Shashi Soni

Shashi Soni was born on 4 April 1941 in Lahore, British India (now Pakistan).^[1] She began her entrepreneurial career in 1971 by founding Deep Transport with a seed capital of ₹10,000.^[3]

In 1975, Soni established Deep Mandir, the first air-conditioned cinema in Mulund, Mumbai. In 1981, she founded Deep Oxygen Pvt. Ltd., which became the first industrial gas manufacturing unit in Mysore.^[4] She was later elected as the only woman member of the Managing Committee of the All India Industrial Gas Manufacturers Association and served on the Director General of Technical Development panel of the Government of India.^[5][6][7][8]

In 1996, Soni founded IZMO Ltd. (formerly Logix Microsystems Ltd.), which is listed on the NSE and BSE. The company provides digital retailing platforms for the automotive sector and operates in North America, Europe, and Asia. It has served over 1,800 clients globally.^[9][10][11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she spearheaded the establishment of Hughes Precision Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd., an ammunition facility in Verna, Goa. The project was completed within 18 months under the Government of India's "Make in India" initiative and became the only private-sector ammunition exporter in the country, serving 14 nations.^[12][13]

Soni founded Deep Janseva Samiti in 1996, a charitable trust focused on livelihood generation, women's education, slum rehabilitation, and welfare for the disabled. She also initiated the “Smart Shiksha” program for youth education in Karnataka.^[14][15]

• Woman of the year award (1990) - for her contribution to the Indian industry.^[16]
• Mahila Gaurav Puraskar (1990) – in recognition of her early entrepreneurial achievements.^[5]
• Padma Shri (2024) – awarded by the Government of India for distinguished service in trade and industry.^[1]