Nisha Pillai was born in Calcutta but spent her childhood in Bombay. Her parents returned to India on their retirement where they now keep an eye on their daughter by turning on the television. She attended a girls school in Birmingham where she found herself the only Asian pupil in her year at a school where there were few Asians at all. She attended the London School of Economics and as she puts it: ‘spent most of my time as a theatre impresario, putting on plays, rather than in the economics library’. 

Her first job after leaving university was at Schroders Investment Bank as a graduate trainee but soon found this was not her calling in life. The Investors Chronicle, her next position, gave her the training in journalism that led to being a reporter on the Money Programme for the BBC. She then spent 9 month investigating the financial empire of Robert Maxwell and the programme ‘The Max Factor’ won a Royal Television Society award in London. 

Nisha followed this by reporting for Panorama, the BBC current affairs programme for 5 years from 1990 to 1995. She then joined BBC World in October 1995 and lists some of the highlights of her career on the channel so far. Live coverage of 50th anniversary of Independence from Pakistan. Nisha was ‘bowled over’ by the hospitality and generosity of the Pakistani people. Presenting BBC World’s coverage of Israel’s 50th anniversary of independence. Presenting Hardtalk, BBC World’s daily interview programme, when Tim Sebastian is away. Among the notable interviewees she has questioned on this programme include: Sir Yehudi Menuhin, V.S. Naipaul and Phil Collins.

(BBC NEWS Publicity)

BBC NEWS with Nisha Pillai Titles and Headlines

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BBC NEWS with Nisha Pillai End of the news bulletin

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