Rahul Bajaj

Rahul Bajaj
Born	(1938-06-10) 10 June 1938 India
Died	12 February 2022(2022-02-12) (aged 83) Pune, India
Occupation(s)	Industrialist, politician
Known for	Chairman emeritus of Bajaj Group
Notable work	Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finserv

Rahul Bajaj (10 June 1938 – 12 February 2022) was a prominent Indian industrialist and politician, recognized as a billionaire. He held the position of chairman emeritus at the Indian conglomerate Bajaj Group and was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 2001.

Early life

Rahul Bajaj was born on 10 June 1938 to Kamalnayan Bajaj and Savitri Bajaj. He was the grandson of Jamnalal Bajaj, an independence activist closely linked with Mahatma Gandhi. His education included attendance at Cathedral and John Connon School, St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and Government Law College, Mumbai, culminating in an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Career

In 1965, Bajaj assumed leadership of the Bajaj Group. Throughout more than fifty years, he significantly grew the group's flagship company, Bajaj Auto, boosting its revenue substantially, largely due to the success of the Bajaj Chetak scooter.

He relinquished his executive role in 2005, appointing his son Rajiv as managing director. In 2008, under his guidance, Bajaj Auto was divided into three separate entities: Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finserv, and a holding company. By March 2019, he stepped down from his roles as chairman and non-executive director of Bajaj Finserv to take on the honorary title of chairman emeritus. In April 2021, he also resigned as non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto, passing this responsibility to his cousin Niraj Bajaj while maintaining his chairman emeritus status.

Between 2006 and 2010, Bajaj served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, filling the vacancy left by Pramod Mahajan's passing.

He held the presidency of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) twice, during 1979–1980 and again in 1999–2000. In recognition of his contributions, he received the CII President's Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017 from then-President Pranab Mukherjee.

Additional key positions included chairmanship of Indian Airlines, leadership of the International Business Council at the World Economic Forum, chairing the board at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and advisory roles at both the Brookings Institution and Harvard Business School.

His accolades include the award of Padma Bhushan in 2001. According to Forbes's 2016 billionaire rankings, he was placed at No. 722 with an estimated net worth of US$2.4 billion.

Personal life and death

His business legacy continues through his sons, Rajiv Bajaj and Sanjiv Bajaj, who manage various enterprises within the group. His daughter, Sunaina Kejriwal, who formerly directed the Kamalnayan Bajaj Hall and Art Gallery, passed away in October 2024 at age 53 after battling cancer for three years. She was married to Manish Kejriwal, previously head of Temasek India.

Rahul Bajaj died from complications related to pneumonia on 12 February 2022 at Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune. Prior to his death at age 83, he had been receiving treatment for cancer and heart-related ailments.