Neville Wadia

Who was Neville Wadia?

Neville Ness Wadia was an Anglo-Indian businessman, philanthropist and a member of the Wadia family, an old Parsi family which, by the 1840s, was one of the leading forces in the Indian shipbuilding industry, having built over a hundred warships for the British and having established trading networks around the world.

Born in Liverpool, Neville Wadia was educated at Malvern College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He married Dina, the daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

Although he was born a Parsi, his father renounced the Zoroastrian faith and converted to Christianity. Wadia converted from Christianity to Zoroastrianism later in life.

During the late 19th century, his father, Ness Wadia, played an important role in turning the city of Bombay into one of the world's largest cotton trading centres. In 1952, Neville Wadia succeeded his father as chairman of Bombay Dyeing, and under his leadership the company became one of India's most successful and quality-conscious textile concerns. He was also heavily involved in the real estate business in Mumbai, and he contributed to building new wings and upgrading several hospitals in Bombay founded by his family. He established a business school in Pune and a host of charitable trusts for Parsees.