Private View 2019: An interview with GP Hinduja

Posted by Knight Frank Newcastle on 4th October 2019 -

The Hinduja family have become world leaders in business over the past century. Knight Frank’s Global Head of Residential Lord Andrew Hay sits down with Co-Chair of the Hinduja Group, Gopichand Hinduja, to talk about how the family is building a legacy in the UK, one rooted in a blend of principle and property

Below is an excerpt of an interview with Gopichand P. Hinduja, Co-Chair of the Hinduja Group in Private View, 2019 Knight Frank’s definitive guide to luxury property and lifestyle in the UK and beyond. The interview explores the Hinduja family’s business values, property investment and their growing legacy in the UK. Read the full version in Private View, 2019 on p16. 

READ PRIVATE VIEW 2019

If one thing defines the Hinduja family accurately, it is the concept of dynasty. Family figurehead Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja’s creation of The Hinduja Group in 1914 in Bombay (Mumbai), India, trailblazed a way across the subcontinent into Iran where sons Srichand and Gopichand (known as S.P. and G.P. respectively) led the business until the 1979 Iranian revolution forced the family to move to London – a place they’ve called home ever since.

Today, property remains an important investment class within the Hinduja Group’s portfolio, and in many ways represents personal monuments to both the Group’s business success over the decades, and willingness to create a legacy that stretches generational divides. 

In an extremely rare interview, the Group’s co-chairman, G.P. Hinduja talks to Knight Frank’s Global Head of Residential and good friend, Lord Andrew Hay, and shares the family’s personal journey, the philosophies that have driven them to become leaders in business globally, and how the redevelopment of The Old War Office represents a significant chapter in the legacy of the family’s recent history.

GP HINDUJA ON FAMILY VALUES

The Hinduja Group operates on values passed down from your father – can you talk about those values? Philanthropy is at the core of our family’s principles and values. The beliefs, values, traditions and above all the philosophy of the family were shaped by the experiences, often in turbulent moments in history, of our father, and founder of the Group, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja. He led his personal and professional life, and that of his family, by his set of five guiding principles. 

These principles, most notably “Work to Give” and “My Word is my Bond”, laid down the foundations for the family and the way we have led our lives, and managed and expanded the Group of companies over the past century.

How have those values affected your career? Philanthropy and giving back to society are in our DNA. My father believed it was his Dharma – or duty – to work to give. At the time of Partition in India, he was in Bombay, where he set up a clinic and centre with food and accommodation for fleeing refugees from Pakistan as well as a school for children arriving in the city. 

My word is my bond comes from our father’s strong belief to honour his commitments. In 1919, he had made a number of commitments in the textiles sector. Sadly, with the First World War, India’s economy was hit by recession. Instead of declaring bankruptcy like most others, he decided to honour his commitments which necessitated his move to Iran in search of new markets for his merchandise.

Can it be difficult to apply these values in the modern world of business? Another guiding principle, Act Local, Think Global is the idea that the Group should have global ambitions, and spread across the globe, but to be truly successful, we have to know and understand the countries, their cultures and the markets in which we operate.

ON PROPERTY

Above: The Old War Office.

Another value passed down from your father is the value of property. Can you talk to me about that? Yes, we have invested in property around the world including London, Geneva, Monaco, Paris, Dubai, New York, Toronto and Washington DC and across India. M bly in Mumbai, which the family continues to own today and is waiting for development.

What were the key factors behind your successful bid for The Old War Office? The key factors included the integrity of our offer and our ability to demonstrate that we could breathe new life into the Old War Office and create something extraordinary. We demonstrated we had the capability to transform this building into an icon of the future while respecting its heritage and serving a renewed purpose for the community.

How have you managed to bring Hinduja touches while honouring a legacy? Our philosophy for this project and earlier with Carlton House Terrace has been to honour the past while forging a future for the building. At all times we have worked tirelessly to ensure all the stakeholders share this same philosophy – it was Raffles’ experience with the renovation of their historic Singapore hotel that was an important factor when we appointed them as our operating partners.

ON LEGACY

You’ve said that you wanted The Old War Office to provide a legacy from the Hindujas to Britain. Can you expand? With the redevelopment, this will be the first time the building will be open to the public. My hope and vision is that The Old War Office becomes a place that represents peace and tolerance, and which captivates anyone who steps through its doors, creating special memories for hotel guests, residents and visitors for generations to come. We are redefining the purpose of the building with the finest private residences anywhere. The apartments’ new owners will know and understand they are part of something truly unique, and will be able to share our vision for the building.

How has your relationship with Britain evolved? We attach great importance to our relationship with the United Kingdom – this is our home where many of our children went to school and university. We also believe it is our duty to help strengthen relations between India and host countries where our family is based, notably the UK, the United States and Switzerland. In our 40 years in London, we have promoted Indo-UK relations and the Asian community here. We were the first Asian family to host and organise an Annual Diwali reception where politicians from all political parties were invited including Margaret Thatcher, Sir John Major, Tony Blair and more recently Boris Johnson.

For more information on The Old War Office, please contact Knight Frank’s Global Head of Residential Lord Andrew Hay, [email protected]; The Hinduja Group, www.hindujagroup.com.