Since 1967, Essel Group has reinvented itself by achieving the paradigm shift from a traditional business to a global conglomerate with a Start-Up culture.
Multi-faceted Indian business conglomerate Essel Group has marked a historic milestone in its journey, as it completes 100 glorious years of delivering value across the globe. From a humble beginning in 1926 in a small-town named Adampur, to a multi-faceted conglomerate with a diverse presence across a gamut of businesses, Essel Group has created a lasting impression across the world.
Since 1967, Essel Group has reinvented itself by achieving the paradigm shift from a traditional business to a global conglomerate with a Start-Up culture. The traditional commodity trading business of the Group was pivoted to Army supplies & cross border trade. Subsequently, most of the Group’s businesses have been of pioneering nature, with many industry firsts to its credit. Nurturing its start-up mindset and keeping a sharp focus on profitability, the Group has never shied away from closing certain businesses, which did not rise to the desired value-delivery levels.
Started by Late Ram Gopal Ji, and expanded by his son Shri Jagannath Ji Goenka, supported by Shri Nand Kishore Ji and later, successfully spearheaded by the visionary Dr. Subhash Chandra and his brothers – Laxmi Narain, Jawahar and Ashok Goel, Essel Group is amongst the few Indian business conglomerates which is successfully passing on its rich legacy to the sixth generation, while the fourth and fifth generations are still active.
Over the last century, the group diversified into multiple business sectors including packaging, home entertainment, amusement park, news, content distribution, infrastructure, real estate, education, technology, lifestyle and more, positively impacting the lives of billions of people across 190+ countries. The Group has not only contributed towards the establishment of the Indian business landscape in the pre-liberalization era, but it has also strengthened the economic development of our Nation by significantly enhancing its hard power and soft power. Through its pioneering initiatives, that have set up not just companies, but entire industries in itself, Essel Group has created an ‘Impression of a Century’, generating employment opportunities for over 10 million people across the Nation.
Commemorating the special occasion, Dr. Subhash Chandra said, “Essel Group’s journey has been one of persistence, resilience, innovation and growth. Our belief that progress must create value for the society and Nation at large has guided the pioneering steps undertaken by the Group across every business dimension. Me and my brothers are extremely proud to mark this momentous milestone of 100 years that has been built by generations of vision and courage to venture into the unknown and truly leave an imprint of a century across every industry. Essel Group’s journey has evolved alongside our Nation, and I am proud to note that together, we have unlocked economic value and enabled social transformation to drive national progress.”
Marking the momentous milestone, Dr. Chandra addressed over 10,000 Essel Group employees across the globe during a special townhall, conducted today. In an engaging dialogue, Dr. Chandra reflected on the Group’s historic journey and recognized the valuable role played by its employees in carrying forward the rich legacy and building robust business. In his address, Dr. Chandra touched upon the contributions made by the Group in generating wide-spread positive impact across the world through its offerings. He also narrated the heart-touching and inspiring stories shared by employees who have been a part of the Group’s journey for decades. Dr. Chandra reiterated that as India’s first start-up, Essel Group continues to innovate and take bold steps for the future, further urging employees to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit as the creators for the next century.
Over the last 100 years, the contributions of the Group have left an indelible impact on India’s economic and social landscape.
It has laid a strong foundation to build the Nation with the following pioneering endeavours:
Introducing innovative packaging technology in India
Essel Group introduced modernized consumer-goods packaging to India, through Essel Propack. The company pioneered laminated plastic tube technology, which enabled it to be recognized as the world’s largest laminated tube manufacturer by setting up plants in all five continents, becoming India’s first multinational Company. Until it was part of the Group, the tubes manufactured by the Company were used by 1/3rd of the humanity, while brushing their teeth.
Recognizing the need for shared entertainment experiences
Identifying the growing unmet need for shared entertainment experiences that united people and delivered meaningful engagement, the Group launched Asia’s biggest amusement park – Essel World. The park redefined leisure and tourism experiences across Asia, propelling the infrastructure, tourism and hospitality sectors to deliver significant economic value to the Nation.
Transforming and creating an Industry out of India’s small Media & Entertainment sector, making it the second highest employer after the IT sector
Essel Group pioneered the transformation of the Indian M&E landscape by establishing the country’s first private satellite television channel – Zee TV in 1992; followed by the launch of India’s first private news channel – Zee News in 1995. The pioneering efforts democratized access to information and entertainment, and opened up Indian entertainment content encompassing rich traditions and values to the globe, firmly entrenching India on the global map. The Group created unprecedented opportunities in content creation, advertising, distribution, production, immersive infotainment and built new-age digital modes of consumption.
The Group further invested in the sector to establish a successful distribution business through Siti Cable and Dish TV, which have revolutionized content delivery models across homes. The steps taken by the Group have enabled the Indian M&E industry to become one of the most attractive sectors for investors across emerging markets and continues to generate significant Foreign Direct Investment as the sector approaches the completion of four decades.
Nurturing the next generation through quality education
Driven by the belief that education is one of the strongest catalysts to build the future of the country, the Group enabled affordable and quality learning to the growing semi-urban and rural population through Zee Learn. In order to nurture the future generations, the Group has more than 2500 KidZee branded pre-schools, making it the largest chain in Asia touching the lives of millions of children, along with K12 schools and higher education institutions that nurture the unique skills of the youth. Today, the education sector in India employs nearly 15 million people, enabling opportunities for students and educators.
Building civic modernization infrastructure
Essel Group’s Infrastructure business contributed immensely to build critical civic infrastructure that contributed towards Nation building. From state and national highways, urban water management systems, to power distribution networks, the Group played a pivotal role in enhancing connectivity and quality of living across several states that contributed towards driving larger economic growth.
