Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao

Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao was born on 14 July 1950, in a Telugu family in Rajam, Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. He was born in an upper-middle-class family whose main business interests involved commodities trading and a small-scale jewellery business started by his father in Rajam. After graduating from Andhra University, Rao joined a paper mill as a shift engineer and then joined the Public Works Department of the Andhra Pradesh Government as a junior engineer.

Rao soon entered the trading of commodities at the insistence of his mother. After developing strong relationships with suppliers and customers, he successfully acquired a failing jute mill at a bargain price. This venture proved lucrative and allowed Rao to leverage capital from local banks to acquire other assets. He eventually divested his stake in a multitude of industries and, in 1987, started the private sector bank, Vysya Bank, in collaboration with ING.

Rao later diluted his stake in ING Vysya, selling his entire share for ₹3.4 billion (US$69.96 million). The capital generated from the bank stake sale enabled his entry into the power and infrastructure sectors, laying the foundation for the GMR Group.

Rao is known for his commitment to charitable causes, stating that Warren Buffett was an inspiration for his pledge to 'give back to society'. In 2012, he donated ₹15.4 billion (equivalent to ₹32 billion or US$330 million in 2026) for charitable purposes.

The GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF) serves as the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the GMR Group. GMRVF is a non-profit (Section 25) company governed by Rao, which focuses on developing social infrastructure and enhancing the quality of life in underserved communities across the 22 locations where the Group maintains a presence.