Full throttle ahead

Billionaire entrepreneur believes diversification can unlock new avenues for sustained, long-term growth

During his teens, Anand Mahindra's consuming passion for filmmaking took him to Harvard in the early 1970s to major in film on a full scholarship. He graduated from the esteemed US institution in 1977 with high honors.

But he never became a moviemaker. Instead, he turned out to be a globally respected businessman. Today, he heads a $16.5 billion multinational group, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which has more than 180,000 employees in over 100 countries across the globe.