Peter Mukerjea Explained

Peter Mukerjea
Native Name:Pratim
Native Name Lang:Pro-tim
Birth Date:1956 11, df=yes
Birth Place:London, England
Nationality:British
Education:The Doon School
West Herts College
Occupation:Media
Years Active:1974–2009
Known For:CEO, Star India (1997–2007)
Spouse:Shabnam Mukerjea (1975–1994)[1]
Indrani Mukerjea (2002–2017)
Children:2 sons (Rabin Mukerjea, Rahul Mukerjea); 1 daughter (Vidhie Mukerjea)
Relatives:Gautam Mukerjea, brother, founder Planet Goa, Shangon Das Gupta, Sister

Peter Mukerjea (born 21 November 1956)[2] is a retired British television executive. From 1997 to 2007 he was the CEO of STAR India.[3] In 2007 he joined INX Media as chief strategy officer. He quit the company in 2009 and retired to Bristol.[4] [5]

In November 2015 he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case and had been in judicial custody at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. In February 2016 he was formally charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder), 120-B (conspiracy) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).[6] He was released on bail on 20 March 2020.In February 2021 (15/2/2021) Peter’s first book ‘STARSTRUCK’ - Confessions of a TV Executive - was published by Westland Amazon.

Personal life

Mukerjea was born in London to Indian parents and raised in Mumbai.[7] His father was a doctor.[8] He graduated from the Doon School in Dehradun, India, in 1971.[8] He attended college in UK. He took evening classes to study business management.[8] He has a younger brother, Gautam Mukerjea, who runs a lifestyle magazine named Planet Goa.[9] Peter married Shabnam Singh in May 1978.[1] The couple had two sons, Rabin (born 1980) and Rahul (born 1984), before divorcing in 1994.[10] Rahul Mukerjea currently lives in Badripur near Dehradun with his mother.

Peter lived and worked in Mumbai while employed with STAR India. In 2000, he was named as the first Indian Tennessee Squire by Brown-Forman Corporation, the makers of Jack Daniel's whiskey.[11] [12] [13]

In 2002 Alyque Padamsee introduced Peter to Indrani Bora, an HR consultant 16 years his junior.[14] Later that year Peter married Indrani in a small wedding ceremony in friend Suhel Seth's garden house in New Delhi.[10] [15] After marriage, Indrani's daughter from a previous marriage, Vidhie Khanna, moved in with them and took the Mukerjea name. In 2005 Indrani introduced her children from a previous relationship, Sheena Bora and Mikhail Bora, to Peter as her younger siblings.[16] In 2006 Sheena Bora moved in with them and enrolled in St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.[17]

Career

Peter Mukerjea started his career in marketing with American food processing company Heinz and British retailer Storehouse plc in United Kingdom. He worked with the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather as Account Director in New Delhi and London followed by a stint with DDB Needham as Regional Group Account Director in Hong Kong. In 1993 he joined STAR TV as Sales Director (India) in Hong Kong. He moved to Mumbai shortly after joining to establish STAR TV's advertising sales division in India. In 1996 Peter acquired additional responsibility for the Middle East market. In 1997 he was promoted to Executive Vice President. In 1999 he became Chief Executive Officer of STAR India and served in that position for 8 years.[18] [19] [20] Peter represented Star TV's interests as a member of the Board of Directors of television channel ESPN STAR Sports, cable television service operator Hathway and joint venture company Media Content and Communications Services (India) for Star News.

In January 2007 Peter resigned from STAR India. The terms of his resignation included a non-compete clause that restricted him from joining a competing broadcast service for 6 months. Peter therefore took on the role of chairman of his wife Indrani Mukerjea's human resource company, INX Services Pvt. Ltd.[21] After the expiry of the non-compete clause in July 2007, Peter joined INX Media, where he took on the role of chief strategy officer.[22] [23] He resigned from his position in 2009.[24] [25] By April 2010 he had sold his stake in the company.[26] In May 2011, he resigned from his position on the board of directors of the company.[27]

Peter has resigned as director at INX Executive Search Private Limited. He is an angel investor in Kratos, an on-demand digital advertisement platform.[28] [29]

Legacy

Peter Mukerjea is considered one of the most successful executives in the history of Indian television industry.[11] [30] [31] Under his leadership, STAR India was transformed from a loss-making operation into India's most-watched television channel with hit shows such as Balaji Telefilms' soap opera Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and host Amitabh Bachchan's quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati.[32] At STAR India, Peter forged and nurtured a team whose members have become senior media executives in their own right: Raj Nayak, Ajay Vidyasagar, Jagdish Kumar, Sameer Nair, Tarun Katial, Tony D'Silva, Sumantra Dutta, Anant Rangaswami, Yash Khanna, Seema Mohapatra, Monica Tata, Sunita Rajan, Vibhu Sharma and Rajnath Kamath.[33] [34]

India Today magazine listed Peter Mukerjea among the 50 most powerful people in India for 3 consecutive years from 2004 to 2006.[35] [36] [37]

Sheena Bora murder

See main article: Sheena Bora murder case. In August 2015, Peter was questioned by Mumbai Police in connection with the alleged murder of Sheena Bora, his step daughter.[38] He submitted a written statement to the police that was prepared in conjunction with his lawyer.[39] He claimed that his passport was evidence that he was in Rome at the time of the murder in April, 2012.[40]

In November 2015 Peter was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the murder conspiracy.[41] [42] He was kept in CBI custody for two weeks during which period he subjected to a polygraph test with his consent and in the presence of his lawyer.[43] In December 2015 Peter was remanded to judicial custody in Arthur Road Jail.[44] CBI officials were granted multiple extensions to his judicial custody[45] [46] [47] based on their contention that Peter and Indrani Mukerjea siphoned off money from INX Media and parked it in an offshore bank account in Sheena Bora's name.[48] [49] [50] In February 2016 the CBI filed a chargesheet against him that charged him under Sections 302 (murder), 120-B (conspiracy) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.[6] On 20 March 2020, Peter was released from Arthur Road Jail, six weeks after he was granted bail by the High Court and over 4.5 years after his initial arrest.`

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Our family strongly favoured Rahul-Sheena marriage: Shabnam's brother . Kautilya Singh . Times of India . 27 Aug 2015 . 31 Aug 2015.
  2. News: Day before 60th birthday, Peter Mukerjea charged with murder. 2015-11-21. Business Standard. 2024-03-02.
  3. Web site: Peter Mukerjea - Executive Profile & Biography . Bloomberg Business . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  4. News: Peter And Indrani Mukerjea Stepping Down At INX; Pradeep Guha To Come Onboard As Consultant . Sruthijith KK . GigaOM . 10 March 2009 . 26 Aug 2015.
  5. News: Indrani Mukerjea: Mumbai society has claws out . Gayatri Jayaraman . DailyO . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  6. News: Peter Mukerjea was part of conspiracy to kill Sheena Bora, says CBI chargesheet . Liu Chuen Chen . India Today . 16 Feb 2016 . 16 Feb 2016.
  7. News: Sheena Bora murder: Victim's mother named as prime suspect in 'honour killing'. Sherwell. Philip. 2015-08-28. subscription. 2024-03-02. The Telegraph.
  8. News: Reaching for the stars, again . Shuchi Bansal . Business Standard . 26 Mar 2007 . 31 Aug 2015.
  9. Web site: St. Stephen's Alumnus - Gautam Mukerjea . St. Stephen's College, New Delhi . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  10. News: Peter Mukherjea ready to tie the knot with his new star . Nupur Mahajan . Times of India . 17 Oct 2002 . 26 Aug 2015.
  11. News: The man has come of age . indiantelevision.com . 16 Mar 2000 . 26 Aug 2015.
  12. News: Bourbon bounty . India Today . 18 September 2000 . 26 Aug 2015.
  13. News: Movers & Shakers . Indian Express . 14 October 2000 . 26 Aug 2015.
  14. News: From Pori Bora to Mrs Mukerjea . Archana Shukla . Indian Express . 27 Aug 2015 . 27 Aug 2015.
  15. News: She always carried pic of a little girl & boy: Khanna . Mohua Das . Times of India . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  16. News: Indrani Mukerjea Case: Peter Mukerjea speaks out about his son's relationship with Sheena . Daily News and Analysis . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  17. News: I know the exact cause of Sheena's murder: Indrani's son Mikhail Bora . Samudra Gupta Kashyap . Indian Express . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  18. News: Peter Mukerjea, Sameer Nair to leave Star India . OneIndia . 22 January 2007 . 26 Aug 2015.
  19. Web site: The Importance of being Peter Mukerjea . Anant Rangaswami . 10 January 2007 . 26 Aug 2015.
  20. News: Peter Mukerjea on his decision to quit STAR . Rediff.com . 6 February 2007 . 26 Aug 2015.
  21. News: Mukerjea in new avatar as HR wiz . Anushree Madan Mohan . Daily News and Analysis . 21 January 2007 . 26 Aug 2015.
  22. News: Peter Mukerjea joins INX Media officially as chief strategy officer . agencyfaqs! . 21 August 2007 . 26 Aug 2015.
  23. News: Peter Mukerjea takes on Star TV . Buzz18 . FilmFunda . 25 July 2007 . 26 Aug 2015.
  24. News: "More focus and attention on INX Media": Peter Mukerjea . Bindu Nair Maitra . Campaign India . 13 Jan 2009 . 26 Aug 2015.
  25. News: Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea to step down at INX Media . afaqs! . 12 March 2009 . 26 Aug 2015.
  26. News: New Silk Route Eyes Buyout Of PE Investors In INX Media . Boby Kurian . Shrija Agrawal . VCCircle.com . 9 April 2010 . 27 Aug 2015.
  27. News: Indrani quit most of her companies by mid-2011 . N Sundaresha Subramanian . Business Standard . 28 Aug 2015 . 28 Aug 2015.
  28. Web site: AngelList - Peter Mukerjea . AngelList . 26 Aug 2015 . 26 Aug 2015.
  29. News: ZAPPME Media and Entertainment Launches KRATOS, Powered by Tata Communications' Mosaic . Tata Communications . 31 January 2011 . 26 Aug 2015.
  30. Web site: The Peter Mukerjea School of Television . Anant Rangaswami . CampaignIndia . 19 April 2011 . 26 Aug 2015.
  31. News: How Star India changed the rules of the game . Peter Mukerjea . Business Today . 5 Aug 2012 . 26 Aug 2015.
  32. News: Working Up A Lather . Gurbir Singh . Businessworld . 18 May 2013 . 31 Aug 2015 .
  33. News: Peter Mukerjea and media freedom . Vanita Kohli-Khandekar . 1 September 2015 . 1 September 2015 .
  34. News: Indian media and Rip Van Winkle . Anant Rangaswami . 4 Jan 2010 . 31 Aug 2015.
  35. News: Cover Story: 50 Power People of 2004 - A guide to the high and mighty: India Today lists the profile of top powerful people of 2004 / Peter Mukerjea #13 . India Today . 1 Mar 2004 . 31 Aug 2015.
  36. News: Cover Story: The high and mighty - India Today Power List 2005: From Ratan Tata to Rajul Bajaj, corporate honchos dominate / Peter Mukerjea #13 . India Today . 21 Feb 2005 . 31 Aug 2015.
  37. News: Cover Story: 50 Power People of 2006 - India's High & Mighty: From corporate czars to policy mavens / Peter Mukerjea #14 . India Today . 20 March 2006 . 27 Aug 2015.
  38. News: Sheena Bora Murder: What Peter Mukerjea said to the Mumbai police . Zee Media Bureau . Daily News and Analysis . 28 Aug 2015 . 31 Aug 2015.
  39. News: Peter Mukerjea submits statement to Khar police . Nitasha Natu . Times of India . 28 Aug 2015 . 31 Aug 2015.
  40. News: Sheena Bora Murder: Peter Mukerjea Says He Doesn't Believe His Wife Indrani Killed Daughter . Indrani Basu . HuffPost India . 27 Aug 2015 . 31 Aug 2015.
  41. News: CBI arrests Peter Mukherjea, chargesheets Indrani . Gautam S Mengle . Rahi Gaikwad . Devesh Pandey . The Hindu . 19 Nov 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  42. News: Sheena Bora murder case: Peter Mukerjea arrested; remains are hers, say docs . Rashmi Rajput . Srinath Rao . Pritha Chatterjee . Indian Express . 19 Nov 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  43. News: Peter Mukerjea's polygraph test: Questions mostly personal, few on money . Rashmi Rajput . Indian Express . 30 Nov 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  44. News: Peter Mukerjea sent to jail till December 14 . Rahi Gaikwad . The Hindu . 2 Dec 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  45. News: Sheena Bora case: Peter Mukerjea's judicial custody extended till December 28 . Press Trust of India . Indian Express . 14 Dec 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  46. News: Sheena Bora murder case: Peter Mukerjea's judicial custody extended till January 11 . Press Trust of India . Indian Express . 28 Dec 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  47. News: Sheena Bora Murder Case: Peter Mukerjea's Judicial Remand Extended . Press Trust of India . NDTV . 26 Jan 2016 . 6 Feb 2016.
  48. News: Peter, Indrani Mukerjea Siphoned Off Funds From 9X Media: CBI . Press Trust of India . NDTV . 27 Nov 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  49. News: Sheena Bora murder case- Peter, Indrani siphoned off funds from INX deal: CBI . Express News Service . Indian Express . 24 Dec 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.
  50. News: Muddy Waters Flow Through This Channel: SFIO investigates the many levels of fraud the Mukerjeas committed in NewsX . Meetu Jain . Outlook India . 7 Sep 2015 . 6 Feb 2016.