Henning Holck-Larsen

Henning Holck-Larsen (4 July 1907 – 27 July 2003) was a Danish-born Indian engineer who co-founded the engineering firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) along with Søren Kristian Toubro (27 February 1906 – 4 March 1982).

Early life and career

Holck-Larsen was educated at the University of Copenhagen (and what is now the Technical University of Denmark). He came to India in 1937 as a chemical engineer working for F. L. Smidth & Co. of Copenhagen. Partnering with his former schoolmate and fellow employee Søren Kristian Toubro, he set up Larsen & Toubro in 1938. The idea of L&T was conceived during a holiday in Matheran, a hill station near Mumbai. Holck-Larsen was a risk-taker while Toubro was more conservative. Holck-Larsen and Toubro saw opportunities in India at a time when few Europeans had realised the country's potential for industrial growth.

The first office of L&T, located in Mumbai, was so small that only one of them could use it at a time. Initially, L&T represented Danish dairy equipment manufacturers. However, the Danish imports were restricted during the World War II, forcing L&T to start a small workshop that provided servicing and undertook small jobs. The imports stopped after the German invasion of Denmark, forcing L&T to start manufacturing dairy equipment indigenously, a move that was successful. After retirement, Holck-Larsen served as the chairman emeritus of the company. He used to call India his "adopted homeland" and divided his time between Denmark and India. He died in 2003 at the Breach Candy hospital, Mumbai.

Awards and recognitions

Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding (1976) Knighthood from Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (1977) Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial Peace (1980) Chemtech Foundation's Chemical Industry Stalwart Award (2000) Bombay Management Association's Lifetime Achievement Award (2001) Citation from the Indo-European Union Business Summit for promoting business beyond boundaries (2002) Padma Bhushan (2002) for contribution to Indian industry. India Post issued a commemorative postage stamp of ₹5.00 on 12 June 2008