Nirupa Shankar

Nirupa Shankar is an Indian entrepreneur and athlete, currently serving as the joint managing director of Brigade Group, a publicly traded real estate company based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. She is the daughter of M. R. Jaishankar, who serves as the executive chairman of the company.

In 2015, Nirupa started her running journey and became a member of a local joggers' club, where she discovered the challenges of endurance races. Over time, she participated in marathons and triathlons. She completed her first triathlon in September 2017. In 2021, she completed a sprint triathlon in Croatia and, later, participated in a triathlon in Dubai. She was the only Indian female participant in the Ironman triathlon in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In 2016, she set up Asia's first real estate accelerator called Brigade Real Estate Accelerator Program (Brigade REAP).

Early life and education
Born and brought up in Bangalore, Nirupa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and pursued a master's in management in hospitality from Cornell University. Nirupa worked as a senior business analyst with Ernst & Young LLP in New York, Washington DC, and North Carolina.

Career
In 2022, Nirupa was appointed as a joint managing director, and her sister Pavitra Shankar assumed the role of managing director at Brigade Group. Nirupa has been with Brigade Group since 2009, where she handles hospitality, office, and retail operations, as well as managing Human Resources, Public Relations, and Innovation functions. The company, a publicly traded real estate and property development firm, was founded by their father, M. R. Jaishankar, in 1986. He currently serves as the executive chairman of the company. Brigade Group operates in multiple locations, such as Mangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chikmagalur, and Ahmedabad, and has received national and international awards in the construction industry.

Nirupa is also a trustee of the Brigade Foundation, a not-for-profit trust established by the Brigade Group.

Sport career
Following the birth of her first child, Nirupa Shankar started pursuing running in 2015 and joined a local joggers' club, where she discovered the challenges of endurance races.

Nirupa has taken part in marathons and triathlon events. In 2021, she participated in a sprint (short-distance) triathlon in Croatia, beginning her training six months after the birth of her second child.

In March of the same year, she also joined the half Ironman in Dubai. Her training for the 2023 Ironman commenced in January of that year.

In 2023, she competed in the annual Ironman triathlon in Copenhagen, Denmark, held in August. Nirupa was the only Indian female participant in this triathlon, which comprised a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 180-kilometre cycle ride, and a full marathon distance of 42.2 kilometers. In her first attempt at the Ironman, Shankar crossed the finish line in 14 hours, 47 minutes, and 41 seconds.

Recognition

 * 2020: Listed in the Power List 2023 by Hotelier India
 * 2021: Received ‘ET 40 Under Forty:’ India Inc's Top Young Leaders 2021
 * She received recognition from CNBC as a Young Turk.