The Rise and Fall of Vijay Mallya

Born on December 20, 1955, in Kolkata, Mallya graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commerce from St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata in 1976. His father, Vittal Mallya (Mallya Sr), was a successful entrepreneur who had ventured into India’s alcoholic beverage market in 1947 by acquiring a British beer company United Breweries Ltd. By 1982, Mallya Sr became the undisputed king of the beer, liquor, and processed foods industries in India. After completing his studies, Mallya was sent abroad where he worked for Hoechst Corporation in the US, a pharmaceutical company in which his father had a large ownership share, and with Jenson & Nicholson, a paint company in the UK. After he returned to India in 1980, Mallya was groomed by his father and assisted him in managing the Brewing and Spirits Divisions of the UB Group. Reportedly, Mallya was instrumental in launching the Kingfisher Beer, the flagship brand of the UB Group...