(Chairperson and Managing Director – Shree Hospitals)
The Detail Whisperer
Empowerment for women wasn’t an overnight triumph, it was a deliberate break from tradition, propelling them into once-forbidden areas with grace and grit. In healthcare, this shift gave rise to trailblazing leaders who didn’t just enter the arena; they reshaped it entirely.
Shalini Kothakonda, Chairperson and Managing Director of Shree Hospitals in Bhubaneswar, embodies this transformation through her resilient leadership of a 100-bed multi-specialty powerhouse.
Her visionary drive has elevated the hospital since 2013, delivering 24/7 trauma care, neonatal ICU services, and specialties like orthopedics and cardiology, all while prioritizing affordability and patient trust.
Featuring her as “India’s Most Inspiring Healthcare Leaders 2025″ honors her precision in blending compassion with innovation.
The Paradox of Privilege
Born into a wealthy family in Telangana, Shalini’s upbringing carried both privilege and paradox. Her father was a doctor, education was valued, and yet, as a girl, expectations were sharply limited. In a community shaped deeply by dowry practices and patriarchal norms, daughters were viewed primarily through the lens of marriage.
Growing up, she often heard that a girl did not need to study extensively because her future lay elsewhere. At that stage, Shalini herself did not dream of becoming a healthcare leader. She was, as she describes, “too young and too unaware to imagine a future beyond what society had quietly written for her.”
Where Direction Replaced Destiny
It was only after completing her higher secondary education that something shifted. What began as routine schooling slowly transformed into a conscious pursuit of knowledge. Shalini chose to graduate in Microbiology, followed by a Master’s in Hospital Administration (MHA), a choice that would become the foundation of her professional life.
Why Independence Became Non-Negotiable
Marriage brought with it a realisation that altered everything. Having to ask for money for personal expenses made her deeply uncomfortable not because of pride, but because it made her aware of how fragile dependence can be. That moment became her silent rebellion. It was then she decided she would work, earn, and stand independently.
She began her professional journey as a management trainee, a mandatory step after her MHA, but one she embraced wholeheartedly. From Assistant Administrator to Administrator, she worked in leadership positions from the start.
She was fiercely competitive, she refused to allow gaps in her work that could invite criticism. She studied hospital operations, learned medical case management, and absorbed everything from finance to ICU protocols. If she didn’t know something, she learned it, relentlessly.
In 2003, after returning to India, she settled in Vizag and continued working in senior administrative roles, refining her understanding of hospital systems from the inside.
The Risk That Changed Everything
The idea of starting her own hospital did not arrive with grand ambition, it arrived with circumstance.
After moving to Bhubaneswar, Shalini was encouraged by a colleague to build a hospital of her own. What followed was a series of setbacks that would have discouraged most investors who walked away after the company was formed, leaving only Shalini and her partner standing. But instead of retreating, they chose resolve.
One morning, she called her colleague and asked a simple question, “Are you ready to take the risk?” He was ready to quit his job and take this project up seriously. With just about ₹9 lakh in her account, supported by bank loans and personal guarantees, Shalini built the hospital brick by brick, emotionally, financially and professionally. Construction was completed in just six months due to rental pressures, and the first five years tested every bit of resilience she possessed. Break-even came only after half a decade. But when it did, it marked not just financial stability, it marked the triumph of belief over fear.
Leadership That Lives in the Details
Today, as Chairperson and Managing Director, Shalini’s leadership style is famously hands-on. She oversees everything, from HR to accounts, from vendor selection to hospital policies. She decides even the brand of biscuits served to patients, because, as she believes, details hold power.
She never interferes with medical treatment decisions. Instead, she audits outcomes, patient satisfaction, and ethical delivery of care. The hospital is digitally monitored through CCTV, OT imaging and constant reporting, even when she is out of the city.
Ethics at the Core
For Shalini, healthcare is not a transactional industry. She has ensured that no patient is denied the best possible treatment due to financial constraints. Through the Shree Trust, she personally supports the treatment of underprivileged patients, reinforcing her core belief, “Saving a life is more important than recovering a bill.”
In an era where hospitals are often criticised for becoming corporate entities, Shree Hospitals stands as a rare reminder that empathy and excellence can coexist.
With her husband, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, joining as a partner, Shree Hospitals has become one of Bhubaneswar’s leading centres for orthopedic care. But beyond clinical success, what truly defines the institution is its culture, one of accountability, compassion and uncompromising quality.
Her co-partners gave her what few leaders receive, absolute trust and complete administrative freedom. And she repaid that trust by building not just a hospital, but a reputation.
Looking Ahead
Shalini’s ambitions stretch far beyond a single institution. She envisions an international-standard, multi-floor hospital in Bhubaneswar, facilities geared towards medical tourism, expansion across Odisha, high-end diagnostic centres, but she refuses shortcuts. If it cannot be done right, it will not be done at all.
In Shalini’s world, leadership is not about authority. It is about responsibility, to patients, to ethics, and to the generations of women watching quietly, ready to step beyond their own four walls.
