Priyamvada Birla (76), chairperson of the Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) M P Birla Group, passed away in Kolkata on Saturday after a brief illness.
She had been running the M P Birla Group since the demise of her husband M P Birla in 1990. The group companies include Birla Corporation, Universal Cables, Birla Ericsson Optical Ltd, Vindhya Telelinks, Indian Smelting & Refining, Hindustan Gum & Chemicals and Birla-DLW Ltd.
The group has a major presence in cement, cables, auto trim, jute and ferrous products categories.
Since 1990, she had greatly expanded the group's presence in health and education spheres through institutions such as Bombay Hospitals at Mumbai and Indore, Belle Vue Clinic and M P Birla Eye Clinic at Kolkata and Birla Hospital at Satna.
The educational institutions included South Point School and M P Birla Higher Secondary School at Kolkata, M P Birla Institute of Management at Bangalore and Industrial Training Institute, Rewa, besides Kolkata's M P Birla Planetarium.