His father J.B. Goyal, PhD, authored 30 published books on Hindi literature and Sikh culture and was the Dean of faculty of the arts and languages at Kurukshetra University in India.
In 1987, Goyal began his career on the Indian national television network Doordarshan, where he was a quiz show host and an anchor for youth and cultural programs.
In 1991, he spent days and nights in protest against the coup in human chains outside the Russian White House where Boris Yeltsin was taking a stand against the junta that ousted Mikhail Gorbachev.
[4] In 1997, Goyal wound up or sold his business interests, citing high corruption, crime, and western investors' irrational exuberance over Russia, and took a sabbatical at the Harvard Institute of International Development (HIID).
The newspaper was known for its bold, uncompromising investigative coverage of Russia, where equal opportunity was given to reporters and columnists from the left and right.
[7] The investigative and hard-hitting journalism of Goyal's newspaper in Russia made him a target for many threats and lawsuits from Russian oligarchs.
He was an early supporter of President Vladimir Putin and a staunch critic of "Russia's Robber Barons," including Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Goyal spoke out against the hypocrisies of certain western press organizations and businesses in a documentary titled Cold Politics that was broadcast on Russia's state-owned television channel ORT in the run up to the 2012 Presidential elections.
[12] During his time in Russia, Goyal went on to create additional market-leading internet companies in news, classifieds, entertainment, and jobs.
[13] By 2005, sensing a change in political environment and enhanced risks for foreign investors, Goyal started to sell off his media assets and exited Russia once again.
[18] ZENING’s launch in July 2013 was considered a major triumph in the resort’s early history as Goyal dealt with years of bureaucratic obstacles as a foreign investor.
In India’s 2009 General Elections, Goyal ran as an independent candidate for Indian parliament on an anti-corruption platform from Chandigarh.
[28][29][30] Goyal actively writes on climate change and green initiatives, and advises a number of senior Indian leaders on development issues.