A Leader's Journey: Powering A Legacy Brand's Digital Future

By: Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Managing Director, AASOKA (by MBD Group)

Second generation publishing entrepreneur, Monica Malhotra Kandhari is a woman on a mission!

The MD of AASOKA by MBD Group, Monica is today powering the legacy publishing brand’s seamless evolution into a future-ready digital learning platform.

In conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Monika reflects on her extensive professional journey from starting work at 16 to leading a global education enterprise. Taking us through various crucial facets of her journey, Monika shares how early experiences, family mentorship, and a strong sense of purpose shaped her confidence, leadership vision, and commitment to inclusive, technology-enabled learning.

Monica Malhotra Kandhari is a respected leader in the education and publishing space. Known for advancing accessible, technology-driven learning, she has expanded global operations, shaped industry forums, and authored award-winning children’s books.

To learn more about her leadership journey, values, and vision for the future of education, read the full article below.

You began working at 16 and now lead a global education enterprise. How did those early experiences shape your leadership vision and confidence as a woman entrepreneur?

Beginning my career at 16, guided closely by my father’s mentorship, laid a strong leadership foundation that continues to steer me. He helped me understand the discipline, humility, and commitment it takes to build something meaningful, and those values have shaped how I approach work and responsibility.

Working across different functions showed me how each unit shapes the organisation’s overall impact. It reinforced the value of being actively involved, listening closely to people on the ground, and approaching leadership with a sense of awareness rather than assumption.

These experiences, especially at such a young age, helped me develop clarity of vision, confidence in decision-making, and the courage to navigate spaces where women were still finding their footing. They instilled in me the belief that innovation and inclusivity can go hand in hand, and ultimately shaped the way I lead a global education enterprise today, focused on access, quality, and technology-enabled learning for every student.

How did you find the courage to reimagine a legacy publishing brand into a future-ready digital learning platform like AASOKA?

Our evolution from a legacy publishing brand to a modern digital learning platform was driven by a combination of conviction, accountability, and a profound respect for our heritage. Growing up in the family business, I saw how trust, quality, and lasting relationships were built over decades, and I knew that these values could become the foundation for something even more impactful.

Simultaneously, it became evident that learners’ needs were evolving rapidly, and relying solely on print would not meet the demands of the next generation. For me, courage came from seeing evolution as an extension of legacy, not a departure from it. AASOKA was our way of honouring those roots while building something relevant, scalable, and learner-centric.

My early experiences taught me how to lead through change with resilience and openness, and that grounding helped me drive this transformation with confidence.

As AASOKA expanded to 4,000+ schools across India and beyond. What leadership principles helped you scale with empathy, inclusivity, and innovation at the core?

Empathy, inclusivity, and innovation have shaped every decision we’ve taken while growing AASOKA to more than 4,000 schools and nearly 950,000 students. I have always believed that a child’s access to quality education should never depend on their economic background or where they come from. This belief guided us to create NEP-aligned curriculum resources and a digital-first learning environment that even schools with limited infrastructure could adopt with ease.

Our commitment to teachers has been equally important. By offering structured Continuing Professional Development programmes, we ensured educators felt supported, valued, and confident as classrooms evolved. Innovation helped us continually refine our digital platforms and learning tools, enabling us to serve diverse needs across different learning settings.

Balancing growth and purpose is rare today. How do you ensure that business expansion continues to serve your mission of accessible, quality education for all?

Growth at AASOKA has always been anchored in our core mission of making high-quality education accessible and meaningful for every learner. Guided by the six-decade legacy of the MBD Group and the vision of Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra, we have stayed committed to expansion that strengthens our purpose rather than distracts from it. This philosophy became even more important during the pandemic, when we opened access to our e-books and LMS to support uninterrupted learning. It reinforced our belief that technology must drive impact before scale.

As we move into new regions, we stay closely connected with educators to understand their realities, whether it’s learning gaps, engagement challenges, or operational constraints. Our solutions are designed to meet these needs thoughtfully, ensuring that growth is always mission-led. AASOKA’s progress remains rooted in empowering students, trained more than 80,000 teachers, helping schools build classrooms prepared for the future.

In moments of challenge whether digital transformation or global expansion, what inner mindset or support system helped you navigate pressure without compromising authenticity?

Whether it has been digital transformation or global expansion, navigating complex challenges has required clarity, resilience, and a strong sense of purpose. What truly keeps me centred is staying aligned with our mission and remaining open to change when the situation demands it.

I am deeply grateful for the incredible support system around me. Our teams, technology partners, and academic experts stood together during demanding periods—upgrading platforms, creating content at speed, and empowering schools across the country every step of the way. It was the shared sense of purpose that allowed me to lead with steadiness, empathy, and conviction. Staying anchored in values while evolving with changing needs has been essential in maintaining authenticity through every phase.

LAST WORD: What Defines Sustainable & Impactful Leadership Today?

For women leaders today, sustainable leadership is rooted in clarity of purpose and the ability to remain steady in an environment that constantly shifts. Vision alone is never enough; it must be supported by resilience, adaptability, and thoughtful decision-making. Leaders who endure are those who stay grounded, think long-term, and avoid reacting to momentary pressures.

Equally, empathy plays a transformative role. Creating teams where people feel valued, trusted, and supported leads to organisations that thrive even amid uncertainty. Women who build lasting impact tend to cultivate spaces where authenticity is a strength and where continuous learning is encouraged. In many ways, sustainable leadership today is a balance of emotional intelligence, adaptability, and purpose-driven conviction, a combination that not only withstands volatility but turns it into meaningful progress.