities and has volunteered as a blood donor several times.