|
The UB group: Vittal Mallya’s Foundation
The UB Group traces back to1915 when it was founded by a Scottish gentleman, Thomas Leishman. The
Group initially started off with manufacturing of beer for South Indian based British breweries and elected its
first Indian director Vittal Mallya (Vijay Mallya’s father) in 1947. UB survived two World Wars, went through
difficult phases of the prohibition policy2 and emerged as one of the top global beverage brands before
growing and diversifying into a comprehensive, yet colossal conglomerate...
The UB group: Vijay Mallya’s Forays
Mallya was elected Chairman of United Breweries by shareholders, following the demise of his father in
1983, at the young age of 28. Mallya who loved good living was fond of fast cars, discos and planes and
was dubbed by many as a ‘playboy’. In Mallya’s own words, “My industry peers were in their 50’s. I stuck out
like a sore thumb.”4 Many were sceptical about Mallya’s stewardship. Mallya, however, went on to prove his
detractors wrong. He survived the leadership dilemma and steered his empire to unimagined heights. UB
today (2007) is a multi-national conglomerate of over 60 companies with an annual turnover of over $1.2
billion...
Vijay Mallya: Looking beyond Horizons
A la Richard Branson, Mallya wants to make Kingfisher Airlines the numero uno in the Indian Aviation
industry. Kingfisher Airlines already serves 16 cities with 70 daily flights. To meet his ambitious plans he has
ordered a huge number of aircrafts and has even recently ordered and procured the latest Airbus A380. A
key element of Mallya's strategy is to bring together the two silicon valleys of San Francisco and Bangalore,
the booming IT capital of India, by offering direct flights, an 8,700-mile trip...
|
|
