Harsh C. Mariwala

Architecting iconic Indian FMCG brands

Harsh Mariwala is the Founder and Chairman of Marico, one of India’s leading consumer goods companies with a market capitalization of over INR 50,000 crores.  

In 1971, Mr. Mariwala joined his family’s agro commodities manufacturing business, ‘Bombay Oil Industries Ltd’ after graduating from Sydenham College. Soon after, he envisioned a branded FMCG market for coconut and refined edible oil and launched Parachute and Saffola. He started positioning the brands for purity and quality and they eventually became iconic brands in the Indian market.

In 1990, Mr. Mariwala founded Marico and transformed a traditional commodity-driven business into a leading consumer products and services company in the beauty and wellness space and got it listed in the Indian stock exchanges.

In the late 1990s, Harsh Mariwala started expanding the company’s roots, launching its first international manufacturing facility in Bangladesh. Currently, it has presence in 25 countries. He also started Kaya Skin Clinic, company’s first venture in dermatology. In 2009, Marico made an initial public offering of equity in Bangladesh, the first for one of its overseas subsidiaries. Mr. Mariwala. is also actively involved with philanthropic activities.  He runs a not-for-profit organization, Mariwala Health Initiative, a platform to promote and support mental health.

Owing to his entrepreneurial drive and passion for innovation, Mr. Harsh Mariwala incepted Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF) as a not-for-profit organization in 2003, that strives to nurture innovation in India across the business and social sectors.

ASCENT foundation is yet another not-for-profit designed as a peer-to-peer platform for growth-ready entrepreneurs that leverages the “power of the collective”.