Built on Bonding: How Uday Kotak’s Joint Family Shaped His Corporate Culture

In an exclusive interaction with Arnab Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network, Uday Kotak shared powerful insights on how his joint family helped in shaping his corporate culture.

Uday Kotak's Joint Family

Uday Kotak started by affirming that he runs a family office and said that when he started he was, “running a family office as a young guy of 30 or 35.”

"There is a large amount of big business or at least there are very big players. What we need is middle India in manufacturing and entrepreneurs of today, startups of today, don't go into middle manufacturing," he said.

Uday Kotak is also very close to his family as he grew up in a bustling joint family, which is very important to him.

This family consists of 60 individuals and Kotak has lived with 60 people under one roof, which is something that is extremely rare in today's day and age.

Kotak elaborated how there were 60 members in his family and only kitchen.

"For many people who know how tough it is to have so many people in one kitchen, you understand the challenges of a joint family more than anything else. But family gave me a deep sense of culture," he said.

According to Kotak, being a part of a joint family gave him a sense of learning to live with contradictions between family members, uncles, aunts, parents, grandparents, cousins, sibling rivalries.

"But the bonding and the pleasure of being together was awesome," he said.

 

How Did This Family Culture Become A Part Of Kotak Mahindra Bank?

"When I started Kotak, there's one thing I said, I want to bring the family culture to the fore in how we build the culture at Kotak and if I have to say, there is one point which I would strongly consider as an important aspect in our journey," the founder of India's biggest private lender said.

According to him, it's the bonding, the family culture, and a people sense which is at the core of successful institutions.

This session was part of Republic Media Network's "Legends" series, an ongoing tribute series celebrating iconic Indians who have shaped the nation through excellence and inspiration. After powerful episodes honouring tennis icon Leander Paes and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, this edition featured Uday Kotak, a visionary leader who transformed Indian banking and inspired generations of entrepreneurs.

Presented by Ravin Group and co-powered by Radico Khaitan and Reliance Digital, the session explored Kotak’s legacy, his views on India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and his belief that sustainable economic growth must be built on enterprise and innovation rather than speculative gains.

Also Read: 'Stock Market Not A Casino...': Uday Kotak Warns Investors Against 'Cruise Mode' And Speculation