Under his tenure, the Mumbai-based firm evolved from a steel trading company to a diversified federation of companies with interests in IT services, hospitality and real estate sectors. 

Over nearly five decades, Mahindra was a visionary doyen who expanded the group’s presence into multiple sectors, and he trusted his professional managers to run the company.

Keshub Mahindra became acquainted with change right from the year he joined the company – 1947. Independence and Partition was a crucial time for the company, forcing the founders JC and KC Mahindra to rechristen what started out as Mahindra and Mohammed into Mahindra & Mahindra after the third founding partner, Ghulam Mohammed, left India to become Pakistan’s first finance minister.

"Keshub Mahindra was and will always remain a source of inspiration for me and the entire Mahindra Group," Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra said in a statement. "He was a man of principles and led from the front to preserve the legacy of the company's founders which has ensured that the organisation has remained rooted in ethics, values and good corporate governance."

Keshub Mahindra was among the earliest promoters who trusted professional managers to run his company. When he relinquished his executive position in 1979, BR Sule took over as managing director. After Sule, professionals such as RK Pitambar and Kumar Sardesai were appointed as managing directors.

Viewed By: 77352432