Shobhana Bhartia conferred "Officier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur" [fr]
New Delhi, 14 December 2016
On behalf of the President of the French Republic, the Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler today conferred the Officier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour) on Ms Shobhana Bhartia, the charismatic Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media Ltd., who was named this year on the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list.
Commending Mrs Bhartia at the investiture ceremony held at the Residence of France, Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler said, “This award expresses France’s recognition of your outstanding contribution and dedication to the world of journalism. As the Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media Ltd., you have implemented your vision for it as a modern media house integrating innovation and technology, geared towards its public. You have also demonstrated an exemplary engagement with social causes, as borne out by the fact that you introduced The Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2006, in Parliament. It is a great honour to confer on you the highest French distinction for your exceptional achievements”.
Accepting the distinction, Mrs Shobhana Bhartia said, “It’s an honour to receive the Legion d’Honneur, which has been awarded to many distinguished people over the years. India and France share strong foundational values. The principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity form the basis of the French Republic and the Indian Constitution. I hope to contribute more to relations between the two countries in the coming years.”
Shobhana Bhartia
Shobhana Bhartia is the Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media Ltd., one of India’s largest publicly listed media companies. She is also currently serving as the Pro-Chancellor of the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences.
A former Member of Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament of India, Shobhana Bhartia also served as a member of the Committees in Parliament on Energy, Women Empowerment, and Human Resource Development.
Conferred with numerous awards and recognition, including Global Leader of Tomorrow from the World Economic Forum, Davos 1996, and Entrepreneur of the Year, 2005, from Ernst and Young, she was decorated with the Padma Shri, Government of India’s National Award for outstanding contribution in a particular field, in the year 2006 and from The Economic Times, Businesswomen of the Year, in the year 2007. This year Forbes has named you on its
(Source: http://www.htmedia.in/)
The Legion d’Honneur
The Legion d’Honneur, created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, la Légion d’Honneur (“the Legion of Honour”) is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients. The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order of the Legion of Honour.