Gautam Adani was born in Ahmedabad in 1962 and began his career as a commodities trader before founding what became the Adani Group in 1988. He has built it into one of India's largest infrastructure conglomerates, with leading positions in port operations, airport concessions, electricity transmission, thermal generation, edible oils and renewable energy.
His group has been one of the principal private financiers of India's infrastructure build-out over the past two decades and has expanded internationally, particularly in Australia, the Middle East and East Africa. The group's strategy combines very large capital deployment in long-duration infrastructure with rapid expansion into renewable generation through Adani Green Energy.
Adani has been the subject of significant market scrutiny following short-seller allegations in 2023, which the group has rejected, and his trajectory remains one of the most closely watched in emerging-market business.