Anu Aga Nominated to the Rajya Sabha as a Member of Parliament

Date

April 26, 2012

Post by

arZan

Anu-agaAnu Aga the former Chairwoman of Thermax India has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha as a member of the Indian Parliament. Her nomination by the President of India was announced recently.

Below is some info about the life and work of Anu Aga

From Thermax website

Anu Aga began her career in Thermax in 1985 and later was in charge of the company’s human resources function from 1991 to 1996. After her husband Rohinton Aga passed away, she took over as executive Chairperson of the Thermax Group in February 1996, and two years later became non-executive Chairperson.

After stepping down from this position in October 2004, she continues as Director on the Thermax Board.

As Chairperson, Anu turned around the company and helped transform it into a high performance organisation with a bigger presence in international markets, and a turnkey player in energy/environment projects. 

Anu Aga served as Chairperson of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Western Region. She has written extensively and given talks on corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, the role of women and education, etc.

Anu is a BA in Economics and holds a post-graduate degree in medical and psychiatric social work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). She was selected for a Fullbright Scholarship, that enabled social workers study in the US.

Since her retirement in 2004, Anu has been involved with the social sector, deeply concerned about promoting communal harmony and nurturing education. She supports Akanksha, an organisation that promotes education for the underprivileged children in Mumbai and Pune. She is also closely associated with the Thermax Social Initiative Foundation (TSIS). The foundation in partnership with the Municipal Corporation and Akanksha, manages two schools for lower income groups.

Anu Aga Awarded the Padma Shri in 2010

Anu Aga, the ex-Chairman of Thermax India has been awarded the Padma Shri.

Her name featured on the list of awardees announced by the Government on the occasion of Republic Day 2010.

Here is a short excerpt from a 2005 article on Arnavaz Aga

Aga is always in her trademark cotton or silk saris, whether it’s for a talk on women achievers at a convention organised by the Indian Institute of Management (Kolkata), for the pages of the November issue in Business Today as part of the top 25 most powerful women in business, or while accepting the lifetime achievement award at the Financial Express-Electrolux Women in Business Awards, as she did last year. Just like the sari, the no-nonsense expression on her face, reflecting steely determination, is an intrinsic part of her.

Anu Aga is also a member of the National Advisory Council of the Government of India

Mrs. Aga has been very active in various national and local associations. She had served as the Chairperson of Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Western Region. She has written extensively and given talks on the subjects of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, women empowerment and valuing diversity in India.

Mrs. Aga is keenly involved in the causes of communal harmony and human rights, especially of women and children. She is a Member of the Commonwealth Human Rights Commission.

Since retiring, Mrs. Aga has chosen to focus on education for the underprivileged. She is closely involved with Akanksha, an NGO which supplements the educational needs of the slum children. In partnership with Pune Municipal Corporation and Akanksha, Thermax Foundation has adopted two municipal schools in Pune. She is on the Board of Teach for India, an initiative that attempts to bridge the inequity gap in education

Anu is also current the Chairperson of Teach For India

Anu Aga is the former Executive Chairperson of the Thermax Group. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Akanksha Foundation and the Thermax Social Initiatives Foundation. Aga has also been very active in various national and local associations like the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and was the first woman chairperson of CII’s Western Region. She has written extensively and given talks on the subject of women’s empowerment, corporate governance, value-based management and corporate social responsibility. Anu is keenly involved in the causes of communal harmony and human rights, especially for women and children. She also supports various organizations that promote education, in particular education of underprivileged children from slums.

18 Comments

  1. Piloomani

     Congratulations.

    She belongs to a very tiny minority percentage of Parsi population being born with a golden spoon and like Tatas are very very aloof and care a damn for the poor Parsi Priests. 

    Their sympathies  and charities are for ONLY HINDU community no one other community  Definitely not for the most underpriviledged community the Muslims.

  2. Nayana Prabhu

    I know Anu and have worked for Thermax and not once and I can vouch for this no one in that organisation was ever discriminated against, all that mattered was being exemplar in your work. outside Thermax Anu Aga has always sided with the ‘right’ thing to do for the community at large- no discrrimination there too. hats off to Mrs. Anu Aga.

  3. Nayana Prabhu

    I know Anu and have worked for Thermax and not once and I can vouch for this no one in that organisation was ever discriminated against, all that mattered was being exemplar in your work. outside Thermax Anu Aga has always sided with the ‘right’ thing to do for the community at large- no discrrimination there too. hats off to Mrs. Anu Aga.

  4. Nayana Prabhu

    I know Anu and have worked for Thermax and not once and I can vouch for this no one in that organisation was ever discriminated against, all that mattered was being exemplar in your work. outside Thermax Anu Aga has always sided with the ‘right’ thing to do for the community at large- no discrrimination there too. hats off to Mrs. Anu Aga.

  5. Nayana Prabhu

    I know Anu and have worked for Thermax and not once and I can vouch for this no one in that organisation was ever discriminated against, all that mattered was being exemplar in your work. outside Thermax Anu Aga has always sided with the ‘right’ thing to do for the community at large- no discrrimination there too. hats off to Mrs. Anu Aga.

  6. Piloomani

    Nayana Prabhu

    Right thing to do for the community at large – meaning only helping the Hindu Community and seeing that there are no discriminations against its members?

  7. RATHESTAR

    anonymous R.J. You have shown your bad tastes.

  8. anonymous

    Hasnt Anu Aga given up her zoroastrian faith for Bahaism?..Are we Zoroastrians proud of people who have altered the reasoning of our ancestors fighting for the faith? Compare this to the Iranian and Indian Zoroastrian who were poor yet strived hard even under duress aiming only at the sibgle main core of passing on zoroastrianism to the next gen and not letting it die out due to pressure from other faiths, propogation of other cults and babas, anti zoroastrian pooganda and even passing on zoroastrianism orally as the last holocaust made a zoroastrian pay his unjustifiable jizya tax either by cash or by burning zoroastrian texts in relation to the man’s weight. Anu and her ilk had chanels for learnign her faith before giving it up

  9. anonymous

    Hasnt Anu Aga given up her zoroastrian faith for Bahaism?..Are we Zoroastrians proud of people who have altered the reasoning of our ancestors fighting for the faith? Compare this to the Iranian and Indian Zoroastrian who were poor yet strived hard even under duress aiming only at the sibgle main core of passing on zoroastrianism to the next gen and not letting it die out due to pressure from other faiths, propogation of other cults and babas, anti zoroastrian pooganda and even passing on zoroastrianism orally as the last holocaust made a zoroastrian pay his unjustifiable jizya tax either by cash or by burning zoroastrian texts in relation to the man’s weight. Anu and her ilk had chanels for learnign her faith before giving it up

  10. RATHESTAR

    anonymous R.J. You have shown your bad tastes.

  11. RATHESTAR

    anonymous R.J. You have shown your bad tastes.

  12. RATHESTAR.

    Piloomani, As usual you are wrong. First teach Parsees to multiply like “the most underprivileged community’, allow Polygamy  as this community does,and then utter your senseless comment.

  13. RATHESTAR.

    Piloomani, As usual you are wrong. First teach Parsees to multiply like “the most underprivileged community’, allow Polygamy  as this community does,and then utter your senseless comment.

  14. Zerxes Dordi

    There is nothing in this article to suggest reference to religious beliefs of Mrs. Aga. “Anonymous’ as well  as Piloomani have only proved that some Parsees are born petty minded as well as embarrassed to to reveal their full names, perhaps having received mouthfuls for their past ‘sparkling’ thoughts. 
    No other community runs down is own members as so ‘famed’ religious minded Parsis – matter of shame. They need to learn that community and religion are different and distinct. 

  15. Zerxes Dordi

    There is nothing in this article to suggest reference to religious beliefs of Mrs. Aga. “Anonymous’ as well  as Piloomani have only proved that some Parsees are born petty minded as well as embarrassed to to reveal their full names, perhaps having received mouthfuls for their past ‘sparkling’ thoughts. 
    No other community runs down is own members as so ‘famed’ religious minded Parsis – matter of shame. They need to learn that community and religion are different and distinct. 

  16. anonymous

    Hasnt Anu Aga given up her zoroastrian faith for Bahaism?..Are we Zoroastrians proud of people who have altered the reasoning of our ancestors fighting for the faith? Compare this to the Iranian and Indian Zoroastrian who were poor yet strived hard even under duress aiming only at the sibgle main core of passing on zoroastrianism to the next gen and not letting it die out due to pressure from other faiths, propogation of other cults and babas, anti zoroastrian pooganda and even passing on zoroastrianism orally as the last holocaust made a zoroastrian pay his unjustifiable jizya tax either by cash or by burning zoroastrian texts in relation to the man’s weight. Anu and her ilk had chanels for learnign her faith before giving it up

  17. Zerxes Dordi

    There is nothing in this article to suggest reference to religious beliefs of Mrs. Aga. “Anonymous’ as well  as Piloomani have only proved that some Parsees are born petty minded as well as embarrassed to to reveal their full names, perhaps having received mouthfuls for their past ‘sparkling’ thoughts. 
    No other community runs down is own members as so ‘famed’ religious minded Parsis – matter of shame. They need to learn that community and religion are different and distinct. 

  18. RATHESTAR.

    Piloomani, As usual you are wrong. First teach Parsees to multiply like “the most underprivileged community’, allow Polygamy  as this community does,and then utter your senseless comment.