Shobhana Bhartia (Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group)

Shobhana Bhartia (Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group)

Shobhana Bhartia (born 1957) is the Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group, one of India's newspaper and media houses, which she inherited from her father. She has also recently taken charge as the Pro Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (founded by her grandfather) and is the current chairperson of Endeavor India. Closely associated with the ruling Congress party, Shobhana served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper chamber of the Indian parliament from 2006 to 2012. Her name is sometimes written Shobhana Bharatiya or Bhartiya, but the preferred spelling is Bhartia.
Shobhana was one of the first Padma Shri award nominees in 2005. The award was given for journalism. The following year, in February 2006, Shobhana was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, on a recommendation by the ruling United Progressive Alliance headed by Sonia Gandhi The nomination, reserved for eminent people from the fields of literature, science, art and social service, was challenged in the Supreme Court of India  on the grounds that she was a "media baron" and not a journalist, and that she was politically affiliated with the Indian National Congress. However, the court dismissed the appeal at the admission stage itself, saying that the scope of "social service" was broad enough to include her. She has been quite active in the Rajya Sabha, asking frequent questions and also introducing "The Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2006"

Mrs. Shobhana Bhartia, who has been associated with the company since its inception, has taken over as the Chairperson on September 18, 2008. She has spearheaded the company's long-term vision and strategy. Mrs. Bhartia is in charge of formulating and directing the editorial policies of the company and has more than 25 years of experience in the newspaper industry.
Mrs. Bhartia is a graduate from Calcutta University and is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award by the Government of India in 2005. Mrs. Bhartia has received several other awards, including the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year (2001) by PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Global Leader for Tomorrow (1996) by the World Economic Forum, Davos and the National Press India Award (1992). She has been on the board of Indian Airlines Limited and on the North Regional Board of the Reserve Bank of India. Mrs. Bhartia has been a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) since 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shobhana_Bhartia