City’s defence entrepreneur Rangarajan debuts in India’s rich list

CHENNAI: The city-based Srinivasagopalan Rangarajan, who founded Data Patterns (India) Ltd, is the first defence and aerospace entrepreneur to feature in the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022.

The former table tennis champion and IIT-Madras graduate’s wealth is estimated at Rs 2,700 crore.

Data Patterns, a defence and aerospace electronics company, designs and manufactures radars, underwater electronics /communications/other systems, electronic warfare suites, and small satellites.

Rangarajan is assisted by his wife and whole-time director Rekha Murthy Rangarajan - it won’t be wrong to describe them as a missile firing couple - as Data Patterns is the supplier of the launch and fire control system for Brahmos missile programme.

Meanwhile, adding 1,600 cr per day over the last year and with a total wealth of Rs 10,94,400 cr, Gautam Adani overtook Mukesh Ambani to secure the richest Indian title for the first time in IIFL Wealth-Hurun India Rich List 2022. In 2021, Mukesh Ambani was ahead of Adani’s wealth by Rs 2 lakh cr but in 2022 Adani is ahead of Ambani by Rs 3 lakh crore. Adding Rs 41,700 cr to register a cumulative wealth of Rs 2,05,400 cr, Cyrus Poonawalla stormed into third position in the Rich List.

Incidentally, the richest Indian professional-person of Indian origin is Jayashree Ullal of Arista Networks. Ullal, born in London and raised in India, heads the Arista Networks, US and is the richest professional with a wealth of Rs 16,600 crore, as per the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022. Thomas Kurian (Rs 12,100 crore) of Oracle is in the second position and is followed by Nikesh Arora (Rs 8,500 crore) of Palo Alto Networks. Barring two, the top 10 rich professional executives in the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich is populated with Indian-Americans.

The two exceptions are Ignatius Navil Noronha of Avenue Supermarts (wealth Rs 6,500 cr) and Aditya Puri, former MD of HDFC Bank (Rs 1,600 cr).

The others in the rich professionals list are: Ajaypal Singh Banga of Mastercard (Rs 6,500 cr), Satya Nadella of Microsoft (Rs 6,200 cr), Sundar Pichai of Google (Rs 5,300 cr), Indra K Nooyi of Pepsico (Rs 4,000 cr), Pepsico and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe (Rs 3,800 cr).

Satya Nadella of Microsoft (Rs 6,200 cr)

Sundar Pichai of Google (Rs 5,300 cr)

Indra K Nooyi, former CEO Pepsico (Rs 4,000 cr), and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe (Rs 3,800 cr)

Srinivasagopalan Rangarajan, Data Patterns (Rs 2,700 cr)

Aditya Puri, former MD, HDFC Bank (Rs 1,600 cr)