Century Business Media directors control 94.85% of company equity

Century Business Media Limited is controlled by three related directors holding 94.85% of its equity shares as of the red herring prospectus date. Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Kumar Chaudhary holds 80.93%, or 52,19,720 shares, while the company’s two independent directors hold no equity shares.

How concentrated is Century Business Media’s director ownership?

Century Business Media’s three shareholder-directors hold 61,17,040 shares, representing 94.85% of the company’s equity. The prospectus records eight shareholders, yet its director-shareholding table identifies Shashi Kumar Chaudhary, Seema Chaudhary and Sangita Dokania as holders of nearly all shares disclosed in this section.

The balance not held by these three directors is 5.15% by calculation from the reported 94.85% total. The management disclosure does not identify the individual holdings of the other five shareholders, so the scale of each remaining stake cannot be determined from the supplied information.

Shashi Kumar Chaudhary’s 80.93% holding exceeds four-fifths of Century Business Media’s equity on its own. Sangita Dokania holds the second-largest disclosed director stake at 10.04%, while Seema Chaudhary holds 3.88%; independent directors Lata Bagri and Abhishek Kumar Ray held nil equity as of the prospectus date.

Who are the related directors behind the 94.85% holding?

Century Business Media identifies all three shareholder-directors as members of the same family for the purposes of Section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013. Shashi Kumar Chaudhary is Seema Chaudhary’s spouse and Sangita Dokania’s brother, while Seema Chaudhary is Sangita Dokania’s sister-in-law.

Shashi Kumar Chaudhary has been a director since Century Business Media’s 1999 incorporation and became chairman and managing director for five years from September 17, 2024. The prospectus assigns him oversight of accounts and finance, sales and marketing, and media-rights acquisition, as well as responsibility for business strategy and key policy decisions.

Seema Chaudhary has been on the board since August 14, 2012 and was designated whole-time director for five years from September 17, 2024. Her stated responsibilities are human resources and administration, while Sangita Dokania was appointed as a director on March 23, 2024 and redesignated as non-executive director from September 18, 2024.

Sangita Dokania’s 10.04% equity interest is larger than Seema Chaudhary’s 3.88% stake despite her non-executive designation. Century Business Media also identifies Sangita Dokania and Shashi Kumar Chaudhary as lessors of its Kolkata corporate office under an 11-month lease from August 7, 2026 to July 6, 2027, at monthly rent of Rs 1 lakh split equally between them.

How does ownership compare with Century Business Media’s board structure?

Century Business Media has five directors, but the three directors who hold shares own 94.85% of the equity. The board consists of two executive directors, one non-executive director and two non-executive independent directors, with three women directors stated in the prospectus.

The three shareholder-directors represent 60% of the five-member board, compared with their 94.85% equity holding. That is a difference of 34.85 percentage points between their share of board seats and their reported ownership, although the prospectus does not state the outcome of any future shareholder vote.

The board changed during the three years disclosed in the prospectus. Sangita Dokania ceased to be a director on September 1, 2023, returned on March 23, 2024 and became non-executive director on September 18, 2024; Lata Bagri and Abhishek Kumar Ray resigned on March 30, 2026 and were reappointed from April 1, 2026 before regularisation at the April 6, 2026 extraordinary general meeting.

Century Business Media’s articles do not require directors to own qualification shares. The nil holdings of Lata Bagri and Abhishek Kumar Ray therefore reflect the reported ownership position rather than a failure to meet a director-shareholding requirement.

What governance measures apply to Century Business Media’s concentrated ownership?

Century Business Media says Securities and Exchange Board of India listing and corporate-governance requirements will apply immediately upon listing on the BSE SME platform. The company says it has constituted the audit, stakeholders relationship, and nomination and remuneration committees in line with applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and listing regulations.

The audit committee was reconstituted on April 7, 2026 with Lata Bagri as chairperson, Abhishek Kumar Ray as member and Shashi Kumar Chaudhary as member. The two independent directors therefore comprise two of the committee’s three members, and the committee’s stated remit includes financial reporting, internal financial controls, risk management and related-party transactions, meaning transactions with connected parties.

The committee is also assigned to monitor the use of funds raised through the proposed initial public offer. Century Business Media states that the committee must meet at least four times a year, with no more than 120 days between two meetings, under its disclosed terms of reference.

The prospectus reports no shareholder agreements or other arrangements among shareholders, promoters, promoter-group entities, related parties or directors that affect management or control as of its date. Separately, Century Business Media entered a non-compete agreement dated August 25, 2025 with Century Ventures Private Limited, Airport Advertising & Media Private Limited, Airport Advertising (Agartala) Private Limited and Bigspace Media Private Limited.

How do director roles and pay compare with ownership?

Century Business Media’s executive shareholder-directors have five-year appointments and remuneration ceilings effective September 17, 2024. Shashi Kumar Chaudhary’s remuneration may not exceed Rs 50 lakh a year, while Seema Chaudhary’s may not exceed Rs 40 lakh a year; Sangita Dokania’s approved annual remuneration from September 18, 2024 may not exceed Rs 6 lakh.

Reported remuneration for Fiscal 2026 was Rs 39 lakh for Shashi Kumar Chaudhary, Rs 30 lakh for Seema Chaudhary and Rs 6 lakh for Sangita Dokania. The three payments totalled Rs 75 lakh, compared with combined approved annual ceilings of Rs 96 lakh, and Century Business Media says it has no director bonus, profit-sharing, contingent or deferred compensation plan.

The company states that directors may be interested in remuneration, expense reimbursement, equity holdings and dividends payable on their shares. It also flags potential interests in unsecured loans, borrowings and personal guarantees involving directors, relatives or entities in which they are interested, but the management section does not quantify any such facilities.

Conclusion

Century Business Media’s five-person board includes two independent directors, but its reported equity is concentrated in three related directors with 94.85% of shares. Shashi Kumar Chaudhary’s 80.93% holding combines the largest disclosed equity position with the chairman and managing director role and stated responsibility for finance, sales, marketing and media-rights acquisition.

The next disclosure to watch is the operation of the governance framework that Century Business Media says will apply upon BSE SME listing, including the audit committee reconstituted on April 7, 2026 and its oversight of related-party transactions and issue-proceeds use. The August 25, 2025 non-compete agreement and the Kolkata office lease running from August 7, 2026 to July 6, 2027 are disclosed connected-party arrangements that may feature in later company updates.