Maheshwer Peri: Transforming lives through education

Maheshwer Peri, the Founder and Chairman of Careers360 (Pathfinder Publishing Pvt. Ltd), an online platform focused on higher education discovery and student decision-making, has turned a year older. On his birthday, we look at his inspirational journey.

A Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and Company Secretary by qualification, Peri began his professional career in investment banking with SBI Capital Markets. He later moved into the media industry, where he was associated with the Outlook Group for 17 years, including over a decade in a leadership role while heading the organisation.

In 2009, he started his entrepreneurial journey with Careers360, driven by his understanding of student challenges and the information gaps in India’s education ecosystem.

A believer in goodness, in real impact, and in meaningful change.

Peri’s approach to building Careers360 has been shaped by his views on education and opportunity. He has emphasised the role of education as a key tool of empowerment and the importance of providing students with access to reliable information. His view that informed guidance can help students make better decisions has been pivotal in the platform’s development, particularly in addressing gaps in awareness within the higher education landscape.

Today, Careers360 stands as India's largest higher education discovery platform, a beacon of reliable information and guidance. It proudly covers data on over 40,000 institutions and more than 400 exams, empowering students and parents every single day. Backed by a talented team of about 350 passionate individuals, the platform thrives under his visionary leadership.

A Courageous Stand for Truth: The IIPM Legal Battle

One of the most defining chapters in Maheshwer Peri's journey came from his unwavering commitment to transparency in education, a stand that led to a hard-fought, six-year legal battle against the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) and its founder, Arindam Chaudhuri.

Peri publicly challenged what he saw as widespread malpractices in education advertising, including bogus tie-ups and exaggerated promises. Over several years, multiple defamation cases were filed against him and his publications across different courts. Rather than settling, Peri chose to contest the cases, he fought every case fiercely, insisting that truth spoken for the public good must prevail.

The battle culminated triumphantly on January 22, 2016, when Arindam Chaudhuri and IIPM unconditionally withdrew all remaining cases against Peri and related parties.

As he celebrates his birthday, Peri remains engaged in building Careers360 as a platform focused on improving access to information for students navigating higher education choices in India.