KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 23

Neerja Birla, wife of Aditya Birla Group's billionaire chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, scaled Lobuche peak in the Everest region, according Seven Summit Treks.

Thaneswar Guragai, General manager at STT said that Dr Birla, founder and chairperson of Aditya Birla Education Trust successfully scaled Lobuche on 21 October at 8:40 AM.

'Along with record-holding Indian climber Arjun Vajpai, Birla stood atop the peak,' he said. Mountain guide Dawa Sangay Sherpa, and expedition Doctor Behrouz Moghadasi who were part of the SST Lobuche peak expedition also scaled the scenic mountain, he added.

Dr. Birla, a passionate educationist and mental health advocate, is the Founder and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET), a social enterprise dedicated to positively impacting the lives of people across all sections of society and driving progressive change in the fields of education and mental health in India.

Dr Birla has received both Indian and international accolades, including being named Changemaker of the Year at the 2022 Women Achievers Awards and Most Powerful Woman in Business by both Business Today and Fortune India. In 2019, she was recognized among the 50 Top Global Mental Health Leaders by the World Mental Health Congress. 'Organizing an expedition for such an inspiring leader is an honor for Seven Summit Treks family,' Guragai noted.

Dr Birla had abandoned her expedition on Lobuche in last spring. 'She is so determined and courageous,' Arjun who accompanied the Indian billionaire to the summit of Lobuche this season shared.

Neerja's expedition to Lobuche also sends a positive message to the mountaineering world and it also helps promote Nepal's adventure tourism, according to Guragai.

Being the wife of the 7th richest person in India, Neerja, 52, has a passion for promoting children's education and working for causes related to mental health.

'A huge sense of gratitude to my team on the mountains and to seven summits who made this attempt a success. A greater sense of pride to see mental health awareness scale heights,' Birla shared on X.