Author, Corporate Leader, Consultant, Artist
Ratna Vira is a bestselling author, a corporate leader, consultant, and an artist. She has held senior CXO positions at leading multinational companies. She is a Communications and Human Resources professional. She has retained her link with the corporate world through consulting assignments. Her professional career has included being the Chief Peoples Communication Officer at Yes Bank, along with senior roles with MTS India, Quatrro, Apollo International, Bharti Enterprices, PwC and PepsiCo.
Taking a break from the corporate world two years ago, Ratna focussed on writing her debut novel, which has since become a national bestseller and for which she has sold the film rights. Her novel, ‘Daughter By Court Order’ was published in India this summer and was in the Indian Top 10 Fiction List for over four months. The book has been extensively written about and been featured in the New York Times.
The novel and the issues that it deals with have caught the imagination of many and came to the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sent Ratna an inspiring message of support and recognition of the real issues that women deal with in feudal Indian families. (http://www.daughterbycourtorder.com/forum/pm_modi_message.html)
Drawing inspiration from the message, Ratna has launched the DBCO Forum for Women that will be a grassroots grouping where each of us will be able to contribute our time and skills to support women who are facing inequality and discrimination.
Ratna holds a Masters from the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as a Masters’ Degree in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi. In addition, she read for an honours degree in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.
Over the years, Ratna has spoken at a number of leading universities and institutes across the world. These include the University of Oxford (Two Cultures Seminar at Somerville College), the Said Business School, Nanyang University Singapore, IIM Indore, Symbiosis and King’s School Canterbury (where she was talking to teenagers).
Ratna has also designed and taught a course in Creative Writing at St. Stephen’s College.
She is also a talented painter and her art hangs in homes and offices in the US, London and, of course, in India.
‘
Daughter By Court Order’ by Ratna Vira
