Where India’s Print Leaders Define What’s Next
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Pratap Govindrao Pawar is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sakal Papers Pvt. Ltd. and a prominent industrialist with extensive experience in the newspaper and publishing industry.
He has held several key leadership positions in industry and publishing organisations. He is a former President of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), Pune, the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) and the Indian Language Newspapers Association.
Uday Jadhav is a seasoned C-suite leader with over three decades of experience across media, publishing, digital transformation, strategy and diversified business operations. As a Director of A P Globale (APG), he provides strategic leadership across the Group’s diverse businesses and leads key portfolios spanning Skilling, Technology, Media, Communities, Real Estate and Special Projects, driving collaboration, innovation and growth across APG companies.
Saurabh Mukherjea is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Marcellus Investment Managers, an investment management firm focused on long-term investing.
He holds a BSc in Economics with First Class Honours and an MSc in Economics with distinction in Macro & Microeconomics from the London School of Economics. During his time in London, he co-founded Clear Capital.
Debarshi Ray is the Director – Technical at BCCL (The Times of India), where he oversees operations for all India Prepress publishing centers, in-house plants, and Outside Print Partners (OSP). He manages daily operations for flagship publications, including The Times of India, Economic Times, Navbharat Times, Maharashtra Times, and Mumbai Mirror.
Concurrently, Debarshi serves as a Global Board Member of the World Printers Forum and as Chairman of the World Printers Forum India Chapter (WAN-IFRA).
With over 30 years of global leadership experience in print & packaging industries across Asia, he has an exceptional track record in multi-plant operations and cross-cultural management. His career highlights include serving as Transformation Lead at Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific and Operations Director at Amcor Indonesia, where he successfully engineered a major business turnaround. As a former Executive Director on the board of Constantia India, he spearheaded critical strategies for R&D, technology upgrades, and Greenfield projects. Played a pivotal role in Joint Venture in close association with KPMG
Lasse Bo Timmermann is Head of Editorial Systems Development at Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, one of Germany’s leading regional newspaper publishers. He studied Digital Media in Bremen and Media Studies in Amsterdam and has been driving editorial technology and workflow innovation at the company since 2017.
He leads the implementation and continuous development of editorial systems, acting as the key interface between editorial teams and technology partners. He has played a central role in introducing an online-first workflow, implementing the Gutenberg editor, and transitioning to browser-based print production.
Janhavi Pawar is an entrepreneurial leader with a passion for impact-driven business. Born and raised in India, she completed her Bachelor’s in Business, Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Finance from Reichman University, Israel. During her studies, she co-founded and served as COO of an EV charging start-up, pwrPARK.
Dinesh Sharma is the Vice President – Group Production Head at D.B. Corp Limited. A postgraduate and qualified Printing Technologist, he has over 46 years of experience in the printing and publishing industry.
Since joining D.B. Corp in 2008, he has led the Group’s printing operations, driving production excellence and operational efficiency across its publishing network. Prior to this, he held key positions at HT Media Ltd., Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., The Pioneer Ltd., and Frank Bros. & Publishers Pvt. Ltd
Deepak Bhatt is a seasoned Sales and Distribution professional in the print media industry, with over 29 years of experience. He currently serves as the National Head – Distribution at India Today Group, where he has been a key contributor for more than 23 years in two stints. Also, Deepak worked in Organisations like The Hindu and Media Transasia.
More than 30 years of proven success in delivering shareholder value and revenue growth. Seasoned executive with experience spanning President and CEO roles. Valuable combination of senior management, industrial engineering, and technology experience, hands-on knowledge of every operational functional area. Excellent leadership skills, history of the building, and developing teams of high performers.B.S. Shesh started his career with Times of India in 1989 where he installed and commissioned Press.
Devika M S stands out as a dynamic and accomplished leader, presently holding the position of Whole-time Director of Operations at Mathrubhumi, a renowned Indian media house. Her exceptional ability to navigate the intricacies of the ever-changing media landscape has led to the successful integration of contemporary digital strategies while honoring the rich heritage of this century-old institution, deeply rooted in Kerala’s culture.
Deepak is an Engineer and MBA from leading education institutes of India. He has over 30 years of rich and diverse experience in managing Operations, Strategy, and handling P&L responsibilities in large Multinationals and top Indian companies. He has worked in multiple sectors like Durable, FMCG, Beverages, Banking & Finance, Telecom and Media across India, and in Europe.
Anshul Gupta has more than 2 decades of experience in general management, sales, distribution, trade marketing, sales automation, and go-to-market strategy. He currently heads the circulation function at Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. (The Times of India), where he is responsible for driving reader reach, operational efficiency, and market development initiatives across India.
Tigran Saakyan is CEO of Taiga Group, leading Russian pulp and paper producer with strong presence in newsprint production across Syktyvkar and Kongopoga paper mills. He holds a degree in Finance from the State University – Higher School of Economics and has been awarded Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
Before joining Taiga Group, Tigran had spent 10 years in McKinsey & Company, where he was leading complex transformation projects of major industrial groups across pulp & paper and metals & mining sectors in the CIS, Middle East and South-East Asia.
Brihathi Cherukuri is from the leadership team of ETV Bharat. She cherishes the opportunity to play a role in the conceptualization and launch of the company. She grew up around a news and journalism environment and has always been inspired by the Ramoji group’s commitment to journalism.
Andreas Eichhorn is the Head of Aftermarket International at manroland Goss, leading the company’s global aftermarket business with a strong focus on customer success, service excellence, and business growth. With over 20 years of international experience in the printing and engineering industry, he has held leadership roles across Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia.
Neeraj Mahajan is a techno commercial professional with more than 35 years in the Industry. leading the Production function of Lokmat Media as Vice President Technical. Execution of projects , production planning and controls, lean manufacturing and revenue generation have been the strengths over the years.
A Graduate Mechanical Engineer, he has worked at The Tribune, The Times of India and EIH Printing Press before joining Lokmat in year 2011.
Rajeev Jalnapurkar is a pioneering leader in India’s amusement, themed entertainment and destination tourism industry, with over 25 years of experience. As former Director & CEO of Ramoji Film City, he transformed it into a globally recognised entertainment and tourism destination, expanding its ecosystem across film production, eco-tourism, MICE, weddings and large-scale events.
Monica Nayyar Patnaik is a seasoned management professional with a rich experience of 31 years.
She is Director of Eastern Media Limited, Sambad Group – Odisha’s No.1 media house. Its flagship brand in print is “Sambad”, Odisha’s most widely read and largest circulated No.1 Odia daily. Others are: FM Radio “Radio Choklate 104 FM”, TV Odia news channel “Kanak News”, Entertainment “Music, Drama, Events”, Sambad Digital and CSR wing, “Ama Odisha”.
Suresh Kuppusamy is a Printing Technologist with 34 years of experience in Print industry. He is currently working as Deputy General Manager -Production, in The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd, Printers & Publishers of Deccan Herald, Prajavani Newspaper in Karnataka.
He is primarily focused on maintaining consistent Print quality across all print locations, managing the CTP work flow, SAP core member for Production module, holds Six Sigma Black belt from CII and plays crucial role during new plant set up.
Siddharth Suhas Malvadkar is a senior business leader with over 16 years of experience across Ad-Sales, Marketing, and Brand Strategy in the media and publishing industry. He currently heads Pune operations for Sakal Media Group, holding full P&L responsibility for the annual business, and has been instrumental in driving multi-channel revenue growth across print, digital, television, events, and IP-led platforms.
Mangayar Thilagam is a Printing Professional with 25+ years of experience in Print industry, primarily focused on implementing and managing pre-press workflows and consistent quality.
She is currently working as Senior Manager -Prepress, in The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd, Printers & Publishers of Deccan Herald, Prajavani Newspaper in Karnataka.
Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express, Pune and the author of three books.
A merit-lister and gold medallist in History, she is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune.
Vipon Khatwani is a senior media professional with over three decades of experience in sales, marketing and business leadership. Born and brought up in Delhi, he holds a postgraduate degree in English Literature and a PG Diploma in Advertising and Marketing.
T. Sakthikumaran is the Assistant General Manager (Printing) at The Hindu, Bengaluru. A Mechanical Engineering graduate from the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), he brings over 20 years of deep domain experience in newspaper print production. Throughout his tenure with The Hindu, he has been an integral part of core teams responsible for the installation and commissioning of multiple printing plants across the region.
Vinayak Bawdekar is an event strategist and senior media executive with over 15 years of experience leading the Events Division at Sakal Media Group. He oversees the entire event lifecycle—from concept development and talent management to sponsorship strategy and P&L ownership. In the past year alone, he spearheaded 314 event. His portfolio includes large-format concerts with top Indian artists such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam, and Badshah, alongside cultural festivals, sports properties, and corporate IP formats. A former state-level cricketer, Vinayak combines commercial acumen with the discipline of competitive sports to build high-impact live properties.
Ashwin Padmanabhan is the Chief Operating Officer of WPP Media (formerly GroupM) South Asia. With over 25 years of experience, he has built a diverse career across industries including petrochemicals, services, information technology, broadcasting and advertising.
In his current role, Ashwin leads investments at WPP Media South Asia, working to help clients maximise returns from their advertising investments. Over the years, he has also played a key role in building and leading new businesses, including GroupM’s influencer marketing business, GOAT, and its content investment and production business, GroupM Motion Entertainment.
Shital Pawar is an Executive Editor at Sakal Media Group, Pune, one of India’s leading media organisations. An engineer by training and a media researcher by passion, she brings a unique combination of technology, social research, journalism and media expertise to her work.
Neeraj Aggarwal works with HT Media Group that publishes renowned dailies such as Hindustan Times, Mint, and Hindustan. He is associated with the organization since 2017, as All India Manufacturing Head.
A director of strategy and design at Setu Advertising Pvt. Ltd.; Mr.Deshpande specializes in creative thinking, insight based strategy design, VR experiences and communication design in the context of brand building. He has done his masters in design; from Industrial Design Centre (IDC), IIT, Bombay. He has extensive work experience in industry in the area of corporate identity design, brand behavior through visual and non-visual brand language and integrated marketing communication through offline and online mediums. He is a visiting faculty and jury member for various design schools including IDC, IIT, Bombay. He is a Strategy and Marketing Communication Consultant for some of the well-known brands from different sectors like Media, Industrial, Food, Hospitality and Real-Estate.
Sridhar Aranala is the Chief Sales and Distribution Officer at The Hindu Group. He has over 30 years of experience in sales and service operations across FMCG, telecom and media industries.
Amit Khurana is the CEO of TechNova Imaging System Pvt. Ltd. He has been associated with TechNova for 18 years. Khurana is a Printing Technologist who holds an MBA in Internal business and boasts of rich experience and a deep understanding of the newspaper industry.
Vinod Bidwaik, a distinguished HR and management thought leader, brings over 25 years of HR experience, including two decades of leadership roles across prominent Indian and multinational sectors such as manufacturing, media, automobile, life science, and material science. His mission revolves around empowering individuals through a triad of thinking sets: Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset.
Nilesh Khare is a senior media leader with over 20 years of experience across print, television, digital media, and business development. Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer, Saam TV, Sakal Media Group, he leads initiatives focused on audience growth, digital transformation, and cross-platform media strategies. An alumnus of Savitribai Phule Pune University and recipient of the ZMCL Publisher Award, Dr. Khare is a strong advocate of leveraging emerging technologies and AI to transform traditional media ecosystems while upholding journalistic integrity and audience trust.
Varghese Chandy is the Vice President, Marketing at Malayala Manorama. With over 2 million copies and over 18 million readers, Malayala Manorama is the largest circulated/read regional language Daily in India. Credited with the founding of Junction K, the integrated Media solutions Platform of the group. As a Pepper creative awards Trustee at CBMI India an International disability inclusive development Organization, his played a key role in the development of organisation.
Vijay T.V. is an accomplished business leader with close to four decades of experience across the media and consumer sectors. Known for his expertise in business transformation, strategic growth, and leadership development, he has consistently driven results in high-impact executive roles. As Chief Operating Officer at DB Corp Ltd, he oversees operations across several key regions—including Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra—driving EBITDA targets and deepening brand engagement with readers. In addition, he leads talent succession initiatives to cultivate DB Corp’s executive pipeline for the next five years.
Pradyuman Maheshwari is a senior media professional with nearly 40 years of experience. He has held key roles at Mid-Day (as Editor and Head of Interactive Services), the Sakal group, DNA (as Senior Editor and Editorial Board member), Dainik Bhaskar online and The Indian Express amongst others. He is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of MxMIndia.com and is also Editor of SeniorsToday.in, a platform for senior citizens. He teaches journalism and communications.
Rupesh Mutalik is a seasoned media professional with extensive experience in the media and communications industry. As the Chief Revenue Officer at Sakal Media Pvt. Ltd., he leads the organisation’s revenue strategy, business development, and growth initiatives across multiple platforms.
Rayan Binucci is Vice President of Binuscan, a company specialising in intelligent colour management, image optimisation, PDF workflow automation and ink-saving technologies for the printing and newspaper industries.
Satish Datta Gaikwad, Chief Executive Officer of Wikas Printing and Carriers Pvt. Ltd., part of the Sakal Media group. Under his leadership, the company is expanding beyond traditional newspaper printing into the fast-growing packaging sector, driving investment in hybrid print technologies that combine large-scale offset production with digital customization. Satish brings decades of experience in print manufacturing, brand communication, and media operations to this diversification strategy.
Ashok Sharma is the Head – Revenue, Business Strategy and Planning at Amar Ujala Limited, bringing over three decades of leadership experience across revenue, business strategy, advertising, sales, marketing and business development, with a significant focus on the news media industry.
Prof. Dr. Mrs. Madhura P. Mahajan is Head of Printing and Packaging Technology at PVGCOET and GK Pate Institute of Management, Pune. With nearly 30 years of academic and industry experience, she specializes in offset printing, ink rheology, adhesive technologies, press standardization, packaging design, and sustainable packaging. She has led research on smart labels, cold-chain indicators, barrier coatings, and agri-waste-based packaging materials, and has presented at major platforms including Drupa, Printpack, PAMEX, and Asia Ink and Coates Show. A visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Packaging, she has served on BIS committees and as jury member for leading national packaging and print awards.
Samrat Phadnis is a veteran journalist, media strategist and editorial leader with more than 33 years of experience shaping journalism in a rapidly transforming media landscape.
Naval Toshniwal is Senior Vice President – Experiential Business at WPP, where he leads the experiential business and works with brands to create impactful consumer engagement and integrated marketing solutions.
