Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya, 50, was elected as Chairman of United Breweries by shareholders, following the demise of his late father in 1983 at the young age of 28.Prior to being entrusted with the responsibilities of a classical Indian corporate conglomerate, Vijay Mallya worked for the American Hoechst Corporation (now Sanofi-Aventis) in the USA and with Jenson & Nicholson in the U.K. Since 1980, he assisted his father, then Chairman of The UB Group in managing the important Brewing and Spirits Divisions and in re-launching the Kingfisher Brand of Beer. In 1983, the sales volume of the UB Spirits division was approximately 2.85 million cases and UB’s beer business trailed behind that of Golden Eagle from Mohan Meakins. Also included in the Group were activities such as Pharmaceuticals, Agrochemicals, Paints, Petrochemicals and Plastics, the manufacture of Electro-mechanical Batteries, the manufacture of food products and carbonated beverages, a fast-food Pizza chain and several medium and small scale industrial units.Upon assuming the position of Chairman in October 1983, Vijay Mallya initiated the process of defining a corporate structure with performance accountability, inducting professional management and consolidating the unwieldy empire into individual operating divisions.In 1988, Vijay Mallya became a non-resident Indian to pursue global opportunities and to transform The UB Group into India’s first multinational. While, in the initial stages, overseas representative offices had been commissioned, the real break was in 1988 when Vijay Mallya, in a leveraged buyout acquired the global Berger Paints Group with operating companies across four continents. The exit strategy for this investment was profitably executed when Vijay Mallya successfully directed five Initial Public Offerings on the London, Singapore (Main Boards), Nairobi, Jamaica and Abidjan Stock Exchanges. The paints business was divested for significant value in 1996.Vijay Mallya also founded a software company in the USA in 1993 which was subsequently listed on the NASDAQ in 1996 and which provides a considerable window of opportunity to the vast US market. He also initiated several ventures for the promotion and globalization of UB brands and, in particular, Kingfisher and McDowell.In 1990, following the Government of India’s liberalised economic policies, Vijay Mallya decided that the UB Group would only retain interests in businesses that were globally competitive and which did not depend upon fiscal tariff protection. He also decided to focus on areas of core competence and transformed the vastly diversified UB conglomerate into a handful of key operating businesses.On entering the new millennium, The UB Group is considerably more focused and has dramatically increased value for its shareholders through its various operating businesses. Sales of the UB Spirits Division have exceeded 60 million cases (9 litres each) during the fiscal year 2005-06 making the UB Group, the third largest beverage alcohol company in the world. In addition, this Division is one of only three in the world to own seven millionaire brands and at least five brands rated by Drinks International, UK to be amongst the ten fastest growing brands in the world in their respective categories. The market share of the Spirits Division in India is currently 60% and exports to the Middle East, Africa and Asian countries are growing rapidly.The UB Group’s Brewing Division has also assumed undisputed market leadership with a national market share in excess of 50%. Through a process of aggressive acquisition and market penetration, The UB Group today controls 60% of the total manufacturing capacity for Beer in India. The flagship brand, Kingfisher is now sold in over 50 countries worldwide having received many accolades for its quality.The newest venture of The UB Group is in Civil Aviation. After the initial launch of UB Air in 1990, Vijay Mallya decided to take advantage of the attractive growth opportunities for Civil Aviation in India, leverage the equity of the Superbrand “Kingfisher” and utilize the strength of The UB Group in consumer product marketing. Kingfisher Airlines Limited launched scheduled Airline services on May 9, 2005 with 4 flights a day with one brand new Airbus A-320 aircraft.Today, Kingfisher Airlines operates a fleet of 14 brand new aircraft with over 86 flights daily connecting 17 Indian cities. Kingfisher Airlines offers unparalleled service at True Value and delivers a delightful experience to the Indian air traveler. For the first time in the Indian skies, Kingfisher Airlines offers World class in-flight entertainment with personal video screens in every seat. In addition, gourmet meals and cabin crew of International standards make up a unique Kingfisher Class experience. Kingfisher Airlines has also recently launched Kingfisher First, a premium cabin that’s easily the finest way to travel in the Indian skies.In just 10 months from launch, Kingfisher Airlines has received 3 International Awards. The first was the “Best New Airline of the year award in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region” given by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. The second was the “Skytrax award for service excellence”. Skytrax, London is the leading independent research and quality evaluation agency for the World Air Transport Industry. The latest addition to the list of laurels is the “Best New Domestic Airline for Excellent Services and Cuisine” award from Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA), one of the biggest travel writers’ organizations in the world.Kingfisher Airlines has already notched up a market share of 7.6% in India and has ordered 30 Airbus A-320 aircraft, 5 Airbus A-330 aircraft, 5 Airbus A-340 aircraft, 5 Airbus A-350 aircraft and 5 Airbus A-380 super-jumbo aircraft. In addition to the same, Kingfisher Airlines has also ordered 35 ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft to cater to its growth and route expansion plans till 2012. Vijay Mallya is the Chairman of public companies both in India as well as in the USA. He has been the Chairman of Aventis Pharma India (previously Hoechst) as well as the Chairman of Bayer CropScience in India (previously Agrevo) for over 20 years, in addition to his Chairmanship of several other corporations.Vijay Mallya has received several professional awards both in India and overseas. He was also conferred a Doctorate of Philosophy in Business Administration, by the Southern California University, Irvine. He has also been nominated as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.He is a keen sportsman and is an ardent aviator and yachtsman of distinction. He not only participates in various sporting events but also supports various sporting activities worldwide, particularly for the under privileged.Vijay Mallya has always believed that Corporations have a responsibility to society and mankind. To this end, he has contributed generously to various Charities and Foundations in several countries in addition to establishing The Mallya Hospital, The Mallya-Aditi School and the Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation in Bangalore, India.