MAM
MJ Akbar joins BJP as spokesperson
MUMBAI: A line of journalists have begun showing their political stances of late. First Shazi Ilmi and Manish Sisodia quit their respective jobs to join upcoming Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Now one of India’s top notch journalists MJ Akbar has joined another party- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its official spokesperson.
The PTI quotes him as saying “I have come back to politics because of policy. The crisis in front of the country is known to all. This is an opportunity to do whatever little we can do for our country.”
Akbar is renowned for starting The Telegraph, The Asian Age and The Sunday Guardian. The latter is now a part of Information TV Group managed by Kartikeya Sharma that runs NewsX and India News channels.
Additionally, Akbar is also currently hosting a show on NewsX called ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’.
He is currently the editorial director of The Sunday Guardian. Earlier he was associated with the TV Today group.
Brands
Oyo parent Prism appoints former Sebi chief Ajay Tyagi to Board
Former market regulator joins Prism to strengthen governance for IPO
NEW DELHI: Prism, the parent entity of Oyo, has appointed former Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi as an independent director, as the hospitality firm gears up for its planned Rs 6,650 crore initial public offering (IPO).
Tyagi, a 1984-batch IAS officer, served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) from 2017 to 2022. His appointment is aimed at strengthening the company’s governance framework and providing strategic oversight as it moves closer to a public listing.
He joins a high-profile board that already includes several prominent names from global business and policy circles. These include Troy Matthew Alstead, former CFO and group president of Starbucks; Aditya Ghosh, co-founder of Akasa Air; Deepa Malik, paralympic athlete and Padma Shri awardee; William Steve Albrecht, professor of accountancy at Utah State University; and Bejul Somaia, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Prism founder Ritesh Agarwal, said Tyagi’s experience in capital markets regulation and public-institution stewardship will be critical as the company scales operations and enhances long-term accountability.
The company recently filed preliminary papers with Sebi to raise Rs 6,650 crore through a confidential route. Market sources estimate its valuation will be in the range of $7 billion to $8 billion.
Over the course of his career, Tyagi has held senior roles in the ministry of finance, where he oversaw investment policy and financial-sector reforms. His induction to the Prism board signals a renewed focus on aligning the company’s internal standards with the stringent requirements of public markets as it advances toward its IPO.
