MAM
Dentsu X appoints Arabinda Ghosh as CSO
MUMBAI: Dentsu X, an integrated media specialist from Dentsu Aegis Network, has roped in Arabinda Ghosh as chief strategy officer. He will report to Roopam Garg, chief client officer, dentsu X India and will be based out of Delhi.
Ghosh brings with him extensive experience in research and planning spanning two decades. He has worked with big research firms in India such as the Kantar brands–IMRB, TNS, Millward Brown, and Nielsen.
During his last stint at Kantar, he was the key consultant to Coke and ABInBev for their branding and communication development strategy and has also guided clients on the effectiveness of cross-media impact and how to harness and optimise the consumer journey to achieve the desired brand objectives.
Dentsu X India CEO Divya Karani said, “Having worked with Arabinda on the Tata group media mandate in the past, I am elated once again to have him aboard at dentsu X. In these intervening years, Arabinda has grown tremendously with his rich experience on BAT, Coke and other business. He brings immense value to the company’s capabilities. We are increasingly bringing on board senior talent who can carry forward the learnings of seamless integrated consumer and brand interaction to bear on our clients’ business.”
Ghosh added, “I find dentsu X to be the most cutting edge and innovative media company, which enables me to pursue my dream. I am excited because dentsu X’s vision of ‘experience over exposure’ encapsulates the future of the entire communication eco-system in a pithy way. I look forward to both being able to contribute and learn as we move forward.”
MAM
Times Group’s Vineet Jain conferred lifetime media honour
Managing India award crowns four decades of expansion, ambition and cultural clout
NEW DELHI: Vineet Jain has picked up another trophy, and this one comes with a lifetime tag.
At the 70th foundation day and 20th national management day of All India Management Association in New Delhi, the managing director of The Times Group was conferred the “lifetime contribution to media” award, presented by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The honour formed part of AIMA’s 16th managing India awards, themed “Transforming for tomorrow: growth with resilience”.
AIMA’s citation was expansive and effusive. It hailed Jain as a “future-ready leader and agile entrepreneur” who has turned a legacy newspaper business into a diversified media powerhouse. Since the late 1980s, it noted, he has revitalised print while pushing aggressively into television, radio, internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments across 35 markets.
“He did not just grow a newspaper company; he built a multifaceted media empire that dominates information and entertainment in India and shapes the nation’s political and commercial awareness,” the citation said. “From television and radio to internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments, his leadership has created influential brands across every platform.”
Under Jain’s stewardship, television brands such as Times Now, ET Now and Zoom have expanded the group’s broadcast heft, while their digital avatars have chased new audiences online. Radio Mirchi, Gaana, Times OOH, Times Music and Magicbricks have emerged as category leaders. Legacy titles such as Femina and Filmfare have been retooled for new generations.
The group has also ventured beyond media. Through Bennett University and TimesPro, it has pushed into higher and executive education, while a national pickleball league signals a foray into the world’s fastest-growing sport.
AIMA credited Jain with balancing mass entertainment and intellectual ambition, citing the reinvention of the Filmfare awards and the Femina Miss India pageant nearly three decades ago, as well as the launch of the Times litfest.
Accepting the award, Jain struck a collective note. “It is a huge honour to receive this award. I dedicate it to my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make The Times Group, India’s largest multi media company.”
He reiterated the group’s appetite for scale. “The Times Group is number one in every media vertical it has launched, and we will continue striving for excellence,” he said.
Four decades on, the message is clear. In a media market being torn up by technology and attention spans, Jain is still betting on breadth, brands and being number one.
