Who is Radhika Roy? Journalist Resigns From NDTV Board Of Directors

Adani Group made an open offer for stakes in Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy-owned NDTV. Adani Group announced it would purchase a 29.18 % stake in New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV). The stakes brought will give voting rights over 25% in NDTV.

In a new development, the journalist duo have resigned as directors on the board of RRPR Holding Private Limited (RRPRH) with effect from November 29. Prannoy Roy is the Chairperson of NDTV and Radhika Roy is an Executive Director.

The board of RRPR Holding has approved the appointment of Sudipta Bhattacharya, Sanjay Pugalia and Senthil Sinniah Chengalvarayan as Directors on its board with immediate effect, NDTV said in an exchange filing.

The news has received negative reactions as NDTV holds a distinct place in the world of Indian Journalism. A conglomerate stake in NDTV is a major setback for a free press, given the controlling powers. In response to the offer by Adani group, the news channel has said that it was executed without the consent of the founders. The news channel was founded by journalist Radhika Roy and her husband Prannoy Roy

Who is Radhika Roy?

Radhika Roy founded and set up NDTV in 1988 after working for ten years as a print journalist. Roy started her career in print journalism with Indian Express. Thereafter worked with India Today and NDTV. She and her husband Prannoy Roy together contributed to building a private English TV news channel.

-Roy has worked in many roles at NDTV, starting as Executive Producer and Editorial Head of NDTV’s first television program,- The World This Week. She became co-Editor-in-Chief of the NDTV Network and also served as Managing Director of the NDTV Group.

-Radhika Roy was born on May 7 1949 to father Sooraj Lal Das, an engineer, and mother Oshrukona Mitra. Roy attended Welham Girls’ School and met her husband Economist Prannoy Roy in Dehradun who was studying at Doon School.

-Radhika Roy then studied at New School for Social Research in New York. She went for English literature degree at Miranda House in New Delhi. She qualified as a speech pathologist from Oldrey Fleming School, London. She also completed a course in television production at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

-Prannoy Roy has often said that Radhika Roy was the ‘guiding force’ in building the channel. The couple has a daughter together- Tara Roy.

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-To mention a few of her achievements- Roy was honoured with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Information, Communication, and Entertainment in 2003. Roy was featured by the museum on broadcasting history, Paley Center for Media as one of 50 major women figures in the history of television and radio broadcasting in 2007. She also made it to Fortune India's Top 50 powerful Indian businesswomen list in 2016.