Jamal Shahid Shaikh: Shaping India’s lifestyle media, one story at a time

In India’s lifestyle media landscape, Jamal Shahid Shaikh stands today at the helm of a portfolio that is redefining taste, aspiration and cultural relevance. As Chief Operating Officer for Lifestyle Media Businesses at the RP–Sanjiv Goenka Group since April 2023, he oversees some of the most influential lifestyle titles in the country, steering them into a new era of editorial excellence and brand power.

Under his leadership, Esquire India, The Hollywood Reporter India, Manifest, and the returning Robb Report are being reimagined for a modern audience, rooted in sharp storytelling, shaped by contemporary culture, and built for multi-platform influence. His vision is clear: to craft brands that are not just read, but experienced; not just admired, but lived.

It’s a role that draws on the full breadth of his editorial journey. As National Editor of Brunch and New Media Initiatives at Hindustan Times, he turned the Sunday magazine into a cultural fixture for over a million readers, blending lifestyle, culture, and conversation in a way that felt personal yet expansive. Before that, he brought global names like Men’s Health, Robb Report, and Discovery Channel Magazine to India, launches that blended aspiration with authenticity and set new benchmarks in their segments.

Today, that same sensibility, part curator, part innovator, guides his leadership at RPSG. Jamal approaches each title as a living, breathing idea, one that must evolve with its readers while remaining anchored in quality. His personal passions for food, travel, and global culture infuse his work with warmth and texture, ensuring that even the most aspirational pages feel grounded and inclusive.

On his birthday, it’s not just the impressive mastheads under his charge that deserve recognition, but the mindset he brings to them: a deep respect for storytelling, an instinct for cultural shifts, and a relentless drive to keep India’s lifestyle conversation fresh, relevant, and ahead of the curve.