Category: Leaders

Vijay is the son of industrialist and politician Mr. Murugesh Nirani, the man who groomed him to be a sound decision-maker, an astute businessperson, and a compassionate human being. A strong background in management and emerging business technologies has enabled him to be an active executor and a decision maker.

Vijay has a degree in accounting and business management from the Singapore-based James Cook University and in global family managed business, international trade and business from The SP Jain Institute of Management and Research. His core skill set includes project management, business development, business strategy, and planning and team management.

At the young age of 22 years, he executed and commissioned a 10000 TCD sugar unit, which earned him immense respect and many laurels in the sugar industry. At present, he presides on the board as the MD of three sugar units, namely Nirani Sugars Limited, Shri Sai Priya Sugars Limited, and MRN Cane Power (India) Limited. An inspiring entrepreneur, he is dynamic and is always striving to push the envelope.

MIDAS TOUCH

Vijay has taken the commendable step to integrate the sugar industry and work towards generating power from sugarcane waste via co-generation. This eco-progressive initiative not only helps meet the power needs of the organization but also export power to the grid.

From establishing the division, commencement and commissioning of project, negotiating the terms of supply, and getting into an agreement with the government, Vijay has been at the helm of affairs of this path-breaking venture. He is now working on capacity enhancement to meet greater demand for power.

Similarly, his strategic thinking has helped promote Turaco Spirits Private Limited as the global beverage brand. With the production facility already underway, Turaco Spirits Private Limited is also well on its way to glory and become another feather in the MRN Group and its young leaders cap.

Vijay is also the key strategist for operations aimed at expanding the market base for Ratna Cements, the company’s cement production unit which has its limestone quarries plentiful enough to keep feeding the cement manufacturing plants for the next four decades. He manages the finances and the marketing operations for Ratna Cements. Through Souhard Credit Society, the banking enterprise under the MRN Group, Vijay aims to expand banking facilities to more than 65 areas, thus envisioning taking the total number of branches to 100 in the next two years.

In the field of education, the conglomerate has initiated doing its bit by establishing two schools that are striving to provide students with the best possible education and facilities. World-class educational infrastructure, sports facilities, and excellent faculty make these institutions outstanding beacons of education.

As the Managing Director of such a diversified group, Vijay is contributing immensely to the rapid growth of the MRN Group of Companies. Owing to his sincere and dedicated efforts, the Group is consistently charting new trajectories of success. His stellar journey of sheer perseverance followed by massive success and glory is an inspiration to umpteen aspiring young businesspersons.

The dedication that Vineetha has shown, not only to the JSR Group of companies, but also the real estate industry is noteworthy. Her efforts have shown direct results in improving the real estate sector and infrastructure in Hyderabad. This has led to the development of a city as one of the fastest growing cities in the country. She understands that availability, quality, and standard of the housing and office facilities in a city are a measure of its infrastructural development. Keeping this in mind, she aims to make JSR a dedicated organisation that provides all the services required for Hyderabad’s infrastructural growth. Vineetha has therefore become an exemplary role model and an epitome of entrepreneurial leadership for creating accommodation and commercial spaces to meet the needs of a large population relocating to this beautiful city.

Vineetha’s capabilities have brought in more responsibilities for her. Besides managing the real estate business of the JSR Group, she is also the director at Jadapalli Broadcasting Private Limited and Jadapalli Ecopolytech India Private Limited.

Her outstanding performance as a leader has resulted in she being put at the forefront to run more companies under her astute command and make JSR Group grow by leaps and bounds.

CREATING A SAGA OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The JSR Group of Companies, under the leadership of Jadapalli Vineetha, has thrived manifold because of its focused efforts and effective execution of action plans. As a growth and success-oriented visionary, Vineetha leads with the goal of taking the company to greater heights.

With quantifiable results of her efforts and achievements, JSR Group of Companies is set to soar even higher. By winning laurels in real estate business, a primarily male-dominated field, Vineetha has not only been inspiring and showing way to other women, but also paving the way to gender parity in the real estate sector.

Under her exemplary leadership, the company has successfully launched a palatial and well-furnished officespace alongside subletting and managing several realty units for various individuals, corporate clients, and other owners. Further, the organisation has also partnered with leading real estate and infrastructure firms to start new ventures in Hyderabad .

Putting a spotlight on Vineetha’s professional excellence, the JSR Group has won an array of awards which have been conferred on the company and its leader for creating unparalleled industrial benchmarks. This has contributed to raising the level of efforts required by other entrepreneurs and real estate developers and agents in Hyderabad. All this can be duly credited to this leading lady of JSR Group of Companies. With a number of unique and premium residential and commercial real estate projects being launched and in process under her able leadership, she has been playing a key role in transforming the real estate sector in Hyderabad.

Veenitha has directed the company’s efforts towards embracing innovation in design, architecture, and marketing to address housing and property needs of individuals and corporates alike. Since she has come on board and taken the responsibilities of this expansive business on her shoulders, the company has grown year on year with a great success record.

For Mr. Yash Shah, nothing is more satisfying than catalyzing the growth of businesses; be it his own or someone else’s dream project. He is passionate about strengthening the business ecosystem in the country and has been working hard towards it. With his brainchild, The Address, the young turk is reimagining the way the country works. Started as a prime coworking space in the heart of Ahmedabad city, The Address is in the process of spreading its wings across several other cities, and Mr. Shah is confident it will grow to become the most preferred and functional working space for several national as well as international businesses.

A PERFECTIONIST IN EVERY SENSE

An alumnus of Drexel University and IIM Bangalore, Mr. Yash Shah is known among his peers for his curious intellect and an unwavering sincerity towards his projects. He was one of the brightest students and got his name listed on the Drexel’s Dean List for consecutive six terms. Not just academically, the versatile personality gained laurels in co-curricular activities as well. He remained an active member of Drexel’s intramural and club sports team for cricket along with the finance and investment group, and the Indian undergraduate student association dragons for excellence and innovation.

Mr. Yash Shah also volunteered with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Habitat of Humanity Philadelphia during his college years, showing a different aspect of his personality, which is dedicated to ensuring the well-being of the whole society. He also indulged in activities like furniture-making and painting walls for various beneficiaries at the Habitat of Humanity. His dedication towards the goodwill of society highly impressed those around him and this is the one trait he still carries within him with pride.

NAVIGATING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL WISDOM

Mr. Shah’s professional journey started as an intern for finance and growth at Call Levels. During his three-month-long stay at the firm, Mr. Shah was entrusted with the responsibility of producing financial performance reports for management presentation and track the markets to write research commentaries for online publication. Following that, he joined FlySpaces in Singapore as a business development executive from where he gained deep insights into the sort of business he is heading today.

During his stay in Singapore, Mr. Shah did extensive research in the field of leasing and innovation in the real estate industry, which brought to him the idea of developing coworking spaces and contributing to the serviced office industry in India.

He further moved to True Value Group as a director, which specializes in niche and luxury segment of residential and commercial projects in Ahmedabad. In January 2018, Mr. Shah laid the foundation of The Address, the largest coworking and serviced office space in Ahmedabad. Within just a year, the place attracted several premium clients including TikTok and Housing.com. He managed to rule 30% of the market share in Ahmedabad in this very short time span and is currently working on expanding his business across several other cities.

MORE THAN A BUSINESS

Mr. Yash Shah believes that the beauty of this business model lies in its power to integrate and connect members into one community at the same time as providing

Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla is a name that created a revolution in the field of medicine by manufacturing vaccines at affordable prices at a time when India had to depend on foreign countries to protect its children from various life-threatening diseases such as Measles, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, etc. Currently, he is the chairman of Poonawalla group which operates in a wide array of activities ranging from Horse Racing and Breeding, Biotech, Engineering and Hotels with the emphasis on the quality, innovation, dedication and customer support. The leading Indian biotech company, Serum Institute of India also comes under his business empire that manufactures pediatric vaccines.

A chance meeting with a vet had piqued his interest in the vaccine business. He figured that he could produce cheaper vaccines and can meet the demand for vaccines in the country. Thus, with a fund of just Rs 5 lakh, he along with his brother Zavaray laid the foundation of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in 1966, which started producing antitetanus vaccines within two years. Gradually, the institute produced a number of vaccines such as DTP vaccine, Measles Vaccine M-Vac, an anti-snake-venom serum, etc, and became India’s largest manufacturer of vaccines in just one year. By 1998, their vaccines were being exported across the world and almost every second child in the world was vaccinated by a vaccine of Serum Institute of India.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

A quote by John Gardner can certainly articulate the idea behind the principles of Dr. Poonawalla, “Wealth is not new. Neither is charity. But the idea of using private wealth imaginatively, constructively, and systematically to attack the fundamental problems of mankind is new.”

Dr. Poonawalla takes immense pride in his philanthropic policies. He is very passionate about making the cheapest vaccines for the down-trodden people of the world. He has a strong philosophy: “No Compromise with Quality” and strives to attain the motto “Health for All with affordable Vaccines”. He also believes that getting money is not all a man’s business. To cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life. He has followed this philosophy since beginning. He has worked with the United Nations. He exports his products to 100 different countries. Today, 80% of Serum’s sales are to UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organization as well as immunization programs, e.g. groups of charity for children’s welfare in India, Germany and Africa, the majority of which are from developing markets.

This list of Dr. Poonawalla’s humanitarian work towards his society is unending. He not only made his immense contribution through his institute but also advanced to help the country in the sector of education and infrastructure. He opened schools, gave funds for the construction of roads, highways, parks and rehabilitation centre for leprosy and handicapped people. He is also an Executive Council Member of Poona District Leprosy Committee which is a charitable trust. He provided donations to organizations working towards a better future of the people as well. To improve the lives of people of Pune, he also participated in Confederation of Indian Industries’ Program of “Zero Load Shedding” by Captive Power Generation by Private Companies. In addition, Dr. Poonawalla also organizes free rubella immunization camps for the girls of slum areas in collaboration with Rotary International.

TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES

Dr. Poonawalla hails from a traditional Parsi family of Maharashtra. He married Mrs. Villoo Poonawalla in 1966. It was just a day after his marriage that the foundation stone of Serum Institute of India was laid. He remembers her as the major support system he had in establishing this empire. She was a gutsy woman and had a very positive aura. She encouraged him even when things weren’t looking up. When he was disturbed by the lack of support from Indian government, it was she who made him entrust his belief in his vision. She left his side and went to her heavenly abode in June 2001 and he misses her a lot.

EVEN ROLE MODELS HAVE ROLE MODELS

Bill Gates had been a true idol and source of inspiration for Poonawalla. Terming Gates a genuine philanthropist, Poonawalla says, “He is the only person I have known who is retired and is spending his full time for the cause of saving children and improving their general well-being. This is very rare. Actually this is the job of the health ministries of the 140 countries. But it is because of his initiative that the entire global fund has now swelled to help eradicate all these diseases including polio, measles and so many others.”

It was an ecstatic moment for Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla when Bill Gates visited the Serum Institute in 2012. Bill Gates called him a “Vaccine Hero”, a comment we all will agree that Poonawalla indeed is.

PRIDE OF PUNE

Dr. Poonawalla has been honored with illustrious awards including the national award Padma Shree by the India Government in 2005 for his contribution in the field of pharmacy. Other esteemed awards that illuminate his name are CHEMTECH “Lifetime Achievement Award”, Punyabhushan Award, and The Asian Award for the “Business Leader of the Year” among others.

He was also honored with the “Best Vaccine Executive of the Year award” in 2011 at World Vaccine Congress, Asia. For his exceptional philanthropic work he received “Sabin Corporate Philanthropy Award” from the hands of Dr. Seth Berkley, President and CEO, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (Associate Bill Gates Foundation) at the University Club in New York, USA, on 29th June 2005.

One of the technology industry’s most influential investors, Mr. Masayoshi Son is known for his enthusiastic nature, a hawk’s eye over investment opportunities, preferably in startups, and his long-term vision for his brand as well as the world of digital dominance.

This indomitable spirit to achieve something big and lead the industry was developed in Mr. Son by his father who told him at a very young age that he is a genius and will one day be a big shot, number 1 in Japan. These words filled the young man with hope and will to make it happen despite all odds. Today, not just in Japan, he is one of the most successful and richest people in the world. His venture, SoftBank has investments in some of the leading global properties like Yahoo, Alibaba, Paytm, Uber, Flipkart, among many others.

He is known amongst the business circuit for his deep interest in new trends and taking quick steps to achieve greatness.

YOUNG BEGINNINGS

Mr. Masayoshi Son was born on the Kyushu island of Japan where he spent his early years and completed primary education. He moved to California at the age of 16 and finished high school in three weeks.

Further, he spent two years at Holy Names University in Oakland, and then transferred to the University of California where he majored in economics and studied computer science.

By the age of 19, when the world was still in the initial phases of technological developments, Mr. Son knew that computer technology would ignite the next commercial revolution.

His entrepreneurial skills also developed as a student at the university where he worked on his first business venture with some professors by making an electronic translator, which he later sold to Sharp Corporation for $1.7 million.

His next business was importing used video game machines from Japan, on credit, and installing them in dormitories and restaurants.

Son was keen on having a career as an entrepreneur and was so impressed by a book written by the CEO of McDonald’s Japan, Mr. Den Fujita, that he flew to Tokyo unannounced to meet him. He went there with a 50-year entrepreneurship plan, which impressed the latter so much that he shared some tips with him and also encouraged him to study English and Computer Science at the university.

STARTING UP SOFTBANK

Mr. Masayoshi Son set up SoftBank in 1981, at the age of 24. The company started as a software distributor and soon went into the publishing business in May 1982 with the launches of the Oh! PC and Oh! MZ magazines, about NEC and Sharp computers respectively.

However, Mr. Son’s keen inclination towards technology made his foray into the internet services in the early 90s. Between 1987 and 2001, Son made investments that would launch SoftBank to notoriety — including Yahoo Japan, Ziff Davis, and perhaps most importantly, a then-unknown internet company called Alibaba.

Mr. Son soon became a major player in the Japanese telecoms as well. The company added its internet service in 2004 and the mobile business in 2006.

Son has said he’s been driven by a disdain for monopolies. SoftBank aggressively pursued top telecom player NTT in Japan by increasing internet speeds and lowering prices.

ACQUIRING THE BEST

Mr. Masayoshi Son has seldom taken a wrong step in his career. He has invested in some of the best performing brands of today’s times and has also acquired a number of successful businesses.

In 2010, he acquired 13.7% in Ustream with the option to increase shares to 30% by July 2011 and took over the Sprint Corporation for $22.2 billion for a 78% ownership interest.

In 2013, the company bought a controlling stake in French company Aldebaran Robotics, which was rebranded SoftBank Robotics. In 2014, teams from both companies co-designed Pepper, a humanoid robot. In 2015, SoftBank increased its stake to 95% of Aldebaran Robotics.

On 8 June 2017, Alphabet Inc. announced the sale of Boston Dynamics (robotics companies whose products include BigDog) to SoftBank Group for an undisclosed sum.

In 2018, Softbank’s Vision Fund announced to invest $560 million in the German usedcar sales portal Auto1.

In the same year, in response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, Mr. Son criticized the nuclear industry and engaged in investing in a nationwide solar power network for Japan.

He is now investing in the biggest ever solar project, a 200GW development planned for Saudi Arabia as part of its Vision 2030.

AN ENVIABLE PERSONALITY

Not just an astute businessman, Mr. Masayoshi Son is a great family man and humanitarian too. Despite his packed schedule, Mr. Son is always available to take care of his wife, whom he had met in his university years and his two beautiful daughters.

Mr. Son is a role model for his kids who respect him for the dedication he shows towards his work and his philanthropic activities, the most famous of them being his pledge to donate 10 billion yen ($120 million) and his remaining salary until retirement to support victims of the 2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami.

He has a very tight and dependable circle of friends and well-wishers whom he keeps close. It also includes his brother, Mr. Taizo, who is now also reportedly a billionaire in his own right from his own tech companies and investment. But he cites the early days of SoftBank as a life-changing period.

He continues to hustle hard for constantly growing his business despite the many ups and downs he faces on a regular basis, inspiring everyone.

Founded by Dr. Nahathai in 1975, the Group has evolved greatly over the years and its teaching methodologies are on par with the best teaching techniques across the world. The Group has a dedicated and determined team of teachers, administrators, assistants and support staff. The entire team is committed to creating an environment that helps every student to learn effectively. The team ensures a safe environment that allows kids to grow, both personally and academically.

WHERE SMART LEARNING IS THE NORM

Under the leadership of Dr. Nahathai, the school emphasises the concepts of smart learning and smart thinking for its students. Smart Learning is a learning programme in which teachers help students in honing their skills in seeking knowledge and decision-making. A wholesome learning programme as this is created to align their skill set with today’s world.

In the same way, Smart Thinking is another training programme that seeks to enhance the thought process of the students. This involves a strong focus on science education, which integrates programming, robot building and mathematics projects to equip students to become achievers in the future.

Apart from smart learning and smart thinking, the third training programme – Smart Living or Living Happily – enables students to understand the basic concepts of life. Living in harmony with others, respecting culture and society are all taught to them under this programme.

Dr. Nahathai ensures that parents of all pupils are kept in the loop concerning all the developments in the schools. The schools keep them updated with their child’s improvement and progress. She is keen to utilize this close partnership with the parents to take the Group to even greater heights.

INSPIRED BY THE CANADIAN SYSTEM

Dr. Nahathai believes that it would be profitable for the students if they are taught in a system that is considered to be the best by a lot of people across the globe. The schools utilize the Canadian system of teaching, which is considered to be one of the best in the world, to enable students to adapt to newer styles of teaching. For example, they would be able to adjust easily in Canada, if they were to look for a career there. So, to broaden their horizons, the Canadian teaching method has been adopted at the schools.

Canada, which is an educational superpower, has some of the best students in any field, be it science, math or art. The Canadian system, which has already been endorsed by many firms, has received appreciation from many countries across the world. By acquainting her students with this system, she aspires to create global citizens from her schools.

PROMOTING MORAL VALUES THROUGH EDUCATION

Dr. Nahathai is aware of the responsibility of ingraining the right set of moral values and virtues in young minds. Under her guidance, the schools have introduced various projects in the educational curriculum that are aimed at teaching ethics. Good People Sri Thew Project, the Friendly Thew Project, the Moral Camp & exchange programmes with foreign countries are some of the best ways to promote these values in students.

Trina Bhattacharya is a leader extraordinaire who has climbed the corporate ladder quickly because of her determination and out-of the-box thinking. She spearheads the business operations of Saitech Solutions, a prominent IT solutions and outsourcing company that has clients worldwide. With a fruitful and insightful experience of 10+ years and an exposure to multiple areas of work such as creation of new market opportunities, establishment and management of effective workforce, and business development, she is one of the finest magnates in the industry.

THE BEGINNING ON THE ALTAR OF HOPE

Trina, alongside her husband Randeep, has founded, supported, and promoted Saitoead hunting services in Thailand. Even during some of the unfavourable times, she remained assured that her efforts would bear fruit.

Her journey through the evolution of the group somehow perfectly epitomizes the fabled Black Swan’s flight. Trina, being highly emphatic and deeply insightful, never for once swayed from her commitment to the group and prudently envisioned the roadmap to where the group is at present.

ASPIRING & INSPIRING

Trina’s in-depth knowledge on entrepreneurship and her effervescent personality attracts admiration not only from aspiring businesswomen, but from people of all age groups too.

Always brimming with confidence, she speaks confidently and with unmatchable conviction. Everyone around her looks up to her as a highly motivated, proactive, and an energetic individual. She is a woman who combines poise and panache in a captivating blend.

A MULTI-TALENTED CORPORATE LEADER

Trina exemplifies what it means to have the right skill set to rise in the corporate world. Possessing a wellplanned approach to create a market for products, leveraging corporate insights to decide the future course of the company, and working passionately to uphold work ethics, Trina is gifted with a knack to rise in today’s corporate world. She has covered the path from an aspiring businesswoman to becoming one of the most acknowledged entrepreneurs with an unbending ‘Can Do’ attitude.

Her strong communication skills help her network and maintain long-lasting relationships with the industry clients and stakeholders. For consistent positive results, she creates the right atmosphere to work and encourages her team members to perform exceptionally well.

AN EPITOME OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Trina believes that women empowerment is not just about jobs to empower women, but it’s actually the other way around; it is about the women who empower the roles they choose to be in. Trina designed the work flow processes, constructed longstanding relationships with stakeholders, and built teams that worked with zeal and vigour under her able leadership. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her business plans.

The young entrepreneur is all set to climb many more summits of success and break many more stereotypes.

Under the quintessential leadership of Mrs. Arvind, Primrose School has established itself as a successfully growing pre-school, higher secondary educational institution Affiliated to Indian Certificate for Secondary Education(ICSE) and Indian School Certificate(ISC) for grade 12. She personally ensures that the school mainly focuses on providing a happy and stress-free environment to children for learning.

Her aim for the school is to help the children in developing their creative and out-of-the-box thinking and bringing out their inherent talents by providing them with a high-quality education that’s facilitated by unique teaching methods.

She believes in providing an interactive learning environment wherein the child gets trained in cultural etiquette, knowledge mining, and emotional balance. Mrs. Arvind follows the principles of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo and implements these in the school’s curriculum.

‘MOM & ME’ PROGRAMME FOR BOTH PARENTS & CHILDREN

Mrs. Arvind has initiated a ‘Mom & Me’ programme that focuses primarily on helping the parent and child spend quality time together in a joyful and interactive environment. During this programme the mom and baby are free to explore a variety of books, toys, puzzles and other learning resources.

Primrose School follows Glenn Doman method teaching, which involves the use of flash cards to arouse the curiosity of learning in toddlers. She is of the view that parents must invest maximum time and energy in their children during the initial formative years since 90% of the child’s brain development takes place in the first three years of his/her birth. Mom and Me program caters to children between the age group of 10 to 24 months.

BUILDING A TRUSTED BRAND IN EDUCATION

Mrs. Arvind and Mr. Ganesh Perumal (Principal), along with their team of well-experienced faculty members, are building Primrose Schools into a trusted and reliable brand in the education industry in India.

Owing to Mrs. Arvind’s tireless and dedicated efforts, coupled with her long-term commitment to excellence and exceptional leadership skills, Primrose School has been recently recognized and felicitated with ‘Asia’s Education Award 2019’ for the Best Co-ed ICSE School in the category.

The award is internationally recognized and bases its judgment on various factors such as infrastructure, learning environment, quality of education, academic curriculum, student development, etc. provided by the school.

The ‘Asia’s Education Award 2019’ is a testament to Primrose School’s uniqueness in comparison to other co-educational institutions in the space.

BIG PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

A true visionary in the educational field, Mrs. Arvind intends to oversee Primrose School’s organic growth without compromising on the quality of education. The lady is dedicated towards changing the world of education with her efforts and is continuously toiling hard for that. Mrs. Arvind is also keen at exploring the possibility of opening another branch of the school within the city itself.

Under her guidance, the Primrose Educational Trust is planning a school for underprivileged children in the years to come.

A respected leader in cosmetic dermatology circles, Dr. Rajeshwari has a strong educational grounding upon which she has built her expertise. She completed her MBBS from Kakatiya Medical College (Warangal, Telangana) in 2000 and MD (Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy) from SVS Medical College (Yenugonda, Mahabubnagar, Telangana) in 2011. She developed her knowledge in Cosmetology, Clinical Dermatology and Dermatosurgery as part of fellowships from prestigious medical institutions in Delhi such as Fortis Jessa Ram Hospital, AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital to name a few. She is dedicated to providing optimal healthcare to her patients in a relaxed setting. At her centres, the staff and doctors take care of all patients like they are part of one family.

Dr. Rajeshwari is one of the best advanced mega hair transplant surgeons in the world and has been selected by the World Congress of Dermatology (Canada) for a poster presentation on Hair Transplantation for Baldness. She has been using the latest technology and techniques for hair transplant (DHI, DHT) to provide her clients with natural-looking and nourished hair. Apart from her professional clinical experience, Dr. Rajeshwari is also a member of Association of Cosmetic Surgeons of India (ACSI), Cosmetic Dermatology Society of India (CDSI) and Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists, and Leprologists (IADVL).

WORKING TOWARDS SOCIAL WELFARE

For giving back to society, Dr. Rajeshwari has set up Dr. Rajeshwari’s Global Foundation (NGO) and serves as its Chairperson & President. Its team of doctors regularly conduct health camps in rural areas to provide awareness, treatment and financial support to HIV patients and their families. Apart from this, the NGO also provides the underprivileged with opportunities to access education, healthcare and nutritious food. This service is also extended to the aged as well.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Due to her wholehearted and consistent efforts in providing high-quality care and services to her patients, Dr. Rajeshwari has been honoured with several prestigious awards like Indian Women Achiever Award by Mega Living Foundation (2015) on the occasion of International Women’s Day; Best Dermatologist Award by Hi9 (2015); Female Empowerment Award by Telangana Government (2015); Laxmi Devi Award for Best Dermatologist and Hair Transplant Surgeon (2016); Honourable Vaidya Ratna Award for Best Hair Transplant Surgeon and Dermatologist by Telangana Health Care (2019); Young Turk Award for Whole Body Cryotherapy and Benefits in Treating Dermatological Disorders by Dermacon; and International Global Education Award by International Society of Dermatology (US) for Best Research Doctor.

Following her extensive research in the field of Dermatology along with having successfully handled many cases in the country, Dr. Rajeshwari is frequently invited as a guest lecturer at various prestigious medical institutes, multinational companies, national and international conferences.

MAKING TREATMENTS ACCESSIBLE

Dr. Rajeshwari intends to continue on her mission to make high-quality cosmetic procedures accessible to more and more people. In this regard she plans to open 2 more branches in Chennai in near future.

Apart from being a karmayogi, who is living the dream, she is driven by the vision to bring about a positive change in society. Her venture Svatantra Microfin supports women entrepreneurs in the rural areas to grow and become financially more secure.

PLAYING PLEASANT NOTES

Ananya always chose to do things differently. A quiet, observant and introspective child, she had an interest in music since an early age. She learnt to play santoor when she was just 11 years old. As she grew, she taught herself to play the guitar with the help of video tutorials on the web. Today. she is an acclaimed singer who writes her own songs. She was signed as an artiste by the Universal Music Group (India). Ananya has been certified ‘PLATINUM’ as per the standards followed by the Indian music industry, which makes her the first Indian artist to go Platinum.

EMBRACING LEARNING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS

Ananya studied at the Oxford University, UK, where she pursued degrees in Economics and Management. As a student, she developed keen interest in music and started singing and playing the guitar; while still managing her microfinance venture Svatantra over Skype calls with a capable team back home in India.

During her stay in London, Ananya also worked as a counsellor for a student welfare charity. She met and interacted with many young people of her age who were suffering from anxiety and depression. This experience shook her from within and after returning to India, she set up a mental health initiative called MPower along with her mother Neerja Birla. MPower works to stamp out the stigma towards people with mental illness in India. The organization also sensitizes people towards mental illnesses like anxiety and depression that are so common in our society today and can be controlled with family’s cooperation and a strong social support system. She felt a greater need to start Mpower because in India, it is difficult to change perceptions related to mental health, so she decided to take up the challenge of repairing the innate conditioning of the people which perceive mental illness as an evil.

Her venture MPower is a timely step in this direction as it is high time to fight for rights of people with mental illness and help them to be understood and treated supportively like any other person who is unwell. Under her able leadership, The MPower centre provides holistic mental health care solutions to children, young people, and adolescents, and their families. The foundation helps people with psychological difficulties lead meaningful lives without social exclusion. It also helps create awareness by organising workshops for the youth.

Ananya’s entrepreneurial instincts led her to start an e-commerce platform – Curo Carte – which is a global ecommerce platform that provides handmade and high-end luxury products, curated from nine countries. The online portal is an amalgamation of design, beauty and lifestyle and offers around 1500 products across 70 categories.

An inspiration to today’s youth, Ananya Birla exemplifies the courage to let go of the comfort zone and pursue one’s dreams by working hard to be the best at each and every endeavour, and light up the way for others simultaneously. Despite being the third-generation scion of the Birla family, Ananya is a completely humble.