At a time when big business was considered taboo and the monopoly raj had the corporate world in a bind, Mr. Goenka embarked on his journey of acquisitions and mergers, snapping corporate India out of its stupor. Under Mr. Goenka’s leadership, the RPG Group acquired 11 companies, which eventually won him the title of ‘Takeover King’.

Born into one of the oldest business families, Mr. Goenka learnt from the best. This prodigious grandson of Sir Badridas Goenka, arduously expanded his industrial network across India and beyond, while remaining rooted in Kolkata. Not one to be let down by setbacks, he went on to establish CEAT (tyres), KEC International (Infrastructure), Zensar (IT) and Harrisons Malayalam (Plantations) among others.

This giant of the Indian Industry extended his interests to the matters of the governance, and served as an MP for six years. He also presided over the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and was on the boards of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Steel Authority of India (SAIL), General Insurance and the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). He was on the board of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and International Management Institute (IMI), Delhi.

A fighter in spirit and a thought leader, he was known to be a warm human being and extremely down to earth. Until his demise in 2013, Mr. Rama Prasad Goenka continued to inspire generations of entrepreneurs and his legacy continues to guide the RPG Group carrying his journey forward from where he left.