His' is a legendary rags to

riches journey during which

he shattered established
business theories and
rewrote new ones
Business Personality

KARSANBHAI K.
PATEL
Man behind the hugely successful brand,
 GENERAL

Dr. Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel was born in 1945,

into a farmer family from Mehsana, North Gujarat.

He finished his B.Sc. in Chemistry at age 21

He worked as a lab technician, first in the New

Cotton Mills, Ahmedabad, of the Lalbhai Group and
then at the Geology and Mining Department of the
state Government
 The beginning of Nirma
In 1969, Karsanbhai set up Nirma, (named after
daughter Nirupama) selling detergent powder as an
after-office business

The one-man company would bicycle through the

neighborhoods’ selling handmade detergent
packets door to door

At a price of Rs. 3 per kg, (one third the price of

leading detergents), it was an instant success
 NIRMA’S HUGE SUCCESS

Quality detergent powder, using indigenous technology

Housewife friendly advertisement jingles

Phosphate free & hence environment friendly

At a third of the prevailing price, without compromising

on the product

Process of manufacturing was labour intensive, which

offered large scale employment; it became the leading
employer
 After establishing its leadership in economy
priced detergents, Nirma entered the premium
segment, launching toilette soaps, Nirma
beauty soap and also Shuddh Salt

35% market share in detergents

20% market share in soap cakes

Nirma also has successful operations in

neighboring countries

Today, Nirma’s worth is 2000 crore INR

 AWARDS & ACCOLADES
‘Udyog Ratna’ by the Federation of Association of Small Scale
Industries of India, New Delhi

'Outstanding Industrialist of the Eighties’ by the Gujarat

Chamber of Commerce

The Govt. of India twice appointed him Chairman of the

Development Council for Oils, Soaps & Detergents

Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Florida Atlantic

University, USA for business and marketing acumen and
philanthropy
 
Honorary Doctorate by Devi Ahlya University, Indore
 In the last one decade, he has turned his attention to
the growing challenges in the educational sector

Dr. Patel firmly believes that to withstand global

competition and to satisfy the growing need for quality
professionals, an educational institution must constantly
grow, innovate, build strength and strive to become
self-reliant
 

In 1995 he founded the Nirma University of Science &

Technology, Ahmedabad
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
Nirma Uni.’s Official Site

&
My Wonderful Friends!