Leadership, Legacy and the Brigade Story

MR Jaishankar, Executive Chairman, Brigade Group; Nirupa Shankar, Managing Director. BHVL (Brigade Hotel Ventures Limited); and Vineet Verma, Director, BHVL; reflect on building the Group, shaping India's hospitality landscape, and balancing legacy, leadership and innovation...

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MR Jaishankar founded Brigade Group in 1986, growing it from a single-project venture into one of India's leading real estate companies. Guided by Brigade's core values - QC-FIRST: Quality, Customer Centricity, Fairness, Innovation, Responsible Socially and Trust - the Group today spans residential, office, retail, industrial, hospitality and education sectors across multiple Indian cities, with over 300 buildings and 100 million sq. ft of developed space.

Joining him in leadership are Nirupa Shankar and Vineet Verma, who oversee key aspects of Brigade's expanding hospitality portfolio. Nirupa, a recognised business leader, leads hospitality, offices, retail, innovation, HR and PR, while Vineet oversees BHVL's hotel operations and the World Trade Center developments in Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai. Together, they reflect on Brigade's evolving vision for hospitality, urban development and integrated growth.

M R JAISHANKAR, Chairman, Brigade Group You built Brigade Group from the ground up in 1986. What was the original vision, and did you ever imagine it would evolve into one of India’s leading real estate and hospitality companies?

Honestly, we never imagined that we would become what we are today. When we started in 1986, it was a one-project venture, with a small group of family and friends coming together to execute a single development.

The turning point was the success of our first project, Brigade Towers. That gave us the confidence to take the next step. Growth happened organically — one project became two, two became four, and over time we expanded into multiple cities. As the business grew, we also strengthened systems and became a listed company.

Over the past 39 years, we have developed close to 110 million square feet across more than 300 buildings, and we expect that footprint to continue to grow.