Leading from the front: Shobhana Bhartia

In 1986, 29-year-old Shobhana Bhartia took over directly as Chief Executive of the national daily Hindustan Times and she scripted history by becoming not only the first woman in India to take on that role for a newspaper but also possibly the youngest one to do so.

In our weekly feature “Leading from the Front”, where we profile people who led India’s transformation, we shine the spotlight on Bhartia, who is currently the Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media.

During her tenure, she led the transformation of the publication from the front. She is known as the driving force behind HT Media, handling the editorial as well as the financial aspects of the media business with equal finesse. 

Born on January 4, 1957, Bhartia is the youngest daughter of industrialist KK Birla of the illustrious Birla family. A graduate of the Calcutta University, Bhartia took over the reins of Hindustan Times, where the Birla family had a 75% stake. It was a time when few women were seen at the helm of large businesses.

Bhartia, who had a penchant for journalism, was determined to transform not only the company’s future but also existing notions of women in leadership roles. She has championed many ground-breaking initiatives for the media group.

In 1999, she became the Vice Chairman and Editorial Director of Hindustan Times, moving out of its home market in Delhi to the rest of India. Under Bhartia, the company expanded beyond its flagship newspaper to include multiple editions across the nation.

Today, the company owns English and Hindi dailies Hindustan Times and HT Mumbai, along with the business paper Mint. It has also partnered with Virgin Radio to foray into the FM radio space with four stations and gone digital with an array of web properties like Shine and Desimartini.

In 2002, Hindustan Times became HT Media to consolidate all of its media businesses. In the same year, Bhartia became a pioneer among media magnates to strike a deal with foreign investors. She sold a 16% stake in HT Media to Henderson Global Investors, a private equity company.

She also inked the deal between Wall Street Journal and Mint, which led to a fruitful partnership between the two media powerhouses.

In 2004, HT Media became a listed company, attracting external funding. Bhartia is credited with raising Rs 400 crore through the company’s equity launch in 2005. Today, HT Media is known as India’s largest listed media company.

The media baroness also broke ground in 2006 by partnering with the publication company’s biggest rival Bennett Coleman & Co. to launch Metro Now, a Delhi-centred tabloid. Bhartia also launched the business weekly MintAsia in Singapore in 2013.

Accolades poured for Bhartia who received the prestigious Global Leader of Tomorrow award from the World Economic Forum in 1996. She also won “Outstanding Business Woman of the Year” in 2001 by PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and National Press India Award in 1992.

Other awards include The Business Woman Award, and The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence in 2007. Forbes Asia has also named her among the 50 Women in the Mix.

In 2013, the ASSOCHAM Ladies League also conferred upon her the Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award.

Frequently counted among the world’s most powerful women in business, Bhartia also proved her mettle by venturing into politics. She was bestowed the Padma Shri award in 2005 by the former Indian President the Late APJ Abdul Kalam. In the following year, Bhartia was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on recommendation from the Sonia Gandhi-led United Progressive Alliance.

Despite facing some objections on the grounds of her being a “media baron” and not a journalist, Bhartia’s nomination was supported by the Supreme Court of India. She is credited with introducing "The Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2006."

In her long association with Hindustan Times, Bhartia has successfully turned the newspaper into a modern new-age product, in design and in attitude. One of the biggest challenges that she undertook head on was reorienting the company to a profitable, consumer-focussed business. She left her mark not only on the large business decisions that changed the course of the company, but also on its editorial strategy.

India's robust media landscape today is the culmination of the grit and determination showcased by business leaders like Shobhana Bhartia. The Indian news industry today stands tall on the formidable shoulders of these giants.