Times Network announces restructuring in Ad Sales teams
New alignment within the group's sales force aimed at meeting higher growth targets with an aggressive approach of 'Now Or Nothing'
BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | April 17, 2015
Times Network, part of India's largest media conglomerate, has announced a strategic restructuring reflecting a stronger growth-oriented operating model. The initiative aims at providing significant growth opportunities and greater responsibilities to the existing leadership in the advertising and sales team which will also inculcate the network's new brand philosophy of 'Now Or Nothing'.
Hemant Arora, who was Head Branded Content, has been elevated as Sales Head for Times Now & ET Now. He has more than 17 years of experience in media sales, including print, internet and television. He started his career at The Times of India in 1997.
Some of the other structural changes which have been announced are:
Hersh Bhandari: Has been given the charge as National Head of Ad Sales for Times Now. With his tenacity and results speaking for him, Bhandari has been chosen for the crucial role with the mandate to build further on the leadership position. "I expect Hersh to restore the true premium value that the lead English News platform deserves to the business." said MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network.
Shilpa Shetty: Will take over as National Head of Ad Sales for ET Now. Since joining ET Now she has been instrumental in increasing the revenue of the channel by a phenomenal ratio. She is a tough taskmaster and is also the first woman to rise to the position of Head of Sales within Times Network.
Gaurav Dhawan: Will take over as Cluster Head for English Entertainment Channels. His 17 years of experience in managing advertising revenue driven business across television, print and web and leveraging strong client relationships gives him an advantage in meeting his new assignment, where he is pitted against TV's major domo, Star's English Entertainment business.
Jogajyoti Pati: Will take over as National Head of Ad Sales India 2 for Times Network. Pati was North Head of ET Now. Prior to that, he excelled in various roles for Zee Media Corp. for a decade. His initial years at ETV Network saw him learn and grow in Sales for five years.
Rohit Tugnait: Will take over as National Head of Ad Sales & Brand Solutions for Zoom. An MBA from IIMM, Pune, Tugnait has over 13 years of extensive media experience, mainly in the area of branded content revenue management.
On the significant announcements, Anand commented, “This refinement in our working model is designed to keep up with the momentum we had been sailing on through whole of the last year. While 2015 was one of hygiene improvements, 2016 will be a watershed year during which we will make an all-out effort to correct our price:value equation and build our revenue base."