The young Turks who are carving a space of their own

Astute and focussed, the new establishment of India’s corporate world might be inheritors of a legacy, but each has carved out their own space. If a 22-year-old made a fortune out of starting a grocery delivery business, a 43-year-old Indian woman shattered glass ceilings by becoming the world’s fifth-richest lady. A school dropout has changed the face of stock broking, and a 20-something young man is infusing digital innovation into his family empire. HELLO! takes a dive into their vision and corporate journey.

1. A next-gen strategist: Aryaman Dalmia 

An author at 13 and a fourth-gen business scion, Aryaman Dalmia wears many hats with a clear vision for his family business. In this HELLO! Exclusive, the enthusiastic young man opens up about the heavy mantle he carries

For some, privilege comes with its own set of responsibilities. This 28-year-old is one of those whose humility is contagious and politeness endearing. The fourthgeneration scion of one the country’s most illustrious families, Aryaman Dalmia has very big boots to fill, and he’s approaching the role with grace and conscientiousness.

“My privilege doesn’t come without its responsibilities,” says Aryaman, a key pillar of the Dalmia family heritage with an unwavering commitment to ethical business practices. “The power of goodwill created by sound business dealings has been instilled in me from a young age.”

Telling of his beliefs is the way he approaches this interview at this sprawling Delhi home—polite, cooperative and grounded. Son of Gaurav Dalmia, the businessman behind Dalmia Group Holdings that boasts a diverse portfolio spanning private equity, real estate and public markets, Aryaman has brought in a fresh perspective to his father’s business.

CHARTING HIS OWN PATH

One of the biggest challenges of balancing a legacy with personal growth, Aryaman notes, is finding the right equilibrium between tradition and innovation.

“Life is about balancing discipline with chaos. It’s the same with family traditions and personal development. You have to integrate both to create something meaningful.”

Aryaman is building upon his father’s formidable reputation in private equity, real estate, and public market investing. With him, Dalmia Group Holdings is widely recognised as a top-tier investor, with global names like Goldman Sachs, Equity International, Mitsui, IFC Washington and KBC Belgium.

In recent years, sensing a possible bubble build-up in the public markets, he diversified his investments into special situation debt financings and toll-generating highway assets. For instance, along with a consortium of investors, he participated in medium-term structured financing for WeWork India, and another financing for the hospital and education behemoth, Manipal Group.

He has also invested in a road portfolio vehicle put together by the investment bank Alpha Alternatives. It’s clear that he’s deftly balancing long-term aggression with short term conservatism.

STARTING YOUNG

Aryaman showed promise early on. He was just 13 when he published Graham, Buffett and Me, a book on Warren Buffett’s investment philosophy and profiling Indian investors. Immensely popular, it was translated into Hindi, Italian and Japanese, and the teenager also met Warren Buffett for a full 15 minutes during the investment guru’s visit to India. Impressed with Aryaman, Warren even mentioned him on a CNBC interview the next day.

“There’s a certain level of expectation when you come from a family with such a strong legacy,” he says, smiling. “But I’ve always felt the freedom to forge my own path. It’s empowering to know I can honour the past while also building something uniquely mine.”

For Aryaman, leadership isn’t just about guiding others to success—it’s about staying true to one’s purpose. In fact, it’s his deep-rooted philosophy of tradition merged with modern outlook that shaped his leadership style. Although he believes innovation is crucial to moving forward, he strives to blend the best of both worlds.

Drawing inspiration from his great-grandfather, Jaidayal Dalmia, who started with nothing, he says, “Intent comes first. Resources follow.”

Aryaman demonstrated this thinking during his stint at Haas School of Business in Berkeley, regularly featuring on the Dean’s List and winning awards in finance. To broaden his horizons, he worked for two years at Bain & Co. His first assignment was in Tokyo; working in a foreign city and a new culture was “an experience in itself.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

Aryaman has found a rhythm that works. He blends an active lifestyle with a love of travel and meaningful family connections. He recently rediscovered his passion for cricket, and a love of nature fuels him. He cherishes his experiences at the wildlife retreats of Africa, and the Galapagos Islands tops his bucket list.

The future of the Dalmia legacy looks brighter than ever—proving that true success lies in forging a path that leads to a better, more meaningful future.

INFLUENCE QUOTIENT

His independent vertical within Dalmia Group Holdings has increased exposure to public markets, infrastructure and medium-term debt financing by leaps and bounds. Over the past five years, he has expanded the company’s public market portfolio and invested in cash flow-generating infrastructure asset.

2. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies, one of the world’s biggest tech firms

TALKING POINT

Glass ceilings were clearly shattered when Roshni Nadar Malhotra became one of the richest women in the world and the third-richest person in India, after Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Transferring HCL Tech’s stake was part of the company’s future succession plan, given the exceptional leadership skills the 43-year-old has showcased.

With a net worth of Rs 3.5 lakh crore (US$40 billion), she leads HCL Technologies, one of India’s leading IT firms with a market capitalisation of US$48 billion. Roshni took on the reins of HCL from her father in July 2020 and is responsible for making all strategic decisions for the company.

A Delhi girl and the only child of HCL founder Shiv Nadar and art patron Kiran Nadar, she completed her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in the USA. She also serves as a global board director at The Nature Conservancy, is an independent director at HDFC Asset Management Company and a trustee at the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which has established some of India’s top colleges and schools.

FUTURE TENSE

Roshni is taking on the future of HCL and giving it a brand new identity under her leadership.

INFLUENCE QUOTIENT

The fifth-richest woman in the world, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, recently entered the Hurun Global Rich List 2025. Under her leadership, HCLTech was ranked the No. 1 Indian company in TIME magazine’s World’s Best Companies 2024.

3. Jay Kotak, Banker, digital innovator and Co-Head of the revolutionary Kotak811

TALKING POINT

The co-head of Kotak811, the digital banking arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank, the 35-year-old is the son of India’s richest banker, Uday Kotak, who founded their firm, which boasts a Rs 3.80 lakh crore market cap. With an academic foundation in economics and history from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Jay started his career as an intern at Goldman Sachs, where he gained experience in investment banking. He’s been the driving force behind their family bank’s digital transformation, laying focus on expanding their online banking services. As a result, he has successfully positioned Kotak811 as a mobile-first, paperless banking experience, the approach that the youth of today prefer over banking red tapism.

FUTURE TENSE

With Jay as captain, digital innovations under the Kotak811 banner are expected to expand, as are Kotak’s corporate tie-ups.

INFLUENCE QUOTIENT

Jay Kotak has been instrumental in digitising banking by bringing in the youth quotient and changing the way traditional banking has operated through the years.

4. Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, Co-founders of Razorpay, revolutionising digital transactions for businesses in India

TALKING POINT

Both 2011 IIT Roorkee graduates, Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar were involved in different initiatives during their college days. Shashank’s entrepreneurial dream took shape along with Harshil when he was working at Microsoft in Bengaluru. Not everything was hunky dory as the duo was rejected funding by over 100 banks before finally finding one that trusted their vision.

Razorpay disrupted traditional payment gateways and was soon established as the go-to platform for startups, SMEs and large enterprises. Their flagship products—Razorpay Payments Gateway, RazorpayX (for neo-banking) and Razorpay Capital (for lending)—cater to diverse business needs, driving the company to handle billions of dollars in transactions annually.

FUTURE TENSE

A little over a decade into their Razorpay journey, Harshil and Shashank’s firms are looking at new innovations, amid a revolution of sorts in digital payments. They are now looking at international markets and might soon go for an IPO.

INFLUENCE QUOTIENT

Co-founders of Razorpay, the country’s first payment gateway for startups and small businesses, the duo transformed the online payment ecosystem in India by streamlining finances.

5. Aadit Palicha, Zepto co-founder and one of the youngest billionaires in India

TALKING POINT

During the pandemic, at a time when people were busy showing off their banana bread baking skills on the ’Gram, Aadit Palicha and his friend Kaivalya Vohra—both students of Stanford University—decided to opt out of online classes and start a WhatsApp group for online grocery delivery. Within a year, the duo, meant to go to California the next year, launched Zepto, which has developed into one of India’s fastest-growing grocery apps. With some convincing numbers to show his parents, Aadit decided to take the leap of faith and dropped out of college; in 2021, he officially launched the Zepto app with Kaivalya.

Valued at a whopping US$5 billion currently, Zepto has revolutionised the way India shops. Its latest offering, Zepto Cafe, its food delivery arm, recently crossed 1 lakh orders a day. Going by its success, the founders are now in talks for a second round of funding.

FUTURE TENSE

Zepto reported a revenue of Rs 4,454 crore for the March 2024 fiscal year, marking a significant increase from Rs 2,026 crore the previous year. After a US$350 million funding round last year, Aadit is looking forward to Zepto raising an IPO in 2025.

INFLUENCE QUOTIENT

With a net worth of Rs 4,300 crore, the 22-year-old has taken on established market leaders like Blinkit to make Zepto a major player in the grocery delivery business.

Interview done by Neeva Jain for Aryaman Dalmia
Text by Rewati Rau
Photographs by Vishal Chabbra for Aryaman Dalmia