Peter Mukerjea

Peter Mukerjea is a retired British television executive. From 1997 to 2007 he was the CEO of STAR India.[4] In 2007 he joined INX Media as chief strategy officer.[4] He quit the company in 2009 and retired to Bristol.[5][6]

Peter Mukerjea
Pratim
Born1955 (age 67–68)[1]
United Kingdom[2]
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
EducationThe Doon School, West Herts College
OccupationMedia
Years active1974–2009
Known forCEO, STAR India (1997–2007)
Spouse(s)Shabnam Mukerjea (1975–1994)[3]
Indrani Mukerjea (2002–2017)
Children2 sons (Rabin Mukerjea, Rahul Mukerjea); 1 daughter (Vidhie Mukerjea)
RelativesGautam Mukerjea, brother, founder Planet Goa, Shangon Das Gupta , Sister

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).[7] 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

Peter Mukerjea was born in United Kingdom.[2] 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 called Gautam Mukerjea who runs a lifestyle magazine named Planet Goa.[9]

Peter married Shabnam Singh in May, 1978.[3] The couple had 2 sons, Rabin, born in 1980, and Rahul, born in 1982, before divorcing in 1994.[1] 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.[10][11][12]

In 2002 Alyque Padamsee introduced Peter to Indrani Bora, an HR consultant 16 years his junior.[1][2] Later that year Peter married Indrani in a small wedding ceremony in friend Suhel Seth's garden house in New Delhi.[1][13] After marriage, Indrani's daughter from a previous marriage, Vidhie Khanna, moved in with them and took the Mukerjea name.[13] In 2005 Indrani introduced her children from a previous relationship, Sheena Bora and Mikhail Bora, to Peter as her younger siblings.[14] In 2006 Sheena Bora moved in with them and enrolled in St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.[15]

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.[4][16][17][18] 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.[4]

In January 2007 Peter resigned from STAR India.[16] 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.[19] 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.[20][21] He resigned from his position in 2009.[5][22][23] By April 2010 he had sold his stake in the company.[24] In May 2011, he resigned from his position on the board of directors of the company.[25]

Peter has resigned as director at INX Executive Search Private Limited. He is an angel investor in Kratos, an on-demand digital advertisement platform.[26][27]

Legacy

Peter Mukerjea is considered one of the most successful executives in the history of Indian television industry.[10][28][29] 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.[30] 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.[31][32]

India Today magazine listed Peter Mukerjea among the 50 most powerful people in India for 3 consecutive years from 2004 to 2006.[33][34][35]

Sheena Bora murder
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.[36] He submitted a written statement to the police that was prepared in conjunction with his lawyer.[37] He claimed that his passport was evidence that he was in Rome at the time of the murder in April, 2012.[38]

In November 2015 Peter was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the murder conspiracy.[39][40] 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.[41] In December 2015 Peter was remanded to judicial custody in Arthur Road Jail.[42] CBI officials were granted multiple extensions to his judicial custody[43][44][45] 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.[46][47][48] 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.[7] On March 20, 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.

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