Kushal Pal Singh (born 15 August 1931) is an Indian billionaire real estate developer, and the chairman and CEO of real estate developer DLF Limited, founded by his father-in-law Chaudhary Raghvender Singh. DLF holds an estimated 10255 acre of land, with about 3000 acre in Gurugram, called DLF City. He was ranked the 8th richest person in the world in Forbes 2008. His autobiography, named Whatever the Odds: The Incredible Story Behind DLF, was published in 2011; Jack Welch spoke at the launch. According to Forbes India Rich list of 2024, he is the 7th richest person in India with an estimated net worth of US$25 billion. In October 2024, Singh was ranked 12th on the Forbes list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, with a net worth of $20.5 billion.

Early life and career

K.P. Singh was born on 15 August 1931 in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh in a Tewatia Jat family. His father, Chaudhary Mukhtar Singh, was a reputed lawyer in Bulandshahr. After graduating in science from Meerut College, Uttar Pradesh, he pursued aeronautical engineering in the UK and was subsequently selected to the Indian Army by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK. He was commissioned into the Deccan Horse in 1951. In 1960 he joined American Universal Electric Company and, soon after its merger with DLF Universal Limited in 1979, he took over as the managing director with Chaudhary Raghuvender Singh.

Activities

Kushal Pal Singh constructed numerous earthquake-proof office buildings, apartments, shopping malls and leisure facilities in Gurgaon. While he was the chairman of DLF, the company went for an initial public offering (IPO) in 2007 and made about US$2.24 billion, one of the largest IPOs in India. Market capitalisation of the company increased to $24.5 billion, making Singh and his family one of the richest clans in the world. Jack Welch, the former chairman and CEO of General Electric, said in an interview that Singh was one of the initiators for GE's entry into India.

Recognitions

Personal life and family

Singh is married to Indira Singh, the daughter of Raghvendra Singh, the founder of DLF Limited. K.P. Singh has one son, Rajiv Singh, and two daughters, Renuka Talwar and Pia Singh. Singh's son, Rajiv, succeeded him as the chairman of the DLF group in 2020. Rajiv's wife Kavita Singh became an advisor to DLF Commercial Developers Ltd in November 2002. She was also appointed Advisor to DLF Universal Ltd. on 1 June 2011, with a retainership fee of Rs 250,000 per month and other benefits. Rajiv and Kavita have two daughters, both of whom work for the company. K.P. Singh's elder daughter Renuka is married to G.S. Talwar, a non-executive director at DLF Ltd. Their son, Rahul, has joined DLF India Ltd as a "senior management trainee." K.P. Singh's younger daughter Pia Singh is a full-time director with DLF.

Controversy

In April 2016, Singh's name featured in the list of high-profile names released in the Panama Papers, a set of 11.5 million confidential documents created by the Panamanian corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca. Singh's son, wife, daughter Pia and her husband Timmy Sarna all set up offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands through Mossack Fonseca, and are named in the Panama Papers.