NEW DELHI: Okay, it’s time for some revamp of the management team at the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star India Pvt. Ltd., which is largely fuelling the Star Group’s revenues in Asia. And all with a view to bringing about more synergy in various functions of the company as it charts out newer growth plans and business opportunities.
Contacted by indiantelevision.com, Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea admitted that a “management re-organisation has been effected.” The move, which includes bringing in a senior professional from the PR industry to look after corporate communications (something that was being handled by Yash Khanna till recently) was communicated to top company executives earlier this week.
According to Mukherjea, “As our business grows, the challenges, too, increase. A brilliant strategy (or strategies) would mean trying to keep the company’s growth rate ahead of that of the industry. The re-organisation is aimed in that direction.”
Under the new dispensation, all business and strategic planning, including corporate affairs & communication, interaction with the various joint venture partners (like the Tatas and ABP group) and client servicing, would be brought under a team headed by Nitin Atroley, who will be based in Delhi.
Atroley team’s responsibilities would also include business development, corporate and social responsibilities (yes, Star is now attempting to focus slightly more on this aspect), legal and liaisoning with the government and
various industry bodies like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and regulatory authorities.
Atroley joined Star India from Ernst & Young earlier this year as head of corporate affairs &communications. However, now with newer responsibilities, he may be redesignated. This is an issue that is still being worked upon.
The operations team, which will include divisions like distribution, programming, marketing and ad sales, will be headed by company veteran and Star India COO Sameer Nair, who, along with Atroley, would be reporting Mukerjea.
“The idea is to strategise and then operationalise the plans effectively. We cannot have a situation where the strategy team works in isolation vis-a-vis the operations team,” Mukerjea said.
Meanwhile, indiantelevision.com learns that senior PR professional, IPAN’s Vivek Sengupta, is slated to join the Star team to look after corporate communications. IPAN’s head Rajeev Desai confirmed that Sengupta has put in
his papers.
Once upon a time in the 1990s, IPAN used to handle the public relations of Star, including its then-aborted direct-to-home TV venture.
