Essar Group co-founder Shashi Ruia has died after a prolonged illness. He was 80.
Essar Global Fund, the Ruia company that invested $1.3 billion in telecommunications, towers and business process outsourcing over the years, made $6.5 billion, a five-fold return, when it flipped these businesses, according to discussions the group has had with merchant bankers.
Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin on Thursday met key members of the Ruia family, as part of efforts to woo the Essar Group to ensure smooth sailing of mobile venture Hutch-Essar, where the UK company is acquiring majority stake.
Essar Group is a major player in the port sector in Gujarat.
Continuing the efforts to strengthen its presence in telecom JV with Hutchison, Ruias' Essar Group is considering buying Max Telecom and IL&FS's 3.16 per cent stake in the Hutch-Essar joint venture.
Ruias-controlled Essar group on Thursday said it will delist its two steel and oil arms from stock exchanges to gain more flexibility in running the companies.
The new partners have also agreed to change the Hutch brand in a period of eight months to a year.
Already with a presence in Kenya's telecom sector through a brand called 'Yu', Essar is looking to strengthening its foothold in the rapidly growing African market.
Essar Energy chairman Ravi Ruia on Wednesday announced his decision to step down from the post amid the Central Bureau of Investigation claiming that the Essar Group had suppressed facts related to its equity holding in Loop Telecom, an allegation denied by the conglomerate.
Essar Shipping Ports & Logistics on Thursday said Ravi Ruia, who is also the Vice-Chairman of Essar Group, has resigned from the company's board with immediate effect due to other commitments.
At $12-bn valuation, this will be India's largest FDI; deal to be announced on Saturday, says Dev Chatterjee.
The exploration and production assets of Essar Oil will not be part of the Rosneft deal and would continue to remain with the Group.
Indian family-run business houses have in recent years seen ugly public spats between owners over control. But metals-to-ports conglomerate Essar's Ruia family seems to be an exception. Three generations of the Ruia family - founder brother Shashi and Ravi Ruia, their children and grandchildren - continue to live under one roof and jointly run the business empire.
'It can position itself as a China Plus One solution, fulfilling the demands of developed economies.'
The Essar group hinted at challenging the verdict, citing last week's Supreme Court order that upheld the August 2018 amendment to the IBC law.
The Group of Elders include world leaders like -- Desmond Tutu, former UN Secretary Kofi Annan, Former US President Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson, Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, Graca Machel, Gro Harlem Brundtland et al.
The transaction will lead to an open offer for minority holders.
Essar group promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia and Loop Telecom promoters I P Khaitan and Kiran Khaitan, besides Essar group director (Strategy and Planning) Vikash Saraf were directed by the court to furnish personal bail bond of Rs 500,000 each and two sureities of like amount.
In 2007, Essar had said it would set up a $1.8-bn unit in Minnesota, but scaled down from a full-scale taconite steel mill project to pellet plant after the 2008 financial crisis
Ruias-led Essar Group on Friday launched a scathing attack on Vodafone saying that the British company is trying to gain 100 per cent control of the telecom JV Vodafone-Essar at an "artificially depressed value".
'He asserted in his usual jovial style that he was not an MBA like his audience at IIM-Ahmedabad but perhaps had an even better business degree: MBB'. 'He went on to explain to his perplexed, blue chip B-School audience that MBB stood for "Marwadi by birth"!' Shivanand Kanavi salutes Shashi Ruia, co-founder of the Essar group who passed into the ages on November 25, 2024 in Mumbai.
Essar Group has announced the appointment of Malay Mukherjee as chief executive officer of its steel business, effective from October 15. He will take charge from current CEO J Mehra, who will assume a new role as director, Essar Group, and will continue to support the promoter-directors in business strategy, investments, corporate relations and corporate governance.
Besides Ruias, the CBI charged Essar Group director (strategy and Planning) Vikas Saraf, Loop Telecom promoters Kiran Khaitan and her husband I P Khaitan.
Ruias owned Essar Steel on Monday announced that they have agreed to acquire Canadian Algoma Steel for an aggregate value of Canadian $1.8 billion (approx. US $1.58 billion) to be paid in cash.
The Ruias and other promoters own a 99.99 per cent stake through various companies in BPL Mobile Communications. They have already toned it down to 82.4 per cent, sources close to the development said. Now, the group is looking at further bringing it down to less than 70 per cent. This will make BPL Mobile Communications a shell company and diminish its values making its shares 'worthless,' says Vodafone.
Without assigning any reason, Justice Dave, who was part of the bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, opted out of hearing the pleas of Mittal and Ruia challenging the summons issued to them in the case.
The Ruias of the Essar group have decided to get into yet another takeover battle. And this time they are taking on none other than Lakshmi Narayan Mittal, the owner of world's largest steel maker, ArcelorMittal, to take over the Bulgarian steel firm, Kremikovtzi AD, an ailing steel mill owned by Mittal's younger brother Pramod Mittal.
British giant Vodafone and Indian conglomerate Essar group reached an agreement on Thursday for jointly running India's fourth largest mobile firm -- Hutch-Essar, which would be rechristened Vodafone Essar.
The Central Bureau India (CBI) on Monday alleged before a special court that Essar Group of companies had created a "corporate veil".
Essar Group has bid $150 million for taking over an Australian coal firm, Rocklands Richfields Ltd, bettering an earlier offer from Jindal Steel and Power Ltd.
Essar Group's Shashi and Ravi Ruia are the only new entrants in the list of the 10 richest Indians compiled by Forbes, while banker Uday Kotak jumped the most number of places among the top 40 billionaires. The Ruias jumped five places to the 7th position with a net worth of $12 billion, while Kotak with $4.6 billion hopped 11 positions to the 16th rank.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir issued notice to CBI seeking its response on the petition filed by Ruia challenging the Special CBI Court's order summoning him as an accused in the case.
Under the 2007 agreement between Vodafone and Essar, the latter has a put option of divesting its stake in the telecom venture.
The apex court would hear the matter on March 1 and the outcome would decide the forum and the course of trial.
Joining the rush of companies looking for spectrum, BPL Mobile has applied for a unified access service licence in 21 of the country's 23 telecom circles.
Essar wants reverse merger of Essar Telecom Holdings Ltd into its listed group firm, India Securities Ltd.
The court, after going through the apex court's order on separate petitions filed by Mittal and Ruia, listed the matter on April 16 for further proceedings. The apex court will hear their pleas on April 15.
Both the accused placed on record the apex court's order and submitted separate personal bonds.
Announcing the intention to go with the public offer, Essar Energy vice chairman Prashant Ruia said that offering of 20-25 per cent shares in the entity would be to institutional investors in the UK for which it has sought regulatory approvals.
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