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Our Leadership
Karan Paul Chairman, Apeejay Surrendra Group
Karan Paul serves as the Chairman of Apeejay Surrendra Group, providing leadership and strategic direction. His responsibilities include overseeing financial planning, shaping business strategy, managing diversification into new ventures, and supervising the operations of the Group, including its tea, shipping divisions, and schools.
Mr. Paul embarked on his entrepreneurial journey by establishing a financial firm and a stock-broking company, which he successfully helmed for a decade before their sale in 2006–2007. This experience exposed him to the entire business cycle, from inception to a profitable exit. Under his guidance, Apeejay Surrendra Group has made substantial investments and expanded into various business verticals, particularly in its core areas of shipping and hotels.
The Group has also ventured into new business domains, including the Marine Cluster and Logistics Parks, fostering backwards and forward integration of its shipping business. Furthermore, the Group’s real estate division has augmented its land banks and significantly expanded commercial real estate developments across India.
Mr. Paul believes in a collaborative and professional approach within the family business. He works closely with his sisters, Priya and Priti Paul, to oversee the growth and management of Apeejay Surrendra. This collaborative ethos extends to the entire Group. He strives to transpose and uphold core principles from a family-owned concept to a team-oriented structure backed by a highly professional HR framework. Responsibility and authority are delegated to the Group’s top management, CEOs, and HODs.
Assuming the role of Chairman in 2004, after 12 years of service within the Group, Mr. Paul initiated a consolidation and growth strategy. He upholds the core values of hard work, humane conduct, reliability, trust, integrity, and fairness, which are fundamental to the family legacy. Within a decade of his tenure, Karan established a system of grants for students pursuing higher education in India and abroad through The Paul Foundation in 2001. As Chairman, he facilitated Typhoo Tea’s partnership with the English Federation of Disability Sport, promoting accessibility to sports for disabled individuals in the UK. Mr. Paul has crafted a comprehensive strategy that allocates resources to the Social Sector, Education, Environment, and Stakeholder Relations. These initiatives are executed through institutionalised processes at the corporate level, while each Group company actively invests in sustainability and social sector partnerships within the communities they serve.
His vision is for Apeejay Surrendra Group to evolve into and remain one of India’s largest and most profitable privately-owned family businesses. Over the years, he has actively participated in various Executive Committees of Chambers of Commerce, including CII, FICCI, ICC, Bharat Chamber of Commerce, and the Bengal Chamber of Commerce. He is also associated with esteemed trade organisations and professional forums such as YPO, YLF, INSA, and ITA.
Mr. Karan Paul, an alumnus of Brown University, embodies a commitment to excellence and corporate responsibility, and he continues to steer Apeejay Surrendra Group towards greater success.
Indrani Dasgupta Paul Trustee
Indrani Dasgupta Paul, a popular Indian model and TV presenter, comes from a Bengali family of engineers in Muscat. After pursuing a B.A. in Economics at Miranda House, Delhi University, she completed her M.A. in Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University. At 18, she delved into the world of modelling and was crowned as the ambassador for Lakmé and Allen Solly. She appeared on many runways, campaigns, and music videos and earned the Society Achiever’s Award in 2002. Other than pursuing her glamorous career, Indrani passionately conducts women empowerment workshops. As a Trustee Member of the Apeejay School Managing Committee, she extends her impact into education and empowerment.
Sumit Das Gupta Trustee
Sumit Das Gupta is the Founder-Director of ALLCAP Communications Pvt. Ltd, a content solution provider. He has nearly 30 years of journalistic experience with the ABP Group. In December 2017, when he decided to start his own venture, Sumit was the Editor of Metro and t2 and Deputy Editor of The Telegraph. He has since been involved in ABP Digital as a Consultant. At ALLCAP, Sumit works closely with leading educational institutions like ISB and Ashoka University. He is on the Board of Studies for English and Mass Communication at St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, where he often conducts communication workshops. He is also on the Education Committee of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Darryl Bloud Chief Executive Officer
With a distinguished career in education spanning over four decades, Darryl Bloud exemplifies transformative leadership. His journey began in classrooms, nurturing young minds as a school teacher for 10 years. This was followed by his remarkable 30-year tenure as a school principal in Kolkata and the Middle East. His profound impact in the education sector was most notably seen during his principalship at GEMS Modern Academy, Dubai, which achieved an “Outstanding” rating for two consecutive years under his leadership.
Mr. Bloud’s influence continued to extend internationally during his tenure as Vice President and Brand Ambassador for GEMS Education in Dubai and as a brand ambassador for The Westminster and Winchester Schools. These achievements underscore his lifelong dedication to the educational sector.
As CEO of the Apeejay Group of Schools, Mr. Bloud brings a unique leadership philosophy. Known for his hands-on and empathetic approach with teachers and middle leaders, Darryl champions the ‘Spirit of Learning’. He envisions education as a lifelong pursuit. He emphasises enriched learning experiences that benefit not just the individual but the community at large.