MAM
THE GROUP M BUYING PHILOSOPHY
Group M Central Trading Group National Director Lakshmi Narasimhan is the most powerful buyer in the Indian media space. Known as a tough negotiator, Narasimhan reveals his buying philosophies which the Group M agencies utilise as a common pool.
CTG’s entire buying department is divided into five clusters; every cluster working across regions specializing on a particular segment. Every buyer also has an added client servicing responsibility. “Every team handles large volumes but smaller set of suppliers. If a buyer is not rooted with the client, he will not able to customize the buys. This system helps leverage volume and fine tune into a client’s needs. The CTG follows a matrix structure where every buyer is responsible to a client for all buying issues, but accountable for a certain set of channels.”
Mindshare leverages volume in two areas:
1) Market knowledge derived due to the volume of clients handled by all the Group M agencies. “Hence we have a good sense of the market and an operating sense.”
2) Bulk buys which yield a better rate from media owners.
The five buying clusters of the CTG are as follows:
- Print & radio
- Unicontent (Niche channels)
- Regional channels
- Sports & DD
- Hindi Satellite
CTG’s Philosophy: “Our buying is analysis based and is not done by plain arm twisting. We follow stringent implementation processes via our MIS systems and most importantly we test the bottom of the market . We never tell a client that we have got deals below the market price. Our rates are benchmarked on real rates by striking the right price-value integration.
“In group M, buying is not a back line but a front line function.”
Profile of people: ” We prefer to hire people with a well rounded background. Most people have been planners in the past and are buyers now or have extensive experience with media companies. We take on people with an average experience of 6.5-7 years.
Brands
Skoda VW India names Nitin Selot executive director for finance, IT and legal affairs
Selot to lead finance and IT at six-brand India operation
NEW DELHI: Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited has appointed Nitin Selot as executive director for finance, IT and legal affairs, effective 19 February 2026, as the carmaker sharpens its focus on India as a core growth market.
Selot will serve as chief financial officer of the Indian arm, overseeing financial steering, governance and technology transformation at a time when the group is reworking internal processes and tightening operational discipline.
The company manages six brands in India: Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche and operates manufacturing plants in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Škoda Auto board member for finance, IT and legal affairs Holger Peters, said Selot’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment, with India now the company’s most important market outside Europe. Strengthening financial controls, improving governance and building long-term resilience are central to the group’s strategy, he added.
Skoda Auto Volkswagen India managing director and CEO Piyush Arora, said the group is entering a new phase driven by productivity gains and a stronger local-for-local approach. Robust financial planning and agile IT systems, he said, will be critical to sustaining momentum.
Selot brings 35 years of leadership experience across industrial, consumer and energy businesses. He has previously held senior roles at JCB India, Compass Group India, Shell and Mars Wrigley.
He holds an ACMA from the Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of India, an MBA in finance from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and an ACS from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
