11 Interesting facts about Sanjiv Goenka

Sanjiv Goenka is one of the leading businessmen of the country, the chairman of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group having an asset base of more than INR 32,000 crore. The company has over 50,000 employees and as many as hundred thousand shareholders. It is India’s youngest business group born in 1820. In fact, Mr. Sanjiv Goenka has taken his company to a different level altogether in a variety of diverse fields dispersing it in the world stage and in the process raising it to even greater stature and making it reach eloquent heights. After becoming the co-owner of the football team Atletico de Kolkata from the start of the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2013, he is now the owner of the new franchise in the Indian Premiere League (IPL) Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) led by the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

1. Early Life:

Sanjiv Goenka was brought up in Kolkata, the capital of the state of West Bengal. He is the younger son of Rama Prasad Goenka, the effective founder of the RPG group.

2. Education:

He completed his graduation from the reputed St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

3. Personality:

He is the one who has unbounded faith in age-old virtues who believes that there is no shortcut on the road to success and hard work is the only way to achieve one’s goal practising perseverance, dedication and strict discipline. He also holds the view that learning is a life-long process and that there is no end to it.

4. Entry into business world:

Sanjiv made a relatively early entry into business in mid 1980’s assisting his father and elder brother Harsh Goenka in handling and smooth running of their great family business.

5. Rising Pune Supergiants:

He bought the IPL team Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in the year 2016. The franchise makes its maiden appearance in this year’s IPL (IPL 9) under skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With this, he becomes an integral part of both ISL & IPL, the two mega events in Indian sports.

6. Honours:

Mr. Sanjiv Goenka was awarded the ‘Banga Bibhusan 2015’ the highest civilian honour of the state by the honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and the Governor of the state K.N. Tripathy. Mr. Goenka is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Woodlands Medical Centre Ltd. There he has been honoured with the title of Honorary Consul of Canada.

7. Love for Sports:

Mr. Sanjiv Goenka’s love and passion for sports is evident from the fact that he owns two teams in the IPL and the ISL although he has always maintained that buying an IPL team was purely a commercial decision as it makes good sense on that line. He is a sports enthusiast who firmly believes that sports is a great teacher from which one can learn many invaluable lessons in life helping one in many ways. As per his own view, he has learnt a lot from his experience as the owner of Atletico de Kolkata in the ISL so far and it is a stint that he is thoroughly enjoying as well although the franchise is yet to break even in terms of profit but he continues to be patient and optimistic about it.

8. His look at life:

His approach to life is pretty simple and crystal clear i.e. to think with clarity of thought and reason. Mr. Goenka is an out-and-right positive person who always thinks pragmatically. He has a unique stance in the sense that he aims to promulgate an entrepreneurial streak into management.

9. Uniqueness of the Goenka Empire:

The diversity and incoherence of the Goenka companies to go with the fact that none of their major ventures were their own but take-overs is something that really makes it truly special and stand out.

10. Personal Life:

Sanjiv Goenka is married to Preeti and has two children, daughter Avarna and son Shaswat.

11. Future plans and prospect:

He is harbouring thoughts of setting up a football academy in Kolkata in the near future and also buying an overseas football club somewhere down the line.

Written by Anamitra Sarkhel

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