Rajkumar N. Dhoot

Rajkumar Dhoot, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) representing the State of Maharashtra, India and Immediate Past-President of the Apex Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, ASSOCHAM (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) is also the Promoter & Co-Owner of the diversified Videocon Group of Companies. He is from the Shiv Sena party. He is a well-known industrialist and was born on 11 September 1955 at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. His father, the late Shri Nandlal Madhavlal Dhoot, was an Indian Industrialist and the founder of Videocon. His brother, Venugopal Dhoot is the Chairman & Managing Director of Videocon Industries Limited.

Politics.

Mr. Rajkumar Dhoot was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2002 and served the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, Consultative Committees for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry & the Ministry of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation. He has been a regular member of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Finance & Special Invitee of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Communications & IT and for the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. He was a special invitee to the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India). In April 2008, he was re-elected to Rajya Sabha for a second term & had been a Member of the Standing Committee on IT apart from being a Member of the Hindi Salahkar Samiti of the Ministry of Textiles. He has been consecutively re-elected for a third term for the Rajya Sabha this year (2014). At present, he is a Member of the Standing Committee on Health & Family Welfare. Apart from keenly raising pertinent issues of his home State Maharashtra through Parliamentary Questions, No-Day-Yet Named Motions, amendments on the Motion of Thanks on Presidents’ Address & other means of Parliamentary modes, he has also introduced key Private Members Bills in the Rajya Sabha. To cite some of the subjects raised by Mr. Dhoot for the development of Maharashtra - for the prevention of suicides of farmers of Maharashtra and rest of the Country and for their welfare, for the welfare of pavement dwellers and slum dwellers of Mumbai and rest of the Country and many other issues of public importance. He regularly writes to Union Ministers and Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the redressal of problems of Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra and other issues of public importance & he has succeeded in his endeavors. Mr. Rajkumar Dhoot, being a 3rd term senior Parliamentarian actively campaigned with his party chief Shri Uddhav Thackeray and other Shiv Sena leaders in key cities of Maharashtra like Kolhapur, Nashik, Shirdi, Aurangabad, Ratnagiri amongst others before the General elections 2014 and also in the Maharashtra State Assembly Elections in 2014. Mr. Dhoot, in the winter session of the Parliament in November 2014 introduced three bills - The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2014 (amendment of Article 371 on special provision with respect to the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, The Illegal Immigrants and Missing Foreign Nationals Identification and Deportation Authority of India Bill, 2014, and The Homeless Pavement Dwellers (Welfare) Bill, 2014.

Chamber work and other interests

At the end of two successful terms as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Dhoot was elected as the President of Apex Industry body, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) by its Managing Committee on 21 February 2012. He held this position till 19 July 2013 and was instrumental in leveraging the Apex Chambers’ contribution to the development of the Industry to a great degree, with several proactive and engaging events.While Mr. Dhoot held office as the Senior Vice President of ASSOCHAM in 2011-12 and earlier was an active member of the Industry body, he also holds the unique distinction of being the first Parliamentarian to become the President of ASSOCHAM. ASSOCHAM saw itself reaching new heights when Mr. Dhoot ended his distinguished tenure with the Annual event of ASSOCHAM in July 2013, which had the Prime Minister of India gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest. The week-long series of events were attended by several Union Cabinet Ministers, Members of the Opposition, MPs, Industrialists, Bankers and Eminent Mediapersons. Prominent among those who attended were Shri Rajnath Singh, President of the Key Opposition Party, BJP; Shri Uddhav Thackerey, President of the Shiv Sena; Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Communications and IT; Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Home Minister; Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha; Dr. Veerappa Moily, Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister; Shri Jaipal Reddy, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister; Shri Sachin Pilot, MoS (I/C) for Corporate Affairs amongst others. Mr. Dhoot continues to be closely associated with ASSOCHAM as its Past President and plays an active role in its affairs. Mr. Dhoot is the Former President of Marathwada Industries Association, now Chamber of Marathwada Industries & Agriculture (CMIA) which actively promotes industries in Marathwada region and is a Member of India-France Parliamentary Friendship Group. For the past few years, Mr. Dhoot has been a regular and active participant at the prestigious Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, also known as the Winter Davos, which is held in the last week of January and is a global congregation of Business leaders, political, academic and other leaders of the Global society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Philanthropy

Mr. Rajkumar Dhoot Graduated with Honors in Commerce from S.B. College, Aurangabad. Apart from Trade and Politics, he has been vigorously involved in Social work which includes promoting Education for the Girl child, running a leading multi-Super Specialty Charitable Hospital (providing advanced treatment to many life-threatening diseases and conditions from pediatric to geriatric patients as charity), undertaking Road construction and having drinking-water distributed to people in drought afflicted areas. In the early 1990s, people from rural areas in Maharashtra used to give minimum education to their daughters & had them married at an early age. Mr. Dhoot, taking into account the pitiable condition of the girls, decided to give education to the girls from the rural areas. As he knew “We owe to the society”, he established a Girls High school in Gangapur, Aurangabad in 1992, when, 100 students were given admission to the Secondary School. In 1995, a new big building was built, and, today, 1800 Students from First to Twelfth Standard are learning in the School. Mr. Dhoot gave his contribution in women empowerment by appointing only female teachers in the school. The school has well equipped computer & science labs, library, and, apart from the main subjects; tie & dye art, machine work, weaving and stitching are also taught to the Girls to make them self-reliant. Various Government Scholarships are given to the students, which are issued in the form of crossed cheques. Gangapur is a backward area & the people there now feel safe in sending their daughters to this school because of the reputation of the Dhoot family and due to the good social work done over decades in and around that area. Mr. Dhoot started this school with an intention to uplift the masses in that area and with a single-focused objective of teaching English to the girls in that area so that they can get become employable in the long run and upgrade their social status. Mr. Dhoot also established a Vittal Mandir in Gangapur area and has a small 3-bedded hospital adjoining the Mandir which takes care of the medical needs of people of Gangapur area. Mr. Dhoot runs a leading multi-Super Specialty Charitable Hospital - ‘Nandlal Dhoot Charitable Hospital’ at Aurangabad with an investment of over Rs. 100 crores, and from primary to all tertiary level health care facilities to help the people suffering from critical and life-threatening conditions. This hospital has fully developed Cardiac Centre and also provides radiation therapy using Cobalt-60 facilities for Cancer treatment. At the hospital, all poor patients are provided free food and accommodation during treatment. Mr. Dhoot regularly promotes free medical checkups and free medicine distribution camps to help the below poverty line population in and around Aurangabad. Mr. Dhoot is also helping the patients with poor eyesight or with developing blindness by regularly conducting free eye check-up and cataract surgery camps. Every year approximately 1200 patients are benefitted from such camps. During the infamous drought in Maharashtra in the Summer of 2013, Mr. Dhoot, in his personal capacity, arranged for Water-tankers to distribute clean drinking water for a period of 2 months amongst the poor and the drought afflicted people. He has also undertaken construction of roads in Gangapur & adjoining areas.

Anand Mahindra

Anand Mahindra (born 1 May 1955) is the chairman and managing director of Mahindra Group. His grandfather JC Mahindra co-founded the company in Mumbai, India. Founded as a steel trading company, the Group today has a presence in multiple sectors from agribusiness to aerospace.It is considered to be one of the most reputed Indian industrial houses with market leadership in many business verticals including utility vehicles, tractors (world's largest tractor company by volume), after market (India's largest multi-brand pre-owned car company), finance (largest rural NBFC in India), Holidays (India's largest vacation ownership company) and IT (top 5 IT service provider).

Hailed as 'The Federator' by Forbes (India) Magazine, Anand Mahindra started his career at Mahindra Group with Mahindra Ugine Steel Company Ltd. as Executive Assistant to the Finance Director and in 1989, was appointed President and Deputy managing director of that company. During his stint at MUSCO, he initiated the Mahindra Group's diversification into the new business areas of real estate development and hospitality management and in August 2012, took over as chairman and managing director of the Mahindra Group from his uncle Keshub Mahindra.

He is included by Fortune Magazine among the 'World's 50 Greatest Leaders' and featured in the magazine's 2011 listing of Asia's 25 most powerful business people. Anand has also been noted by Forbes (India) as their 'Entrepreneur of the Year' for 2013.

After graduating from Harvard Business School, Anand Mahindra joined Mahindra Ugine Steel Company Ltd (MUSCO), as Executive Assistant to the Finance Director. In 1989 he was appointed President and Deputy managing director of the company. In the summer of 1991, he was appointed Deputy managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., a producer of off-road vehicles and agricultural tractors in India.

During his time at M&M Ltd., Anand initiated a comprehensive change program to make the company an efficient and aggressive competitor in the newly liberalised economic environment in India.[citation needed] In April 1997, he was appointed managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, and in January 2003 given the additional responsibility of vice-chairman. On 9 August 2012, he was appointed chairman and managing director. Anand is also a co-promoter of Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd, which was converted into a bank in 2003.

Under Anand Mahindra's leadership, the Mahindra group has grown beyond making steel and tractors. Today the Group makes SUVs—in India and South Korea (Ssangyong) with exports to Latin America, Africa, Europe and South East Asia. Mahindra Tractors is the world's largest tractor company by volume, selling tractors in India, China and the US. The group also makes electric cars, motorcycles, scooters, trucks, yachts, and aircraft. Mahindra Systech, makes auto components across five continents. Tech Mahindra is the fifth largest IT services and IT consulting company in India. Mahindra Retail (Mom & Me) sells products for expecting mothers and babies. Almost 200,000 people choose Club Mahindra Holidays as their preferred holiday package provider. Mahindra ShubhLabh Services is India's largest exporter of grapes and pomegranate. Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited is the largest non-banking finance company in rural India. Mahindra Solar is making inroads in solar farms and Mahindra Lifespaces is a leader in sustainable urban development.

Today, the Mahindra Group is a US$16.5 billion organisation, and one of India's top 10 industrial houses.

Anand Mahindra has been tagged as the face of Indian capitalism by The Economist Forbes India Magazine has recognised him as their 'Entrepreneur of the Year' for the year 2013.

Anand Mahindra was recently appointed to the board of U.S.–India Business Council (USIBC). As a member of the board, Anand helps promote the policy advocacy priorities of USIBC and advice members and senior USIBC staff on a wide range of topics. Anand also serves as the Honorary Ambassador of Foreign Investment Promotion for the Republic of Korea, and is a member of the International Advisory Council of Singapore's Economic Development Board, which is the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore's position as a global business center.

He is the co-founder of the Harvard Business School Association of India, an association dedicated to the promotion of professional management in India. An avid advocate of using 'design for human happiness', Anand is the chairman, Governing Council National Institute of Design and President, India Design Council.

He is the Founder Chairman of the Mumbai Festival, which was launched in January 2005. The event is the first comprehensive festival to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the city. He is also the Chairperson of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

He has also served as President of the Confederation of Indian Industry in 2003–04 and has been President of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). He also served on the Boards of the National Stock Exchange of India and the National Council of Applied Economic Research, and as a member of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research.

Anand Mahindra is included in Fortune Magazine’s list of The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2014. Fortune magazine also named him as one of the top 25 most powerful business people in Asia for the year 2011. A regular at World Economic Forum's annual meetings, Anand Mahindra was the WEF co-chair in 2009. He has represented Indian industry at several global meets, including the APEC CEO Summit in 2009. He frequently shares his views and ideas on Indian economy and business through his writings in some of leading national and international business magazines. He has also contributed to books 'Reimagining India' published by Mckinsey and Company. A social media enthusiast, Anand has regularly been noted as one of the most influential business leaders on Twitter. His Twitter handle – @anandmahindra, has over a million followers.

Anand is a firm believer in power of education and has called it the "most privatisable of all social institutions". His father, Harish Mahindra, played a significant role in establishing the Mahindra United World College in Pune, Maharashtra, in 1997. MUWC is one of the 14 United World Colleges in the world. Anand is on the Board of Governors of the Mahindra United World College of India.

Anand is a staunch advocate of promoting girl child education and in 1996, founded Project Nanhi Kali, which provides sponsorship to underprivileged girls across India including, material support (e.g. school uniforms, school bag, shoes, socks, stationery etc.). He is also Trustee of the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust, which provides scholarships to students and supports the work of Project Nanhi Kali.

A student of the arts and culture, Anand believes that the study of humanities is essential in shaping leaders of the future. In November 2010, he donated $10million to support the Harvard Humanities Center in honour of his mother, Indira Mahindra. It is the largest gift for the study of humanities in Harvard's history. In recognition of this donation, the center was renamed the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard.

Anand is co-founder of Naandi Danone, which is the largest safe drinking water provider to rural areas of India, catering to nearly 3 million customers. Anand is also Chairman of the Board of Naandi Foundation. Founded in 1998, the Naandi Foundation works in 4 broad sectors: safe drinking water, support for urban school children, work training for unemployed youth and agricultural marketing.

Anand has a keen interest in filmmaking, a subject he pursued as an undergraduate at Harvard. Today, he remains a keen photographer with a strong interest in film. He also enjoys listening to the blues and helped set up an annual Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai in 2011.

His enthusiasm about the arts has led the Mahindra Group to invest in promotion of arts and culture in India through the Mahindra Excellence in Theater Awards and the Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival, a crafts mela (exhibition) and performing arts extravaganza at the historic and beautiful Kaiserbagh Baradari Palace in Lucknow. The Group also organises the Sundance Institute–Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award in Park City, Utah, USA through its media and entertainment company, Mumbai Mantra Media Ltd., Mumbai. This partnership also included the establishment of the Mumbai Mantra–Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab in India, which brought together eight Indian screenwriters from across the world to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished international screenwriters.

Anand is married to Anuradha Mahindra, who is the Editor and Publisher of the magazine – 'Verve’ and Publisher of 'The Indian Quarterly'. They have two daughters. Anand enjoys watching world cinema, reading, playing tennis and listening to the Blues.

Rahul Sharma

Mr. Rahul Sharma has been Vice President of Marketing and Internet Channel at MobileWave Group plc (Fieldbury PLC) since June 13, 2007. Mr. Sharma Co-Founded Micromax Informatics Limited and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He served as Executive Director of Product Strategy and Channel Sales at Micromax Informatics Limited.

He is an experienced marketing architect with a background in product goods and technology marketing, having spearheaded successful campaigns for Proctor & Gamble,Microsoft Xbox and Shaw Cablesystems' on demand television services. He served as Vice President of On Demand Television Services at Shaw Communications Inc. since February 2004. He has over 13 years experience in sales and marketing. Mr. Sharma served closely with Shaw Communications corporate Sales and Marketing teams, and was responsible for oversaw the marketing and development of Shaw's On Demand products - Pay Per View, Video On Demand and Digital Pay Television. He joined Shaw with a strong background in marketing and brand/product management. Prior to Shaw, he held a number of management positions in Communications, Consumer Marketing and Brand Management. His extensive experience in building brands and launching new products along with his broad range of general business and marketing knowledge. He has been an Executive Director of Micromax Informatics Limited since April 1, 2007. Mr. Sharma holds Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan. He holds a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Nagpur University. Mr. Rahul Sharma is said to marry Film actress Asin soon.