MBD Group was founded by Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra in 1956 with a small bookshop in Jalandhar, Punjab. Today, guided by his vision we are a conglomerate of Printing, Publishing, EdTech, Hospitality, Malls, Realty, Design and Construction, Food & Beverage and Residences and Commercial Spaces operating in India and abroad.

MBD Group has been continuously working for the cause of providing education to all with the founder’s vision to create an “MBD Product for every literate person”. Apart from being one of the leading EdTech companies in India, today MBD Group has presence in 3 continents. MBD is the only publisher, which publishes books and creates digital resources for K-12, for all subjects across multiple educational boards in India, and in most of the languages spoken in the country along with a few international languages.

MBD Group’s fastest growing product, AASOKA, has been well received by schools, teachers, students and parents. AASOKA is a blended learning platform for K-12 schools that provides a complete learning solution in the form of books, multimedia resources, lesson plans, adaptive assessments, analytics, AI-powered tools and more to make teaching-learning more interactive and engaging. The resources are aligned with NEP 2020 and the National curriculum Framework (NCF 2022, 2023).

Besides learning, AASOKA simplifies school operations through its school management system. It also supports teachers through continuous professional development sessions that cover NEP 2020, NCF, classroom management, subject specific pedagogies and more.

The AASOKA ecosystem also includes specialised programmes such as AASOKA WizKids for early learners and the AI STEAM Lab that enables hands-on learning in coding, robotics and artificial intelligence through experiential activities.

Building on the remarkable success as an education conglomerate, the Group expanded into the hospitality sector. On 21 November 2003, it launched the Radisson Blu MBD Hotel in Noida—the city’s first fully owned and managed five-star luxury hotel by MBD Group. In its 22 years of operations, the hotel has created new benchmarks and received numerous awards and accolades for its exceptional performance and impeccable hospitality services and has become a name to reckon with.

After achieving incredible success in its first forays into the hospitality domain, the Group replicated the success of Radisson Blu MBD Hotel Noida by venturing into Ludhiana and launching the first five-star hotel in the city, Radisson Blu Hotel MBD Ludhiana. Continuing the journey, the Group also became joint venture partners with Germany’s largest hotel chain, Steigenberger. With this, the Group has embarked on undertaking luxury hotels on management contracts. The Group has also launched a path-breaking mid-market hotel brand, MBD Express, and intends to add 100 hotels in the next five years. The Group also has numerous successful F&B brands such as RED, Made in India, The Chocolate Box and Lounge – lauded as some of the most innovative brands in the country.

MBD Group has also diversified into retail developments, including MBD Neopolis Mall in Ludhiana, a retail and entertainment destination designed with a unique 3-in-1 concept integrating a mall, a five-star deluxe hotel, and entertainment spaces. MBD Neopolis Mall Jalandhar is the first of its kind in the city not just in terms of brand mix with premium and luxury retail brands but also its strategic location. It has a great brand mix and provides excellent options in shopping, fine dining and entertainment for all age groups.

Adding to the above endeavours, the Group has successfully entered the design and construction domain and mastered the fine art of managing multiple projects with MBD Design & Build foraying into Indian and international markets. Also, the group has successfully completed commercial office projects and is foraying into big residential projects in India and abroad.

A recent development has further strengthened the Group’s position in the hospitality sector. MBD has secured a Master Franchise Agreement for India with Radisson Hotel Group, with exclusive development rights for Radisson Collection MBD Hotels and Radisson RED MBD Hotels nationwide. In Udaipur, Pichola Villas at Lake Pichola adds a boutique, heritage-led hospitality experience, while Saffron & Gold elevates every occasion with signature outdoor catering and timeless culinary elegance.