Ananta Centre is pleased to announce that Mr Harshavardhan Neotia has taken over as the Chairman of the Centre. Harshavardhan Neotia is currently Chairman of the Ambuja Neotia Group.
The Group operates across four business verticals: Real Estate, Hospitality, Healthcare and Education. Headquartered in Kolkata, the group’s projects are mostly located in eastern India.
Mr Neotia attended La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata. He graduated with a B.Com (Hons.) from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, and completed the Owner President Management Programme (OPM) at Harvard Business School, USA.For his work in social housing, Mr Neotia was conferred the Padma Shri by the Hon’ble President of India in 1999. He is also a recipient of the YPO Legacy of Honour Award. He has been conferred the D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) by Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, by Assam Royal Global University and XIM University, Odisha. He has been awarded the Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian honour, by the Government of West Bengal.He is a member of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Mizoram, Chairman, CII – Suresh Neotia Centre of Excellence for Leadership, Council Member of the National Culture Fund, Government of India. He is an active Member and Past President of FICCI and also Past President of AIMA.He has previously served on the Boards of IIM Kolkata and IIT Kharagpur, and on The Court of Jawaharlal Nehru University. He heads Jnana Pravaha, a Centre for Cultural Studies and Research in Varanasi, and is one of the trustees of Shree Somnath Trust. Mr Neotia is the Honorary Consul of Israel in West Bengal.
Ananta Centre is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, that focuses on value-based leadership development and open dialogue on important issues facing Indian society, to help foster its transformation. The organization has no political affiliation and serves to provide a platform and forum that engages civil society, business, governments and other stakeholders on issues of importance to India’s development and national security through ethical leadership and constructive dialogues.
The Centre activities focus around two core pillars – Leadership & Education and International Relations. The Centre is committed to building a society that is willing to listen, understand and most importantly, dialogue. To this objective, it convenes various programs for exchange of ideas, broadening perspectives and enhancing capacities to create sustainable solutions on a wide variety of issues. The Centre addresses issues of significance through seminars, conferences, round tables, public sessions, young leader Fellowships and policy programs. It also brings out publications and study reports.