The greatness of a person lies not on the success he has achieved or the name he has earned but his humbleness and in his conduct to fellow human beings. And when we talk of these rare human attributes, Pallonji Mistry, CEO, Shapoorji Pallonji Group is one such person who personifies all these virtues to its truest sense. A man, who despite all his success, remains a recluse. In fact, Mistry family is the single largest shareholder of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Rs. 54,000 crore Tata group. It also holds a stake in India's largest software company Tata Consultancy Services. And it is hard to remain a recluse when he ranks 137th in the Forbes 2007 list of world's billionaires.

The low-profile construction magnate and real estate developer, Mistry left college to work in privately owned family business and has grown from strength to strength, multiplying his company's asset with every passing year. Known for his business acumen and sharp intelligence, Mistry is a popular father figure among his staff. If you want to know how the world looks at Mistry, here is a brief assessment - his employees call him the man with no faults, his friends describe him as humble and within the Tata Group he's known as the Phantom of Bombay House. Moreover, Mistry is credited for expanding his inheritance by getting lucrative contracts in India and overseas, mainly Muscat. Founded by his father Shapoorji Pallonji as Littlewood Pallonji & Co., the firm won its first construction contract for building a reservoir at Malabar Hill, Mumbai. Since then, the company hasn't looked back.

It has acquired, added stature and reputation as the leader in large and complex project constructions. From the charming old bank buildings in Mumbai to majestic new skyscrapers dotting the city skyline; mechanical engineering plants to the Sultanate of Oman's Royal Palace, this house of visionaries has pillared the construction revolution in India and outside. Recently, the Company holds multidisciplinary trends such as SP finance, SP fabricators, SP Power and even Biotech, to mention a few.

A devout Parsi who prays daily, Mistry, as it's known, refused to share details of his assets with Forbes because he didn't need anyone to tell him he's rich! Recently, the construction baron also got into the business process outsourcing business. Forbes Gokak, a Shapoorji Pallonji group company, which deals in textiles to consumer durables, has set up two firms, Forbes Technosys and Forbes Bradma Business Automation, to run the BPO business. Forbes Technosys looks after the international call center business while Forbes Bradma Business Automation is focusing on the domestic business.

It was not long back when Mistry was awarded with life time achievement award by The World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce, WZCCA for his invaluable service to the community and his contribution to the world of business. But Mistry, even in the limelight of glory preferred a humble place - hallmark of an icon indeed!