Ashok Kumar Malhotra honoured as the ‘Publishing Icon’ at International Publishers Congress 2018
New Delhi, 12th February 2018: Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra, the Founder of the MBD Group—a first-generation entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the publishing industry in India—was honoured with the title of ‘Publishing Icon’ at the International Publishers Congress 2018. International Publishers Congress 2018 is being hosted by the International Publishers Association (IPA) with the Indian member, Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP), in New Delhi after 26 years. IPC is a biennial Congress and the principal theme of the Congress is ‘Shaping the Future: Innovation meets Experience’.
Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra, perhaps the youngest publisher ever who published a self-authored book when he was just 13, was a true visionary; he dreamt of creating an MBD product for every literate person. He was a force in shaping the publishing sector in India and elsewhere; not only did he understand the significance of creative learning, but he was also instrumental in modernising the publishing business and introducing contemporary learning practices among other things. Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra was a man with a mission to transform a book-selling business unit into a financial giant and one of the successful brands of all times.
Today MBD Group is one of the leading Education Companies in India with over six decades of domain experience. It is the only company which has complete backward and forward integration with ten printing units, fully equipped with state-of-the-art pre-press, press and post-press facilities, producing about 5,00,000 books per day. The Group has 34 branch offices, a large number of employees and a wide network of distributors and booksellers across the country.
The International Publishers Association (IPA) is the foremost global representative of the full range of publishers’ interests, from copyright to freedom to publish. Since the first IPA Congress held in 1896 at Paris, the event has continued to attract the world’s leading publishers and is a vital platform for publishers to discuss the industry’s most important challenges, network and learn.
Mrs. Satish Bala Malhotra, Chairperson, and Ms. Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Managing Director of MBD Group, received this esteemed award from Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, at the International Publishers Congress 2018. Under the futuristic vision of the Founder of the Group, Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra, the Group has diversified into a vast portfolio comprising E-Learning, Capacity Building, Stationery, M-Learning, Skill Development, Eco-Friendly Notebooks, Paper Manufacturing and ICT Infrastructure. An entrepreneur par excellence, Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra had also envisioned the Group’s diversification into Hospitality, Real Estate and Mall Development and Management. His enduring vision and laudable legacy have been ably realised and cultivated by his two daughters, Monica Malhotra Kandhari and Sonica Malhotra.
Ms. Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Managing Director, MBD Group said, “I am overwhelmed by this recognition accorded to my father whose vision and legacy had laid the solid foundation upon which the MBD Group stands today. As a father, he is the perfect role model and whatever we have achieved today is solely because of his guidance and life lessons we have learned from him”.