Pankaj Sharma, President and Managing Trustee of The Lexicon Group and Chairman & Managing Director of Pune Times Mirror, Civic Mirror, and Multifit, is a distinguished educationist and social entrepreneur with a remarkable passion for innovative social reform. With over two decades of experience mastering the nuanced art of business, Mr Sharma drives progress across various verticals under his leadership. Known for his visionary approach and resilience, Sharma has embraced risks and challenges to lead a new age of growth and progress for the future generations of this country. Today, he is a prominent member of the Maharashtra civic body, collaborating with a wide range of experts to serve the people of Pune city.
Pankaj Sharma's dedication to his vision and his indefatigable commitment to education have resulted in national recognition and felicitation by international and national organisations. The Times Group has awarded him with the titles of “Men of The Year for Education” and “Pune's Visionary” Awards. The prestigious Forbes magazine awarded him with the title of “India's Leaders of Education” and AsiaOne awarded him with “Asia's Greatest Emerging Leader Award”.
Pankaj Sharma's journey began in the education sector by selling textbooks on a bicycle with his younger brother, an opportunity they crafted for themselves to earn money and experience. With an abundance of hard work and commitment, they familiarised themselves with the systems, intricacies and requirements of schools and education leaders through innumerable interactions over the years. In 1999, at great risk to the financial savings of the family, The Lexicon International School, Wagholi, was established in Pune. Starting with just 19 students, Sharma family's vision and perseverance have allowed Lexicon to expand to thousands of students across the multiple educational institutes under its umbrella.
Pankaj Sharma is the leader and educationist who has built a legacy by empowering his students and teams consisting of teachers, mentors, experts, administrators and the management; with an approach of collaboration through camaraderie, he has transformed The Lexicon Group from a single school to an ever-growing ecosystem of academic institutions, research centres, developmental centres and learning hubs where real, industrial training is offered to young students. Under his leadership, the company has undergone remarkable diversification, further offering newer opportunities to Lexicon students to explore a wide range of interests and refine their unique talents under the tutelage of master mentors.
Mr Sharma's success is grounded in his ideology, where community service and social welfare have always trumped commercial successes. His initiation of Lexicon was built upon the sole purpose of wanting to make high-quality education accessible to every member of the community, where every student can graduate with a new perspective based on information, innovation and experience. His emphasis on value education for students has enabled young learners to imbibe more than just textbook knowledge; they are students with strong personalities, compassionate hearts and curious minds. Mr Sharma has ensured that over the years, all the educational institutions under Lexicon continue to evolve by consciously adopting new-age technologies, innovative pedagogies, teaching methodologies and a zeal for experiential and hands-on learning. By creating a nurturing work environment for all the teachers and mentors, Mr Sharma has created a platform for excellence for all the stakeholders of his Lexicon family.
In 2021, Pankaj and Neeraj Sharma led the Lexicon Group towards its most significant step in the world of media and journalism; The Lexicon Group were able to take charge of Pune Times Mirror, a city-centric newspaper daily. Under their leadership as Chairman & MD of Pune Times Mirror, the newspaper has undergone remarkable reformation and is now appreciated for its bold, honest and engaging journalism. The Lexicon Group also launched Pune's first Marathi language daily, Civic Mirror, which has garnered massive appreciation by the readers.
It was through the experiences of leading Pune Times Mirror and Civic Mirror that led to the establishing of Lexicon Institute of Media & Animation. This is an institution, where the goal is to prepare its students with the skills of media, animation and journalism, but also to train them to uphold their responsibilities as the future leaders of a rapidly changing world.
Every student of Lexicon IMA is mentored by the most noteworthy names in the world of media and animation. Pankaj Sharma's vision for this institute was to provide new-age innovative and industry-appropriate training to students to build their careers in visual effects, graphics, game design, advertising, marketing, print, broadcast and digital journalism. Furthermore, he wanted every Lexicon IMA student to graduate as a “Day Zero Professional”, ready to succeed in the professional world!
Across all his endeavours, Pankaj Sharma is driven by social welfare and community service. He has been able to lead multiple initiatives for the city through The Lexicon Group and Pune Times Mirror, where he has ensured active participation of Lexicon students and the citizens of Pune City. He has been able to herald a new era of change-making, where the youth have been given the knowledge, opportunity and skills to interact with the most reputable public figures of the city and bring about real change for the community. Whether these initiatives involve safer roads for our city, empowerment of women, or bridging the gaps between the people and the governing bodies, Pankaj Sharma continues to place his duties as an educator, leader and social change-maker before his role as a businessman.
Pankaj Sharma's journey over the last two decades is a testament to how resilience, commitment and passion can transform vision into victory. He continues to meet his students with the warmth of curiosity, where he seeks their new-age questions and ideas, always welcoming and encouraging the power of a young mind. His efforts as an educationist have touched thousands of students, ensuring they lead lives as responsible, capable and collaborative leaders of the 21st century.