Samir Mehta, 62 is the Chairman of the Torrent Group, which currently has a revenue of Rs 50,000 crores and Group combined valuation at approximately Rs. 300,000 Crores

Under his leadership, Torrent Pharma has taken several strategic initiatives, which include acquisitions, entry into new therapies and geographies, large investments in product development infrastructure and capabilities, and building state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, thus establishing Torrent Pharma as one of India’s largest and most respected Pharma majors. His emphasis on professional organisational design, flawless execution and operational efficiencies has built the company into a strong and globally competitive generics player.

Samir Mehta also played an instrumental role in the Group’s entry and growth in the Power sector. Torrent Power, the Group’s power generation, transmission and distribution company, has systematically improved its performance on all efficiency parameters and now ranks amongst the best run power utilities in the country. His emphasis on efficiency and reliability has led the Company to achieve exemplary operational capabilities; this, combined with a strong customer orientation has set new benchmarks in the sector, earning it many accolades.

In order to expand its business presence, the Torrent Group entered the emerging City Gas Distribution sector under his watch, by participating in bidding rounds for new areas and acquiring existing CGD entities. In a short span of time, Torrent Gas has developed robust infrastructure across 17 Geographies, comprising 34 districts, 7 states and 1 Union Territory.

Much before the current emphasis on CSR, he always held a strong belief that corporate growth has true meaning only if the fruits of this growth are used for the benefit of society at large. Beyond conducting businesses in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, Samir Mehta wanted to drive the Group’s CSR investments into areas that result in social empowerment and upliftment. Four impact areas were identified for this purpose: Community Health, Education, Ecology and Art and Culture. The UNM Foundation (named after Shri U.N. Mehta, founder of the Torrent Group) was established in order to carry forward these initiatives on a full-time basis, in a professional and dedicated manner. Specific, under-served segments within these four areas were identified and interventions were tailored to create meaningful change for the better.

Today, these initiatives have grown into full-fledged institutions and programmes. Noteworthy among them are:

Community Health: the U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre; Sankalan, a recently launched neuro-rehabilitation centre; REACH (Reach EAch CHild), which addresses paediatric anaemia, malnutrition and other clinical challenges through grassroots interventions and well-equipped PPHCs (Paediatric Primary Healthcare Centres) and the UNM Children Hospital.

Education: Shiksha Setu and Shardashish, which focus on learning enhancement and educational infrastructure support.

Ecology: Pratiti, which works towards the restoration and maintenance of urban green commons such as public parks and lakes.

Art and Culture: Abhivyakti, a creative ecosystem that provides curatorial and financial support to performing and visual artists selected through an open call, along with an opportunity to showcase their work at an annual public event.

With a blend of fine business acumen, entrepreneurial optimism, innovative ideas, social consciousness and a contemporary outlook, Samir Mehta has had a strong positive impact on the working culture within the Torrent Group. The Group is now known as much for its employee-centric and humane approach as it is known for its achievements in business.