Karan Gupta (born May 12, 1979) is an activist, speaker, writer, the founder of the Karan Gupta Education Foundation (KGEF) in Mumbai, India.[1]  He is also the current managing director of IE Business SchoolIndia & South Asia.[2][3]

Karan Gupta
BornMay 12,1989
Mumbai, India
Occupationactivist, speaker, writer
NationalityIndian
EducationHarvard Business School;
IE Business School
Notable awardsTimes Genius Award by The Times of India, Times Power Men Award by The Times of India
Website
www.karangupta.com

Gupta is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and IE Business School, graduating with degrees in Psychology, Business and Law.[4] He opened Karan Gupta Consulting and his foundation in 1999, providing career guidance and information on international admissions.[5] Both institutions are non-profit and have an emphasis on the underprivileged – particularly women, children and people suffering from disabilities.[6][7]

Gupta has written and contributed to The Times of India, Education Times, Hindustan Times, The Free Press Journal and Rediff.com, providing career counseling and admissions advice.[8] In 2016 he was awarded for his efforts by the Wharton Business School, the National Education Awards for "Outstanding Contribution in Education," and the Times Genius Award by The Times of India.[9][10][11][12][13]

In April 2016 Gupta created an event called I Am Woman, awarding women for their public contributions.[14] Recipients included Lucky Morani, Amrita Raichand, Devita Saraf and a Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor for her performance in the film Neerja, among others.[15]

In May 2016 Gupta spoke about female empowerment at the IE Alumni Forum in Madrid, Spain.[16]

In April 2017 Gupta hosted the second edition of "I Am Woman", awarding Amruta Fadnavis, Laxmi Agarwal, Gauri Sawant, Krishika Lulla, Farah Khan Ali, Malini Agarwal and Shaheen Mistri for their contributions towards women empowerment.[17][18][19][20]

Karan Gupta was a speaker at the Women Economic Forum and ALL Ladies League in New Delhi in May 2017 and spoke about Women in Media. Other speakers on the panel included Priyanka Chaturvedi, Geeta Mohan, Anurradha Prasad, Aisha Ajmad, and Krishan Tewari.[21][22]

The third edition of "I Am Woman" was hosted by Gupta in April 2018 awarding Sushmita Sen, Leah Tata, Michelle Poonawalla, Bhavna Jasra, Falguni Peacock, Malishka RJ, Abha Singh, Preethi Srinivasan, and Jyoti Dhawale. The event was compared by Amber Wigmore and Madhoo.[23][24][25] Sushmita Sen commended the work done by Karan Gupta and the KGEF team for impacting the lives of 92,000 children.[26]

In July 2018 Gupta spoke about solving rape and child sexual abuse through education and empowerment at a TEDx talk in Mumbai.[27]

The Times of India group felicitated and awarded Gupta as the Times Power Man in December 2018. The award was given to Gupta by Amruta Fadnavis.[28]

In January 2019, at a ceremony held in London, Gupta was awarded with the World Leaders Asia Award by Lord Karan Billimoria and Lord Raj Loomba.[29]

In April 2019, Gupta hosted the 4th edition of the I Am Woman awards and felicitated Sonali Bendre with the Woman of Substance award. Other awardees included Neeta Lulla, Sindhutai Sapkal, Activist Neehari Mandali, Infosys Learning Head Kisha Gupta, Entrepreneur Deepika Gehani among others. The other hosts for the event included Manasi Joshi Roy, Rohit Roy, Parvin Dabas, Manasi Scott, and Tanuj Wirwani.[30][31]

In July 2020, in a televised interview with India Today (TV channel) Gupta criticised the CBSE board for releasing above average 12th grade results. [32]

Urging Indian universities to release final grades of students, Gupta stated that students who wished to study abroad may lose an entire year. [33]

In Sep 2020, Gupta took the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a Clinical Trial Volunteer. In Jan 2021, after the vaccine received emergency use authorization, he demanded that the government unblind the vaccine study and give the vaccine shot to the volunteers who received the placebo. [34] [35]

In Oct 2021, Gupta met with Aaditya Thackeray and Iqbal Singh Chahal and spoke about the importance of education and shaping policies that benefit students. [36]

On Children's Day, in Nov 2022, Gupta granted the wishes of terminally and critically ill children at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital. Also present at the event were actors Boman Irani and Sangram Singh. [37]

In Sep 2023, India Today (TV channel) and The Economic Times spoke to Gupta about the deteriorating security situation in Canada for Indian students and what impact the Canada-India diplomatic row could have on prospective students. [38] [39]


References edit

  1. ^ "Karan Gupta Education Foundation(KGEF)". Community Code. June 12, 2016. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  2. ^ "Karan Gupta – IE Alumni Forum 2016". IE Alumni Forum 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  3. ^ "Studying abroad made simpler". BTVI.in.
  4. ^ "Education Times, Times of India". Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  5. ^ "Youth Incorporated Magazine". www.youthincmag.com. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  6. ^ "Sonam Kapoor receives award for Neerja". www.dnaindia.com. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  7. ^ "Celebrating Womanhood". Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  8. ^ "Get Ahead: Chat with Karan Gupta, overseas education consultant". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  9. ^ "Accolades for excellence in the field of education". timesofindia.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  10. ^ "Karan Gupta receives national education award". youthincmag.com. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  11. ^ "Karan Gupta receives education award at Wharton Business School". Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  12. ^ "National Education Award Winners 2016". Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  13. ^ "Transforming Lives through quality education". Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  14. ^ "Sonam Kapoor receives award for 'Neerja' | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. April 6, 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  15. ^ "Sonam Kapoor receives 'I Am Woman' women empowerment award – www.asiatimes.com.au". www.asiatimes.com.au. Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  16. ^ "IE Alumni Forum 2016 – May 27th, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Madrid". IE Alumni Forum 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  17. ^ "Inspring women through women". mid-day.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  18. ^ "In Pics: Celebrating extraordinary women". rediff.com. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  19. ^ "Krishika Lulla, Farah Khan Ali and Amruta Fadnavis honoured with the 'I Am Woman' awards". Bollywood Hungama. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  20. ^ "Inspiration!". www.afternoondc.in.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  21. ^ "Karan Gupta WEF". www.wef.org.in. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  22. ^ "WEF 2017 Program Details". www.wef.org.in. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  23. ^ "Mumbai hosts an award ceremony that celebrates the inspiration of women". The Times of India. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  24. ^ "Sushmita Sen says being born as a woman is a huge award". 5dariyanews.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  25. ^ "CELEBRATING WOMEN POWER". epaper.timesgroup.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  26. ^ "'I Am Woman', Honouring Extraordinary And Inspirational Women". youthincmag.com. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  27. ^ "TEDxLLIM". TED. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  28. ^ "Awarded for service to society". Times of India. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
  29. ^ "I have dedicated my life to the field of education: Karan Gupta". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  30. ^ "Felicitating women of substance". Times of India. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  31. ^ "I Am Woman celebrating inspiration". Mid-Day. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  32. ^ "Campus chaos: Admission worry grips students". India Today. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  33. ^ "Final-year exam delay: City students lose academic year at foreign universities". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  34. ^ "Volunteer Service". Outlook. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  35. ^ "Unblind the placebo group of volunteers,' says COVID vaccine trial volunteer". Mid-Day. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  36. ^ "Spain is fast becoming a favourite destination to study for Indian students". Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  37. ^ "Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier". Mid-Day. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  38. ^ "What Next For Students Planning To Study In Canada?: Karan Gupta Education Counsellor". India Today TV Channel. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  39. ^ "Amidst Canada disfavour, the US, Australia, and the UK may win over most Indian students". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2023-09-25.