Leading from the front: Viveck Goenka
In today's edition, we focus on the man who has been at the helm of The Indian Express, carrying forward the legacy of Ramnath Goenka
An engineer, a car enthusiast, a restauranteur and a sportsman, Viveck Goenka is a wearer of many hats. Yet, the one that he dons chiefly is that of the Chairman & Managing Director of The Indian Express, one of the most reputable newspaper publishing groups in India, one that he has helped grow for the last three decades steadfastly.
Born on 3 December 1957, Goenka is the son of Ajay Mohan Khaitan and Krishna Khaitan, the daughter of Ramnath Goenka, the exalted founder of The Indian Express.
He completed his B Tech in Chemical Engineering from Madras University in 1979. In 1985, Viveck moved to Mumbai and joined the Indian Express Group. He took on the responsibility of the publishing house when his maternal grandfather chose him as his heir in 1991.
The decision was prompted by a sudden decline in Goenka senior's health condition and the absence of an heir since his son Bhagwandas died of a cardiac arrest in 1979.
Despite ruffling a lot of feathers within the family with the decision, Goenka senior went on to reconstitute the Express board by electing Viveck to it.
Since then, he has been leading The Indian Express group, diversifying the publication and helping it grow into one of the top most trusted newspapers in the country.
Viveck is also credited with pioneering India's first B2B segment in trade publishing. The group boasts of publications such as Express Computer, Express Pharma, Express Healthcare and Express Travelworld.
As a homage to one of the most storied figures in Indian journalism, Viveck founded the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2006.
"And if we celebrate those who ask the questions, it is only natural that we acknowledge those who are finding the answers," he once said about journalism.
If there is anything that rivals his passion for fearless journalism, it's his love for cars. A Land Rover connoisseur, Viveck's dizzying collection includes Vintage Series 1 Land Rovers and custom off-roaders.
His enthusiasm for cars extends beyond ownership. He is also an automobile restorer who has set up fabrication shops to ensure that his vehicles stay in mint condition.
His restored cars have also won contests like Cartier Concours de Elegance vintage car shows.
He also established Bollywood's first jury-based awards system in 1994. The awards empowered the fraternity to pick out and reward the best among them as opposed to "popular" awards, which depended on public opinion.
Apart from being an industry pioneer and a car enthusiast, Viveck is also a gourmand. Along with his daughter Rachael, he founded The Sassy Spoon restaurant chain, which specialises in Continental cuisine. There are also The Barazza Bar in Pune and The House of Mandarin in Bandra, which are owned by Viveck.
He became the Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Badminton Association at the age of twenty-one. In 1991, he pioneered the practice of prize money, ranking and selection tournament for junior and sub-juniors. He named the tournament after his mother Krishna Khaitan. It went on to become a premier badminton tournament in India.
Among his other titles, he is also the Director of the United News of India. He has been the Director of The Press Trust of India (PTI), and a Council member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC). He was one of the youngest presidents of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) where he continues to be an Executive Committee Member at the INS.
