• Shashikant Ruia, a first-generation entrepreneur who turned a small construction business into an infrastructure conglomerate, passed away in Mumbai on November 25. He was 80.

• Shashi Ruia, as he was fondly called, co-founded the metals-to-technology conglomerate Essar with his brother Ravi.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Ruia a ‘towering figure’ in his condolence message.

• Starting his career in 1965 under the guidance of his father Nand Kishore Ruia, Shashi and his brother Ravi laid the foundation of Essar in 1969 when they bagged a Rs 2.5 crore order from the Madras Port Trust for the construction of an outer breakwater in the port.

• In the early years, Essar focused on construction and engineering projects and built a number of bridges, dams and power plants. 

• In the 1980s, Essar diversified into the energy sector with the acquisition of oil and gas assets.

• A decade later, it became a significant player in steel and telecommunications, setting up a large steel plant in Gujarat, and rising to become India’s second-largest telecom operator in a joint venture with Hutchison.

• It also went on to build an oil refinery in Gujarat despite funds being stopped because of business rivals.

• Later, it exited the telecom business, sold the oil refinery to a consortium led by Russia’s Rosneft and had to let go of steel plants to ArcelorMittal when insolvency proceedings were initiated to recover unpaid loans.

• Today, Essar Global Fund Ltd, which oversees the businesses co-founded by the Ruia brothers, manages assets across sectors such as infrastructure, energy, metals and mining, technology, and services.

• Ruia held several prominent positions in national and industry organisations. He was part of the managing committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and served as chairman of the Indo-US Joint Business Council. 

• He was also the former president of the Indian National Shipowners Association and a member of the Prime Minister’s Indo-US CEO Forum and the India-Japan Business Council.

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