Keshub Mahindra, chairman emeritus of Mahindra & Mahindra, died on April 12 at the age of 99, as verified on Twitter by Pawan K. Goenka, chairperson of INSPACe.

In 1947, Mahindra joined his father’s enterprise, which began by producing and selling utility vehicles. From 1963 to 2012, he served as chairman of the Mumbai-listed conglomerate. He named his nephew, Anand Mahindra, as his successor upon retirement.

Mahindra, a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, converted the company from an India-based assembler of Willys Jeeps into a diversified conglomerate. In addition to tractors and sport utility vehicles, the 19 billion-dollar Mahindra Group is present in software services, hospitality, and real estate.

His demise occurs just days after reentering Forbes’ list of India’s wealthiest billionaires for 2023.

In addition to being a philanthropist, he contributed to the development of ethical corporations in India and was a member of numerous prestigious organisations and committees. The government appointed him to several committees, including the Sachar Commission on Company Law and MRTP and the Central Advisory Council of Industries.

Mahindra was a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry from 2004 to 2010.