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Sushil Mohta Biography: The Man Behind Merlin Group

Founder & Chairman 

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From his father's Kolkata business to one of Eastern India's leading real estate developers

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The Founder and Chairman of Merlin Group, Sushil Mohta is one of Eastern India's best-known real estate developers. A Kolkata-born entrepreneur, he established the group in 1984 and has built it over four decades into a diversified developer with residential, commercial, IT, retail, hospitality and township projects.

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Merlin is present in Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Raipur and Colombo. Its stated mission is "A Home for Every Indian", and it has built more than 50 residential and commercial complexes and over 150 independent bungalows.

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Mohta is a founder member of CREDAI India, the apex body of Indian real estate developers, and President of CREDAI West Bengal. He has also served on the boards of two of Kolkata's biggest malls, South City and Acropolis. In June 2025, South City Mall was sold to Blackstone for a reported ₹3,250 crore.

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Early Life and Education​

Sushil Kumar Mohta was born and raised in Kolkata in a Marwari family. His father was a self-made businessman and became his earliest inspiration. From a young age, Mohta wanted to build something of his own and make his family proud.

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He studied at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, and finished his education at 17. Rather than continue with further studies, he joined his father's business. That experience gave him the business and people-management skills he later used to start his own venture.

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Personal Life

Mohta lives in Kolkata. His son, Saket Mohta, is the Managing Director of Merlin Group and represents the second generation of the family in the business. Saket runs day-to-day operations and leads the group's expansion into Pune and other cities.

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Beyond business, Mohta is an Advisory Board Member of the Dronah Foundation, which supports work in built heritage, community and environment. He has also backed civic initiatives such as blood donation camps held with the Indian Army.

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Founding and Growth of Merlin Group

Mohta founded Merlin Projects Limited in 1984. Active development began in 1990, starting with housing in Kolkata. The company is privately held and has grown through internal accruals and project revenues rather than outside funding rounds.

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Residential projects such as Merlin Homestead, Merlin The One, Merlin Edge, Merlin Rise and Merlin Heights helped establish the brand at the premium end of Kolkata's housing market. The group then expanded into IT buildings, industrial estates, hospitality and townships.

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In retail, Mohta sat on the boards of South City Mall and Acropolis Mall. South City has over one million sq. ft. of retail space. After the Blackstone sale in 2025, he said the exit fits Merlin's plans for new malls, IT parks and residential projects in Kolkata and Pune.

In commercial real estate, the group developed World Trade Center Kolkata, which it positions as the first World Trade Center in Eastern India.

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Merlin's growth outside Kolkata is led by Pune, where it is building Elementa. In 2025 it completed the final slab of one Elementa 2.0 building, its first use of MIVAN aluminium formwork technology. In February 2025 it announced a Fashion TV branded residential project. The group has said it has about 40 million sq. ft. under development.

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Mohta has also helped shape policy. He has served on West Bengal government committees on real estate reforms and legislation, and has studied housing and urban development practices in developed countries to bring ideas back to his projects.

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Awards & Achievements

• Founder member of CREDAI India, the umbrella body of the Indian real estate industry.

• President of CREDAI West Bengal.

• Member of West Bengal government committees on real estate policy and legislation.

• Founded Merlin Group in 1984 and built it into a developer with projects across six cities.

• Board member of South City Mall and Acropolis Mall, Kolkata.

• Member of the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) and participant in GRI, FICCI and CII forums.

• Advisory Board Member, Dronah Foundation.​

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​Further Reading & Primary Sources
https://sites.google.com/view/sushil-mohta/

https://sushilmohta.framer.wiki/

https://sushil-mohta.lovable.app/

https://sushil-mohta.kit.com/merlingroup

https://sushilmohta.carrd.co/​​​​

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