Who is Leena Tewari? Meet woman who bought India’s most expensive flats in Mumbai for Rs…, her business is….

The cost of flats in various Indian cities is soaring, with Gurugram and Mumbai at the center of the discourse. In Gurugram, penthouses, flats, and apartments are being sold for Rs 125–150 crore and even higher in some cases. But did you know that the most expensive flat in India is in Mumbai? You guessed it! The record-breaking sale for India’s most expensive flat occurred this year at the end of May. And, of course, it was in Worli, Mumbai. But do you know who the owner of this ultra-luxury flat is and what price was paid?

Who is the billionaire owner who bought India’s costliest flats?

India’s costliest flat was acquired in May by Leena Tewari. Leena purchased two luxury duplexes near the sea in Worli, Mumbai, for Rs 639 crore. She also paid Rs 63.9 crore as stamp duty and GST, bringing the total cost to roughly Rs 703 crore. The duplex apartments cover 22,572 sq ft from the 32nd to the 35th floor of the 40-storey Naman Xana building at Worli Sea Face, which has views of the Arabian Sea. According to the media reports, the cost works out to over Rs 2.83 lakh per sq. ft. on carpet area.

How much did Leena pay for these premium properties?

Leena Tewari paid more than Rs 63.9 crore in stamp duty and Goods & Services Tax (GST) to register the properties. She is the granddaughter of Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi, who founded USV Private Limited. In 1961, her grandfather established the company in collaboration with Revlon, and it has held its position as a leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology company in India.

What record did this purchase set in the Indian real estate market?

According to Forbes, Leena Tewari’s real-time net worth is $3.9 billion. Presently, she is the 964th richest person in the world. In 2023, Forbes India ranked her as the 45th richest Indian woman. She is wealthier than Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar. Her net worth was estimated to be $3.7 billion in 2023.

Leena is the Chairperson of Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company, USV India. USV went international with the purchase of the German generics company Juta Pharma in 2018. Leena’s daughter Aneesha Gandhi Tewari, who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology from MIT, joined the USV board in 2022.

Leena was born in suburban Mumbai on March 9, 1957. After studying commerce at the University of Mumbai, she completed an MBA at Boston University. Leena eventually returned to India, where she continued to run the family business. According to Forbes, USV specializes in diabetic and cardiovascular drugs, with a diverse portfolio that includes biosimilar drugs, injectables, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

According to the official website of USV, its mission is to continue to be recognised as a reliable provider of healthcare products and services by customers the world over. It aims to create and sustain a work environment that values people, promotes learning, nurtures innovation and leads to collective excellence.

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