Gautum Adani

Gautam Adani is one of India’s most influential—and arguably most controversial—business figures. He’s also one of India’s richest people, thanks to his flagship company, the Adani Group. Founded in 1988 as a commodity trading house, the business has now expanded to ports, power, mining, and renewable energy. Adani is seen as a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; both come from the state of Gujarat, and the two have known each other since Modi’s time as the state’s chief minister. That has led to political scrutiny at home, as India’s opposition parties accuse Adani of benefiting from his close ties to India’s leadership. And in the U.S., prosecutors accused Adani of a $250 million bribery scheme. The Adani Group has denied the allegations, but its stock has yet to recover.