Shobhana Bhartia is a media baroness who serves as chairperson and editorial director for India`s largest listed media company, Hindustan Times Group. She inherited the company from her father K.K. Birla and transformed it. She changed it to from a privately-held family run concern to a professionally managed, publicly listed national powerhouse. Shobhana Bhartia is one of the first Padma Shri award nominees in 2005, the award for which was given for journalism.
Early Life of Shobhana Bhartia
Born in the year 1957, Shobhana Bhartia is the daughter of the industrialist and Congress party member K.K. Birla and the grand-daughter of GD Birla. She did her schooling from Loreto House in Kolkata and completed her Bachelor"s degree from the University of Calcutta.
Career of Shobhana Bhartia
In the year 1986, at an age of 29 Shobhana Bhartia joined the Hindustan Times directly as the Chief Executive. She was the first woman chief executive and the youngest one of a national newspaper. Shobhana Bhartia looks after editorial as well as financial aspects, and is credited with raising Rs. 400 crore through a public equity launch of Hindustan Times Media in September 2005.
From the year 2005 to 2011, Shobhana Bhartia served as the Director of Hero MotoCorp Limited. She is a former Director of the Press Trust of India Limited and was a member of the Rajya Sabha for a year in 2006 where she introduced the Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill. She has also recently taken charge as the Pro Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani which was founded by her grandfather and is the current Chairperson of Endeavor India. Shobhana Bhartia has been on the board of Indian Airlines Limited and on the North Regional Board of the Reserve Bank of India. In 2013, Bhartia launched the business weekly MintAsia in Singapore and then bought Webitude, a social and digital media outfit
Shobhana Bhartia serves as the director of many companies: Britex (India) Limted, Nilgiri Plantations Limited, Ronson Traders Limited, Yashovardhan Investment & Trading Company Limited, Udit India Limited, Usha Flowell Limited, Goldmerry Investment & Trading Company Limited and Firefly e-Ventures Limited.
Awards for Shobhana Bhartia
Shobhana Bhartia has received the Global Leader of Tomorrow award by the World Economic Forum in 1996. She is also the recipient of the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year, 2001, by PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and National Press India Award, 1992. She has also won the Business Woman award, The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence awards 2007.
Personal Life of Shobhana Bhartia
Shobhana Bharia is married to Shyam Sunder Bhartia who is the Chairman of the Pharma firm Jubilant Life Science Limited. Their son Shamit Bhartia is also a Director at the HT Media group and also looks after lifestyle businesses such as the Domino`s Pizza franchise and also convenience store chain Monday to Sunday in Bengaluru.
