Chairman Emeritus
Chairman
Non-Executive, Non-Independent Director
Independent Director
Independent Director
Independent Director
Independent Director
Managing Director & CEO
C - Chairman
M - Member
Dr. Subhash Chandra is the founder of India’s leading Global Content Company Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and the multifaceted conglomerate Essel Group. A self-made man, and a true visionary, Dr. Chandra has consistently demonstrated his ability to identify new businesses and lead them on the path of success.
Dr. Chandra is rightly referred to as ‘The Father of Indian Television’. With his pioneering vision and entrepreneurial mindset to achieve growth, he revolutionized the television industry by launching the country’s first satellite television channel - Zee TV in 1992 and later the first private news channel, Zee News. ZEE as a brand today, has achieved a global recognition, reaching over 1 billion viewers in 190 countries offering a rich bouquet of channels in India and internationally in general entertainment, lifestyle, movies, and regional genres.
For his contributions to the industry, Dr. Chandra has been awarded the 2011 International Emmy Directorate Award at their 39th International Emmy Awards in New York. Dr. Chandra became the first Indian ever to receive a Directorate Award recognizing excellence in television programming outside the United States.
Dr. Chandra firmly believes in giving back to the society. With an aim to share, contribute and collaborate for a prosperous society, he founded Subhash Chandra Foundation in 2017. The Foundation’s core focus areas include Education, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship & Integrated Rural Development.
Dr. Chandra is a practitioner of Vipassana - the most ancient techniques of meditation and a moving force in strengthening the practice by presenting it at a global stage.
A global leader who takes immense pride in his roots and his Country, a firm a believer of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (One World – One Family), and an author of the bestseller “The Z Factor”, Dr. Chandra is incessantly working towards helping the Nation face and eradicate its challenges to create a better tomorrow.
Mr. R. Gopalan has a Masters degree in Public administration and management from Harvard University and Masters degree in Economics from Boston University. He had rich experience in Govt of India in Finance and Commerce ministries.
Mr. Gopalan is from the Indian Administrative Service. He served as Secretary DEA and DFS in the Ministry of Finance and Additional/Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce. He represented India in negotiations at the WTO and served as DG, Anti Dumping and Subsidies investigation. He served on the boards of LIC, MMTC and New India Assurance Ltd. In Tamilnadu, he headed TIDCO and Tamilnadu Newsprints and Papers Ltd. He led the team from conception to completion and marketing of the TIDEL software park in Chennai.
He served on the board of RBI and served as alternate Director on World Bank and Asian Development Bank. He was administratively responsible in GoI for SEBI and PFRDA.
Mr. Gopalan has wide experience in venture capital funding, managing industrial undertakings, infrastructure financing, and negotiations for the country in multilateral fora. He is currently on the boards of eminent companies.
Mr. Adesh Kumar Gupta, Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary and AMP from Harvard is a professional with rich experience of over 40 years in Corporate Strategy, M&A, Business restructuring, Fund raising, Taxation etc. During his distinguished career of over 3 decades in Aditya Birla Group, Mr. Adesh Gupta held various senior positions (including Board positions) in companies in various fields including Indian Rayon, Birla Global Finance, Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd and Grasim Industries Ltd. Post his retirement as Whole-Time Director & CFO of Grasim Industries Ltd. Mr. Adesh Gupta is an Independent Director on the board of Grasim Industries Ltd, Care Ratings Ltd, Vinati Organics Ltd, India Pesticides Ltd., Krsnaa Diagnostics Limited. Earlier, he was pursuing the business of insolvency professional but has now stopped taking any new assignments.
Mr. Adesh Gupta was awarded with Best CFO award by ICAI, IMA and Business Today. He had also represented FICCI as a Member of NACAS (National Accounting and Auditing Standards) which was instrumental in setting up Accounting Standards in India.
Ms. Alicia Yi is B.A. in Economics from the Northwestern University, Illinois and has completed her Executive Education, YPO Presidents Program, from Harvard Business School. Ms. Alicia Yi has held a series of leadership roles working with top tier industry executives across consumer goods, retail, hospitality, travel, leisure, consumer health, media and entertainment. Currently, she is the Vice Chair of Korn Ferry’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Practice based in Singapore. She is also a member of the Board & CEO Services Practice, HR Practice and PE Practice. With a strong human capital consultancy background, she has conducted high profile C-suite search assignments for global MNCs as well as high growth Asian companies. She regularly serves as a trusted advisor to boards in building and developing high performing leadership teams and CEO succession.
She is on the Advisory Board for Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, a frequent speaker on leadership, human capital strategy and diversity & inclusion and an active member of the YPO Singapore Chapter.
Piyush is the most celebrated advertising person, who’s credited for changing the face of Indian advertising and for putting Indian advertising on the world map.
He is known for his famous work on Cadbruy’s Dairy Milk, Fevicol, Fevikwik, Asian Paints, Pulse Polio, National Literacy Mission and many more. Piyush also wrote the lyrics of the national integration song ‘Mile sur mera tumhara’.
Piyush has been named the most influential person in advertising for fourteen years in a row. He was the first Asian to be the Jury Chairman at Cannes in 2004. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising Agencies Association of India in 2010, the Clio Lifetime Achievement Award in New York in 2012, the ‘Padma Shree’ (civilian award given by the President of India) in 2016 and then the highest recognition in the world – the Lifetime Achievement Award, Lion of St. Mark at Cannes in 2018.
He published his first book Pandeymonium in 2016. His new book Open House was released in April 2022.
Mr. Vivek Mehra, is a well-respected senior Chartered Accountant with an illustrious professional career spanning over 41 years and experience spanning across sectors in Taxation, accounting, risk management and Regulatory domains of Merger & Acquisition specializing in Crossborder Investment and Transaction Structuring.
He has held various leadership roles till April 2017 in PWC as Partner/ Executive Director. He was the founder and national leader for PwC Regulatory and M&A Tax Practices and has been elected on PwC Governance Oversight Board for two consecutive terms.
Mr. Mehra is extending his expertise as an Independent Director and esteemed Board Member for Havells India Limited, DLF Limited, HT Media Limited, Chambal Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited, Jubilant Pharmova Limited, Embassy Office Parks Management Services Private Limited among other prominent companies.
He is also on the Board of Governors of ‘Grassroot Trading Network for Women’- a SEWA venture and ‘The Asthma, Bronchitis and Cancer Lung Foundation of India’. Mr. Mehra had given his valuable contribution as a member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Steering Committee and National Executive Committee.
Mr. Sasha Gulu Mirchandani completed his BA from Strayer University, Washington and MMDP at IIM Ahmedabad. He has over 25 years of experience at the intersection of finance, technology and digital commerce. He has funded, mentored and advised some of the largest unicorns in India and brings deep insights about leveraging technology in shaping new business models and bringing competitive advantage in products and markets.
Mr. Mirchandani has worked with a wide spectrum of tech and digital commerce companies during their 0-1 phase and brings a detailed understanding of digital products. His marquee successes have been Fractal Analytics, InMobi, Myntra, 1mg, Porter, Zetwerk, among others. He has worked with these companies to help them to compete successfully in global markets.
Mr. Mirchandani has successfully raised and deployed multiple funds and was inducted into the TiE Hall of Fame, 2019 as an Outstanding Angel Investor. He co-founded Mumbai Angels and is also Past President of Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO) Mumbai. He serves on the Boards of Hathway Cable and Datacom, Nazara Technologies, Healthkart, Kae Capital among others.
As the Managing Director & CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Punit has been extremely successful in enhancing the company’s performance and in driving the company towards its set goals. His futuristic vision and sharp acumen in the new media domain, has led the company to a global stature today. Punit is also responsible for expanding the company’s international presence across 190+ countries, and its reach to over 1.3 billion viewers.
Punit has been listed amongst the top 100 CEOs of India, in a study published by Business Today. He was conferred the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Media’ award at the Managing India Awards hosted by AIMA & bagged the prestigious IAA Leadership Award under the category of ‘Game-Changer of the Year’. Punit has also been awarded the esteemed Medaille d’Honneur Award at MIPTV.
He plays an active role in shaping the future of the M&E industry as a Board of Director for the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF).