Nusli Wadia


Nusli Wadia is an Indian-born British Parsi businessman, entrepreneur and the chairman of the Wadia Group. He is a part of the prominent business Wadia family, through his father Neville, and the politically active Jinnah family, through his mother Dina. He is the grandson of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and is one of the Parsi community's most prominent and influential businessmen.

Personal life

Nusli was born into a Parsi family in Bombay. He is the son of businessman Neville Wadia and Dina Wadia. His maternal grandfather Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan, while, his maternal grandmother, Rattanbai Petit was born into two of the elite Parsi families of India, the Petit—Tata family. Nusli is the direct and only descendant of Jinnah and his family. His great-aunt, Fatima Jinnah, was an important figure in the independent Pakistan movement. Though he was born in India, Nusli's father obtained a British passport for him for the convenience of travel.
He is married to Maureen Wadia, a former air hostess, who heads Gladrags magazine and is one of the organizers of Mrs. India beauty pageant. They have two sons: Ness Wadia and Jeh Wadia.
In 2004, Wadia accompanied his mother Dina and sons Ness and Jeh, on a visit to Pakistan, during which he visited the mausoleum of his grandfather Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and grandaunt Fatima Jinnah in Karachi.

Controversy

In 2016, Wadia announced that he will be filing a defamation case against Ratan Tata and his Tata group, after being removed as the independent director of Tata Motors. During the 2016-2019 period, when the trial was ongoing, Wadia's net worth increased from $3.5 to $7billion. In January 2020, Wadia withdrew the defamation case, following Tata's statement that there was no intention to defame Wadia.