The Essar group was founded over three decades ago by the Ruia family and is headed by Chairman Shashi Ruia and Vice-Chairman Ravi Ruia. The Ruia family has been in business and trading since the 1800s, when the family first moved to Mumbai from Rajasthan in Western India. In 1956, Nand Kishore Ruia, the group founder, moved south to Chennai to begin independent business activities. In 1969, following the untimely demise of Nand Kishore Ruia, his sons Shashi and Ravi Ruia took over the group. Along with a team of seasoned professionals, the Ruias have built the perfect platform for Essar's accelerating growth. With a strong foundation at India’s industrial core and in the sunrise services sector, Essar has stayed firmly in the forefront of new opportunities. An early start has made us a key player in India's exploding telecom market. Similarly, we set up India’s first independent power plant and its first new generation private steel plant.