Godrej Group Divides in Two: Listed Companies With Adi and Brother, Unlisted Cousins, Land Bank

With Adi Godrej (82) and his brother Nadir (73) on one side and their cousins Jamshyd Godrej (75) and Smita Godrej Crishna (74), on the other, the 127-year-old conglomerate Godrej Group is divided between two lines of the founding family.

According to a statement released by the company, cousins Jamshyd and Smita acquired the unlisted Godrej & Boyce and its affiliates along with a land bank, which included valuable property in Mumbai, while Adi Godrej and his brother Nadir retained the Godrej Industries, which includes five listed enterprises.

Jamshyd Godrej will serve as chairman and managing director of Godrej Enterprises Group, which is made up of Godrej & Boyce and its affiliates that operate in a variety of sectors, including defense, furniture, IT software, and aerospace and aviation. Nyrika Holkar, 42, the daughter of his sister Smita, will serve as the executive director, according to the announcement.

This arm, which will also hold the land bank and 3,400 acres of prime Mumbai property, would be under the hands of their families.

Nadir Godrej will serve as head of the Godrej Industries Group, which is comprised of the listed firms Godrej Industries, Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Properties, Godrej Agrovet, and Astec Lifesciences. The group will be governed by Adi, Nadir, and their immediate families.

According to the announcement, Adi Godrej’s 42-year-old son Pirojsha will take over as GIG’s executive vice chairperson in August 2026, succeeding Nadir as chair.

“Asset Realignment”
The division was described as “an ownership realignment” of the shareholdings in the Godrej enterprises by the Godrej family. “The realignment has been arrived at in a respectful and mindful way to maintain harmony and to better align ownership in acknowledgement of the differing visions of the Godrej family members,” added the statement.

The family said in the statement that “this will help maximize strategic direction, focus, and agility and will accelerate the process of creating long-term value for shareholders and all other stakeholders.” Both Groups are dedicated to strengthening and expanding their shared heritage and will continue to use the Godrej brand.

Godrej Group’s History: According to a news agency PTI report, in 1897, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur Ardeshir Godrej and his brother found success in locksmithing after unsuccessful forays into hand-crafted medical equipment.

Since Ardeshir never had children, his younger brother Pirojsha, who had four children total—Sohrab, Dosa, Burjor, and Naval—inherited the group.

Over time, the children of Burjor (Adi and Nadir) and Naval (Jamshyd and Smita) took leadership roles in the group since Sohrab was childless and Dosa had just one kid, Rishad, who was also childless.

The two sides resigned from boards of businesses in opposing camps in order to facilitate the separation. Thus, Jamshyd Godrej resigned from the boards of GCPL and Godrej Properties, while Adi and Nadir Godrej resigned from the Godrej & Boyce Board.

According to unsubstantiated rumors, Adi and Nadir Godrej will transfer their ownership of Godrej & Boyce to the other branch. Through a familial agreement, Jamshyd Godrej and his family will give their relatives shares in Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) and Godrej Properties.

The ownership rights to real estate valued at crores of rupees, most of which is located in prestigious suburbs of Mumbai, will continue to be governed by Godrej & Boyce (G&B) under a separate deal that will be negotiated.

Its land holdings in Mumbai are 3,400 acres, of which 3,000 acres are in Vikhroli. According to certain estimations, the Vikhroli area has above Rs 1 lakh crore in potential for development, as stated in the PTI article. It has the potential to grow to 1,000 acres, of which 1,750 are covered in mangroves and are home to unique flora and birds. There have already been around 300 acres of land encroached upon.

In 1941–1942, Pirojsha purchased the Vikhroli property from the Bombay High Court receiver in a public auction. Prior to that, in the 1830s, it was purchased from the East India Company by Parsi businessman Framjee Banaji.