LONDON: Srichand Hinduja, the Indian-born billionaire leader of a global business empire and the patriarch of Britain’s wealthiest family, has died aged 87, his daughters said on Wednesday.

Hinduja, known by his initials S. P., was suffering from dementia and his family said he had “passed away peacefully this morning.” He was chairman of the eponymous business group which owns public companies in India with interests in banking, chemicals, software and commercial vehicles.

Hinduja and his younger brother Gopichand, 83, topped the Sunday Times Rich List in 2022 for a fourth time, with an estimated net worth of 28.5 billion pounds ($36 billion) that includes property worth millions in central London. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our father,” Hinduja’s daughters Shanu and Vinoo said in a statement.

“SP was a visionary titan of industry and business, humanitarian and philanthropist ... He touched countless lives on his path, and we are forever grateful for the time we cherished with him.”

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2023