BW Businessworld features Parth Jindal in issue on legacy businesses’ new growth engines

 The latest issue of BW Businessworld examines how some of India’s established business groups are expanding beyond their traditional sectors to build new engines of growth, with a focus on the next generation of leadership, changing consumer markets and the capabilities that will shape India’s economic future.

JSW’s Expansion Beyond Industry

At the heart of the cover package is a detailed look at Parth Jindal and the evolving businesses of JSW, exploring the group’s expansion beyond its established industrial base into sectors including cement, paints and automobiles. The cover feature and interview explore how JSW is expanding beyond its industrial roots. It follows Parth Jindal's responsibilities across cement, paints and automobiles. It also examines how manufacturing experience and capital can support entry into markets that demand a closer understanding of individual consumers. It also considers his emphasis on professional institutions that can operate beyond family management.

Parth describes JSW’s newer businesses as opportunities pursued on their own merits, while weighing the choices between building, acquiring and partnering, and the management discipline needed to make each succeed.

The cover story also looks at the broader responsibilities that increasingly accompany the role of the next generation in large Indian business houses. Parth Jindal’s engagement with defence and sport brings another dimension to the discussion, highlighting the role of business leaders in strengthening Indian capabilities, supporting the country’s pursuit of Atmanirbharta and contributing to the development of sporting talent.

The cover package examines the logic behind this transition, from access to a growing consumer base and changing consumption patterns to the opportunity to build businesses across multiple points of the value chain. It also considers the capabilities that companies must develop when moving from industrial markets to categories where brand preference, customer experience, distribution and everyday consumer engagement become critical drivers of success.

From Smokestack To Storefront

The insight, “From Smokestack To Storefront”, examines why industrial conglomerates are entering consumer businesses and what this means for competition. Case studies on Reliance and Aditya Birla Group explore their growing presence across consumer categories, highlighting how scale, capital and distribution can drive expansion, while consumer understanding remains key to long-term success.

The issue examines how the expansion of established business groups can drive competition, consumer choice, innovation and employment across sectors. It also highlights that sustained growth will depend on strong institutions, long-term investment and the ability to build consumer-centric capabilities.

Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld said, "We are seeing decisions about markets and technologies preparing India for future opportunities, influencing consumer choice and livelihoods far beyond the family enterprise."

"India's legacy business houses are entering a new chapter, and the leaders shaping it are asking harder questions about what to build, what to buy and what to leave to professionals. How well these groups serve the consumer will decide whether their ambition becomes lasting value for the economy."

Noor Fathima Warsia, Group Editorial Director, BW Businessworld said, "What stands out is the discipline behind the expansion. Moving from industrial strength to consumer relevance takes patience, institutional depth and a willingness to earn customer trust one household at a time. That is the story we wanted to tell."

BW Future of Design Summit and Awards 2026

The issue also carries a special package on the BW Future of Design Summit and Awards 2026, extending the issue’s focus on how businesses and institutions can translate new ideas into tangible outcomes.

With a focus on designing for a self-reliant India, the summit explores how design can create better products, services and everyday experiences for a rapidly evolving market. The awards celebrate prototypes and finished designs that go beyond aesthetics to solve real-world problems, enhance functionality and create meaningful user experiences.

The design package underscores a larger theme: India’s next phase of growth will depend on its ability to foster innovation, build capabilities and turn new ideas into solutions that serve people.

The recent issue of BW Businessworld is now available in both digital and print formats. Read BW Businessworld’s latest digital edition here for more insights and the full stories.