Meet the 4 heirs poised to inherit Gautam Adani’s US$213 billion empire: Karan, Jeet, Pranav and Sagar – as the company owned by the second-richest man in Asia faces fraud and bribery allegations

Oct 9 , 2024

The four Adani heirs are set to inherit a US$213 billion empire from Gautam Adani. Photo: @PranavAdani/X

Karan, Jeet, Pranav and Sagar Adani are already making their mark, from redeveloping Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai, India, to building a renewable energy park that can be seen from space

You’ve heard of the Ambanis, who just held the “wedding of the year” when Anant Ambani tied the knot with Radhika Merchant. But now it’s time for another Indian dynasty to take over the internet – the Adanis.

The Adani Group is led by billionaire Gautam Adani, the second richest man in Asia, per Forbes (Mukesh Ambani is No 1, of course). However, lately the group is facing a slew of controversies, including allegations of financial fraud and stock market manipulation from US short-seller Hindenburg Research, who claimed the group is orchestrating “the largest con in corporate history”. It’s also facing a reported investigation by the US Department of Justice into the company over suspicions of bribery.

Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview. Photo: Bloomberg

Amid all the hullabaloo, the tycoon reportedly announced his succession plans to Bloomberg, which the publication claims will be set in motion in the early 2030s, making way for his four heirs: sons Karan and Jeet, and nephews Pranav and Sagar, the last two sons of his brothers Vinod Adani and Rajesh Adani, respectively.

However, company reps have since announced that the mogul was “misquoted” and did not, in fact, share a time frame for the transfer of leadership, nor did he announce “equal beneficial interest in the family trust” for the four heirs, as Bloomberg had reported. Instead, reps explained that he simply “mentioned the involvement of his two sons and two nephews in various businesses of the group”.

Regardless, attention is now focused on the four potential heirs of the US$213 billion empire that spans industries like energy, transportation, data, food and real estate. So, what do we know about the four men who Gautam Adani says are “hungry for growth”?

All four Adani heirs studied in the US

Sagar Adani is a Brown University graduate. Photo: Handout

Karan, managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited, studied economics at Purdue University. Jeet, director of airports, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Pranav, managing director, of agro, oil and gas, studied business administration at Boston University. Finally, Sagar, executive director of Adani Green Energy Limited, studied economics at Brown University.

Are the Adani heirs married?

Pranav Adani is a family man through and through. Photo: @PranavAdani/X

Karan married renowned lawyer Cyril Shroff’s daughter Paridhi Shroff in a lavish ceremony in Goa in 2013, with Mukesh Ambani and future Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in attendance. They have a daughter, eight-year-old Anuradha.