A run Bharat Ram is a prominent Indian industrialist and the chairman of SRF Limited, a leading manufacturer of chemical-based industrial intermediates. He is a member of the influential Delhi-based DCM Shriram family, which has a long and storied history in Indian business. While he hails from a business dynasty, he has carved out his own significant enterprise in SRF.
He took over a struggling nylon cord business from the family group in the 1970s and, over several decades, transformed it into a diversified and highly successful chemical conglomerate. SRF is now a global leader in technical textiles, fluorochemicals, specialty chemicals, and packaging films. Arun Bharat Ram is known for his focus on technology, research and development, and professional management, which have been key to SRF's growth and profitability. He has successfully built a modern, world-class manufacturing company from the foundations of a traditional family business.
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Born in New Delhi in 1942, Arun Bharat Ram is a third-generation entrepreneur from the distinguished Lala Shriram family, one of India's preeminent industrial dynasties (DCM Shriram Group). His upbringing in Delhi was steeped in the ethos of Indian manufacturing and the expectation of high civic responsibility.
He pursued a world-class education, graduating in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan, USA. This exposure to global industrial practices and engineering efficiency, combined with his industrial lineage, equipped him to lead a major transformation of his family's assets. Uniquely, alongside his industrial career, Arun Bharat Ram is an accomplished sitar player, having studied under the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar. This artistic pursuit reflects a rare blend of deep industrial commitment and profound connection to Indian classical arts and culture.
Arun Bharat Ram began his career in 1967 at the family firm, Delhi Cloth & General Mills Co. Ltd. However, his defining entrepreneurial act came in 1971 when he founded SRF Ltd. (originally Shriram Fibres) to manufacture Nylon Tyre Cord Fabric. This move was a strategic decision to enter the high-value technical textiles sector.
His greatest managerial contribution was introducing Total Quality Management (TQM) to the company in the late 1980s. Foreseeing the coming economic reforms, he was convinced that TQM was the only way Indian manufacturing could become world-class and globally competitive, a philosophy he learned from a Japanese joint venture partner. Under his 35-year leadership, SRF diversified immensely into fluorochemicals, packaging films, and eco-friendly refrigerants, consistently aiming for market leadership. This dedication to quality earned SRF the prestigious Deming Application Prize in 2004, a rare honor for an Indian company, cementing Arun Bharat Ram’s reputation as a visionary industrialist focused on global quality standards.
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Born in New Delhi.
Graduates in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan; begins career at the family firm.
Founds SRF Ltd. (originally Shriram Fibres) to manufacture Nylon Tyre Cord Fabric.
Pioneers the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in SRF.
SRF's Tyre Cord business wins the prestigious Deming Application Prize for quality.
Continues to serve as Chairman Emeritus of SRF and a patron of Indian classical arts.
Arun Bharat Ram’s wealth is concentrated in his family’s stake in the publicly listed, diversified industrial giant, SRF Ltd. (NSE: SRF).
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Arun Bharat Ram is known for his high standards of ethics and social consciousness. He has been a champion of quality, ethics, and corporate responsibility through his leadership roles at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
His latest philanthropic project involves spreading awareness and prevention of AIDS, reflecting a commitment to tackling pressing public health issues. His contribution in the field of education, art, and culture is structured through the family's long-standing commitments and his involvement with SPIC-Macay. His wealth is leveraged to promote excellence, from manufacturing quality (TQM) to the preservation of Indian classical music (Sitar patronage), ensuring a legacy that is both industrial and cultural.
Arun Bharat Ram maintains the highly distinguished, intellectual style of a classic Indian industrialist. His attire is consistently elegant and formal, favoring bespoke suits or high-quality traditional Indian wear, reflecting his generational pedigree and status as a statesman of industry. His aesthetic is one of quiet, cultural refinement.
His lifestyle is centered on Delhi and the continuous pursuit of knowledge and art. His unique luxury is his mastery of the sitar, a pursuit that requires immense discipline and artistic dedication, connecting him to the highest forms of Indian culture. His wealth affords him private travel and the security to lead a vast, modern industrial conglomerate, all while maintaining a personal commitment to high standards of ethics and quality.
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“TQM is the vehicle by which Indian manufacturing can transform itself to become world-class.”
“Quality is not an act, it is a habit. It must be institutionalized.”
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All information is cross-referenced with public sources for accuracy; some narrative sections are AI-assisted summaries.
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