Our Leadership

Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh, who is known for his military deftness and proficiency in the Indian Army, is presently bedecking the designation of Governor of Uttarakhand.  Shri Singh’s personality is a combination of bravery, courage, kindness, compassion, simplicity and honesty.  wonderful amalgamation of simplicity and popularity in his personality.  An expert in taking tough A decisions in his military career, Shri Singh is broad-minded, soft in spirit, heart and thoughts.  He has compassion, love and affection for all.

Forgetting caste, religion and class, he has the attitude to see only soul and Almighty in a person.  Shri Gurmit Singh Ji, who has entirely imbibed the three virtues of Sikhism; kindness, simplicity and honesty, in his personal life, has a unique combination of military aptitude and pleasing persona.  He touches everyone’s heart closely.  After becoming the Governor of Uttarakhand, the spirit of Patriotism and his Vision of serving the State have already been felt in his first message.

It would not be an exaggeration, if it is said that the conscientious, dedicated personality of Shri Gurmit Singh ji is the legacy of our Nation. The philosophy, values ??and lifestyle of such personalities would be a unique present to the current generation.  His personality and thinking are based on the path laid down by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s ‘Sach Khand Vase Nirankar and ‘Nishchiya Kar Apni Jeet Karon‘.

About his personality and educational qualifications

Belonging to the most sacred place in Sikh religion, the city of Amritsar, he is the former Deputy Chief of Army staff of the Indian Army.

He belongs to a patriot family. His father Shri Mohain Singh ji served in the Indian Army and elder brother had served in Indian Air Force.

He represented the country on many occasions. He participated in numerous talks regarding border issues with China and visited to Beijing, Shanghai and other cities of China for Talks/visits.

He visited Pakistan for Talks on Siachen and other issues.  Had extensive tenure of counter terrorism in Jammu Kashmir and North East.

He is a well known as a scholar on defense matters. While serving the country, he also studied on defense matter in the Jawahar Lal Nehru University, National Defense University, Washington and National Defence University, Taipei, Taiwan.  For two years, he researched on India-China border issues. As an Adjutant General of Indian Army, worked on human resource management. Apart from this, he was focused on information technology, human resource management, training, manpower policy and planning, recruitment, selection, motivation, morale, health, discipline, legal issues, welfare, resettlement and issues related to ex-servicemen during his various postings.

He has special attachment with soldiers, warriors and the martyrs.  He was also Chief Executive Patron of the Rashtriya Sainik Sanstha . He has been participating in TV Media on Nation First focus, as Jai Hind General and as a defense expert.

He has been awarded with Four Presidential Awards and two  commendations by Chief of Army Staff, during his nearly 40 years of service in the Army;  Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.  He had also served in Banbasa, of Uttarakhand during his tenure in Army.

Chairman Essel Group 

Ex. Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) 
 

Dr. Subhash Chandra is the founder of India’s leading Global Content Company Zee
Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. and the multifaceted conglomerate Essel Group.
• He has been the Member of Parliament - Rajya Sabha from his home state Haryana, India.
• 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 in India by launching the country's first private satellite television channel - Zee TV
in 1992, followed by the first private news channel, Zee News. Today, the industry generates
employment for more than 5 million people.
• ZEE as a brand today, has achieved global recognition, reaching over 1 billion viewers in 190
countries offering content across platforms like broadcast, digital, movies, music and live
events.

Pioneering Initiatives:
• Set up India’s first Company to supply processed food grains to the Indian Army through Food
Corporation of India as well as India’s largest food grains storage facility with a capacity of over
2.4 million tonnes.
• Established Essel Propack in 1981 - India’s first MNC to introduce laminated tubes in the
country.
• Launched Essel World & Water Kingdom in 1989- India’s first amusement park & Asia’s largest
theme Water Park.
• Launched ZEE in 1992-
o India’s first private satellite television channel – Zee TV
o India’s first media & entertainment Company to setup its operations in international
territories
o India’s first privately owned 24-hours news channel
• Set up Siti Cable in 1994- India’s largest Multi System Operator.
• Launched Dish TV in 2003- India’s first and largest DTH Company.

Awards and Recognition:
• Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young) [1998]
• Businessman of the Year (Business Standard) [1999]
• Enterprising CEO of the Year (International Brand Summit) [1999]
• Global Indian Entertainment Personality of the Year by FICCI [2004]
• Lifetime Achievement Award at the CASBAA Convention [2009]
• Hall of Fame for continuing contribution to industry in Entrepreneur category at the INBA
[2010]

• Awarded the 2011 International EmmyDirectorate Award at the 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
[2011]
• Conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration by the University of East
London [2013]
• Received the prestigious Canada India Foundation (CIF) Chanchlani Global Indian Award,
instituted by Canada India Foundation [2016]

Philanthropy:
• With an aim to share, contribute and collaborate for a prosperous society, Dr. Chandra
founded Subhash Chandra Foundation in May 2017, on the completion of 90 years of Essel
Group, amidst the presence of the President of India and Prime Minister of India. The
Foundation’s core focus areas include Education, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship & Integrated
Rural Development.
• Dr. Chandra is also an educationist. Having been at the helm of the NGO- Ekal Global, he
contributed immensely to its expansion across the globe. Today, Ekal touches the lives of
more than 2.7 mn children across 1,00,000 schools. He also set up TALEEM (Transnational
Alternate Learning for Emancipation and Empowerment through Multimedia) Research
Foundation in 1996- a literary, scientific, charitable society and trust to provide access to
quality education.
• Dr. Chandra firmly believes in giving back to the society. Mandi Adampur, the grain market
that was founded by his grandfather in 1926, 67 years later, is now one of the 5 villages adopted
by him in Hisar, Haryana, India.
• Dr. Chandra is a practitioner of Vipassana - the most ancient technique 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 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.
(OfficialTwitter Handle - @subhashchandra)

 

Ph.D. IIT (Kanpur) 

Professor Md. Irfan Khan holds a Ph.D. degree in demography from IIT, Kanpur and is currently Director of TALEEM Research Foundation, Ahmedabad-an autonomous research organization set up by Essel Group of Companies in 1996.

Professor Khan had also served the Foundation as Head- Research and Finance Controller and contributed extensively in Foundation’s growth since 1998. He has been part of the core team from TALEEM Research Foundation to establish and sponsor the Himgiri Zee University (HZU) in Dehradun.

Professor Khan has over three decades of teaching and research experiences and specializes in the field of population, health and social development. In addition, elections studies and forecasting elections results are the other key areas of his research interest.

Professor Khan has executed more than 60 research projects sponsored by national and international agencies as a Project Director and Co-Principal Investigator.

He is one of the nation’s leading demographer known for his contribution in national demographic studies like NFHS, RCH, DLHS, GATS-India and LASI executed under the aegis of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Professor Khan has also worked as consultant to UNFPA, Government departments and Academic Institutions.

He has been visiting professor and resource person to various Indian universities and academic institutions and external examiner for Ph.D. thesis evaluation.

Professor Khan has attended numerous International and National Conferences and Workshops and has presented and published over 56 research papers in journals of national and international repute and edited books.