Dr. Vijay Mallya (born December 18, 1955) is a Bangalore-based billionaire businessman and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha since 2002) from India. An ostentatious public figure, Mallya is known for throwing lavish parties and his conspicuous consumption of luxury automobiles and his enormous luxury yacht, the Indian Empress. He is the son of industrialist Vittal Mallya and is the chairman of the United Breweries Group. Mallya has started a domestic airline in India called Kingfisher Airlines, which draws its name from United Breweries Group's flagship beer brand, Kingfisher.

Business

He took over as chairman of the UB Group in 1983. Since then, the group has grown into a multi-national conglomerate of over sixty companies with an annual turnover which has increased by 439% to US$1.2 billion in 1998-1999 . The focal business areas of the group encompasses alcoholic beverages, life sciences, engineering, agriculture, chemicals, information technology and leisure.

Kingfisher Airlines

In 2005, Vijay Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines. In a short span of time Kingfisher Airline has carved a niche for itself. It was the first airline in India to operate with all new aircrafts. Kingfisher Airlines is the first Indian company to purchase an Airbus A-380. Initially the connectivity was only between Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. At present, the airline connects more than 15 cities.

Sport

Mallya has won trophies in professional car racing circuits, notably at the Sholavaram track in Chennai during 1970s and 1980s. He drove a Formula 1 car in early 1980s in the open class. He is also a keen yachtsman and aviator. He has also won numerous trophies in horse racing including several prestigious Derbies.

Political career

He entered politics in 2000 and superseded Subramaniam Swamy as the president of Janata Party, a breakaway faction of the original Janata Dal party. His party contested for around twenty seats during the Karnataka State legislative election. He campaigned vigorously through the media, but his party failed to make any impact and did not win a single seat. Following the party's failure in the elections, it has been largely ignored by the media.

Achievements

• Establishment of Mallya Hospital in Bangalore.
• Helped to fund the Mallya Aditi International School, a prestigious private school in Bangalore.
• Successfully bid for the sword of Tipu Sultan of Mysore, and brought it back to India.