The billionaire who was once Amitabh Bachchan’s CA now heads a company worth Rs 21,000 crore

Born into a family of farmers, this first-generation entrepreneur is now among India’s richest. With his strategic thinking and business acumen, he successfully turned around a pharmaceutical company under his leadership that is now valued at over $210 billion rupees.

Meet Premchand Godha, Executive Chairman of Ipca Laboratories, one of India’s richest men with a net worth of $1.7 billion ( $14,435 Crores).

But what few people know is that the 77-year-old billionaire, who leads $21,000-crore pharmaceutical company and worked as a Chartered Accountant (CA) of the Bachchan family. This allowed him to develop valuable financial expertise and build his empire.

childhood and education

Goda was born in a farmer’s family in Rajasthan and graduated in commerce from the University of Rajasthan. He subsequently became a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

His career began in 1971 and in the first few years, he managed all the finances of the entire Bachchan family, including Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

How did IPCA happen?

The year 1975 was a turning point when the Godha and Bachchan families invested in Ipca Laboratories. At the time, the pharmaceutical company was on the verge of collapse.

Godha’s entrepreneurial vision became the driving force behind Ipca Laboratories’ turnaround. Pharmaceutical companies transform from loss-making businesses into profitable entities. Under his leadership, the company’s revenue reportedly grew from $5.4 million to $4,422 crore over the years. This was despite the fact that the Bachchan family sold its stake in the pharmaceutical company in 1999 due to financial difficulties.

Godha has been a member of the Board of Directors since October 31, 1975 and the Managing Director of the Company since March 1983.

Since he took over, Ipca Laboratories has grown from strength to strength, becoming one of India’s most prominent pharmaceutical companies with a market capitalization of $21,298 crore (Friday close).