Year in review: 10 Indian business persons who grabbed headlines in 2022

From Gautam Adani and Nischal Shetty to Falguni Nayar and Kaivalya Vohra, take a look at Indian business leaders who grabbed headlines in the year gone by.

1) Gautam Adani

Gautam Adani became the richest Indian and the third richest in the world. Adani left behind Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. On December 13, after a significant drop in Elon Musk’s wealth, the gap between Adani and Twitter CEO’s wealth narrowed to $47.1 billion.

The Indian billionaire grabbed headlines throughout the year for his ventures and deals. Probably his appetite for headlines made him grab not only headlines but also a whole media house. NDTV’s takeover remained the highlight of all his ventures this year.

2) Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani chairs and runs $104 billion (revenue) Reliance Industries, which has interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecom, and retail.

Ambani was in the news for many reasons, but his succession plan was the most anticipated news. His eldest son Akash Ambani is now chairman of Reliance Jio. His daughter Isha looks after retail, and the youngest son, Anant, has been inducted into his new energy business.

3) Nischal Shetty

A software developer turned entrepreneur, Nischal founded WazirX, India’s leading bitcoin exchange platform that lets users trade in the cryptocurrencies available in the market. Shetty also built Crowdfire – an AI-driven marketing assistant, which is being used by over 15 million users.

WazirX was one of India’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchanges, with more than 6 million registered users. However, it was not immune to the crypto-winter and remained in the news for the ongoing controversy over its ownership.

After the minister of state for finance, Pankaj Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha that WazirX was sent ED notice for two cases it is investigating under the FEMA Act, Binance owner Changpeng Zhao tweeted that his company does not own any equity in Zanmai Labs, the owner of WazirX.

Following this, Nischal Shetty also took to Twitter, saying, “WazirX was acquired by Binance.”

1/ FACTS about WazirX & Binance:

WazirX was acquired by Binance

Zanmai Labs is an India entity owned by me & my co-founders

Zanmai Labs has license frm Binance to operate INR-Crypto pairs in WazirX

Binance operates crypto to crypto pairs, processes crypto withdrawal…

— Nischal (Shardeum) ⚡️ (@NischalShetty) August 5, 2022

According to government reports, around 16 fintech companies being investigated for money laundering allegedly received active assistance from WazirX in diverting their gains through the use of cryptocurrencies.

4) Piyush Bansal of Lenskart

The country was pleasantly surprised when a friendly dolphin appeared amidst the big Indian sharks in the reality show Shark Tank India.

The Lenskart founder became a favourite on social media for his sharp business skills, vision, humble approach, and confidence while investing in Shark Tank India. Out of all his investments, the one made with Jugaadu Kamlesh and Naru struck a chord with watchers across the country.

He was celebrated for his success in building Lenskart and his large-hearted approach to inspiring young entrepreneurs.

Peyush Bansal is the CEO and founder of Lenskart. His estimated net worth (as of 2021) is approx $80 million.

5) Falguni Nayar – Nykaa

In 2012, Falguni Nayar quit her investment banking job to start Nykaa, a retailer of beauty products. Nayar took Nykaa public in November 2021 and became India’s richest self-made female entrepreneur in 2022.

As per the IIFL Wealth Hurun India rich list 2022, Nayar is India’s richest woman with a net worth of Rs 38,700 crores and occupies the 33rd spot in the top 100 billionaires list.

6) Ashneer Grover

The co-founder, and former MD of Bharat pe, became a household name after his stint at the reality show Shark Tank India. He grabbed headlines and memes with his sharp and brutally honest advice to entrepreneurs who took part in the reality show to seek investments.

His lines calling out “doglapan” or double-standards of those around him became so famous on the gram that Grover has come out with a book titled “Doglapan.”

He made it to the news due to his tiff with his partners at BharatPe.

7) Kaivalya Vohra

The 19-year-old Indian entrepreneur and founder of grocery delivery app Zepto became the latest entrant to the rich list club of 1,103 Indians across 122 cities who have accumulated a wealth of Rs 100 trillion, according to IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022.

8) Anand Mahindra

The Mahindra group owner is a sound businessman and a social media enthusiast. Along with running a successful business, he is famous for his candid tweets and interactions on the micro-blogging platform.

Be it an incorrectly spelt ‘Croissant’ or telling people why it’s none of his business who his daughters choose to marry, the billionaire made headlines for his social media takes and gestures throughout the year. Earlier this month, after he shared a post on crossing 10 million followers on Twitter, a user asked him, “Your rank is 73rd richest person in India @anandmahindra. When will you come first?”

To this, the business tycoon replied, “The truth is that I will never become the richest. Because this was never my wish.”

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, currently stands at the 91st rank in India’s list of the wealthiest people. As per Forbes, Anand Mahindra has a net worth of $2.1 billion.

9) Namita Thapar

Another Shark from the Indian adaptation of the American reality show Shark Tank, Namita became a household name and inspiration for not only entrepreneurs but many social media memes for her careful, calculated, and polite approach on the show.

A chartered accountant by profession, Namita Thapar is the executive director of Pune-based Emcure Pharma, with a business worth $730 million. Thapar took charge as the chief financial officer in 2007 of the company founded by her father, Satish Mehta.

10) Ghazal Alagh

The 34-year-old’s company Honasa Consumer, which hosts the brand Mamaearth, became a unicorn in January 2022 after closing a $52 million funding round led by Sequoia Capital India. Valued at $1.2 billion, the company was co-founded by Ghazal and her spouse Varun Alagh.

Her company, Honasa Consumer, hosts The Derma Vo, Aqualogica and Ayuga.

Alagh started her company in search of chemical-free alternatives for her son suffering from a skin condition. The company recently doubled its revenue in the last financial year at $121 million through online and in-store sales. Gazal Alagh was also seen at Shark Tank India.