Farzana Contractor is the CEO of The Afternoon Despatch and Courier, the popular newspaper of Mumbai, India. Just out of college and newly married to the legendary Behram Contractor, she assisted him in founding the newspaper in 1985. Behram is lovingly known by Indians the world over, by his psydoenum ‘Busybee’. Farzana also publishes the upscale food and wine magazine UpperCrust, a delightful Quarterly which is responsible for putting India on the world culinary map.

For 20 years now she has steered Afternoon on a path which is paved with sincerity, integrity and immense credibility. Graduating in Psychology from St Xaviers College and holding a degree in Law, Farzana doffs many hats. She is publisher, editor, photographer and columnist. Seamlessly she moves between each of these roles, attributing this ability to the discipline and focus that her two decade sports career gave her, which graphs from representing her school, college, university, state and the Indian railways at hockey and basketball at the Nationals.

Ask her what she values most in life, and promptly comes the answer, “Humanity… human values.”