Harsh Vardhan Goenka (born 10 December 1957) is the current chairman of Mumbai-headquartered RPG Enterprises (popularly known as RPG Group), which consists of over fifteen companies across core sectors of the economy, accrediting a turnover of over US$4.7 billion. Companies in the group include KEC International, CEAT, Zensar Technologies, RPG Lifesciences, Harrisons Malayalam, Raychem RPG and Spencer International Hotels Ltd. One of India’s most diversified conglomerates, the RPG name is synonymous with stability, sustained growth, and high standards of corporate governance with a focused culture of respect for people and the environment. The group has a global footprint with over 42% of revenues coming from global business. Goenka is the eldest son of R. P. Goenka and has been the chairman of RPG Group since 1988. He stands at number 1045 in the Forbes list of world billionaires. He has a younger brother

Sanjiv Goenka Sanjiv Goenka (born 29 January 1961) is an Indian billionaire businessman and investor. He is the founder and chairman of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, RPSG Group, headquartered in Kolkata. He also owns the Indian Premier League, IPL cricket team Luc ...

, with whom he amicably divided the business assets, with their father's advice. As per Forbes list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, dated 9 October 2024, Harsh Goenka is ranked 76th with a net worth of $4.1 billion.

Education and early life

Harsh Goenka graduated in Economics from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, and thereafter pursued his MBA from IMD, Lausanne,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and has since been inducted to the Board of IMD, Lausanne. He is married to Mala Goenka

Career

After completing his education, Harsh Goenka pursued his career in Mumbai. He became the Managing Director of CEAT in 1983, at the young age of 24. He became the chairman of RPG Group in 1988 taking over the reins from his father. Harsh Goenka was instrumental in a string of mergers and acquisitions by the group in the 80s and 90s. He also played a key role in several joint ventures and partnerships that the group ventured into. The RPG group, with its modern management philosophy, familiarity with global business practices, and focus on quality and operating efficiency, was a preferred joint venture partner for global corporations. At one time the group had joint ventures with 13 major Fortune 500 companies that had begun operations in India including Goodyear, Dupont, Columbian Chemicals, Sulzer,

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, Fujitsu, Phelps Dodge, Yokohama,

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etc. Harsh Goenka is a past President of the Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC) and is presently a member of the Executive Committee of FICCI, the country’s premier industry forum. Under the leadership of Harsh Goenka as the Chairman of the Mumbai headquartered business group, RPG has transformed itself into a post-modern technology-driven and governance-focused group with a strong people-first culture. The group continues to embody the values harnessed over its glorious past. Goenka takes a keen interest in people practices across the group besides driving its strategic focus and value systems.

Interests

As a connoisseur of contemporary art, one that embraces several genres and styles, Harsh Goenka has been host to several art exhibitions in Mumbai for over two decades and continues to support and encourage young artists. Goenka also has a keen interest in cricket, which is India’s most popular sport. He promotes the CEAT Cricket Ratings for International and Domestic cricket which is a rating system that rewards outstanding cricketers around the wor
¹⁴

Philanthropy

As trustee of RPG Foundation and RPG Art Foundation, Goenka champions several social causes, including primary education, women empowerment, health, city beautification etc.

Board memberships

* Former president, Indian Merchants' Chamber * Chairman of the board
KEC International Ltd, CEAT Limited, Zensar Technologies Ltd, RPG Life Sciences Ltd, Spencer International Hotels Ltd
* Member- Executive committee
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry.¹⁵
* Former member of the board of governors, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), * Member of the foundation board
International Institute for Management Development, Switzerland
his alma mat
¹⁶
* Trustee
Breach Candy Hospital Trust
https://www.breachcandyhospital.org/about-breach-candy-hospital-management ¹⁸]

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geonka, Harsh Living people 1957 births Businesspeople from Kolkata Indian industrialists Rajasthani people Businesspeople from Mumbai St. Xavier's College, Kolkata alumni RPG Group International Institute for Management Development alumni Goenka family Businesspeople in information technology Businesspeople in agriculture Businesspeople in coffee Indian billionaires Indian businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry