Karthik Balakrishnan joins The Printers Mysore as CEO

The Printers Mysore, the family-owned publisher of Deccan Herald and Prajavani newspapers and Sudha and Mayura magazines, announced the appointment of Karthik Balakrishnan as Chief Executive Officer, with a mandate to transform the legacy publisher into a digital-era media group.

Prior to joining The Printers, Balakrishnan, 44, was employed at the Mahindra Group as Vice-President, Marketing. K N Tilak Kumar, K N Shanth Kumar and Parul Shah, members of the promoter family and whole-time directors, will continue to mentor and guide the company in its transformation journey.

“We come from a rich legacy of journalism and excellence in English and Kannada newspapers. We have decided to take the company forward into the digital age of news and media, and this is one important step in that direction,” said Tilak Kumar, Joint Managing Director.

“Deccan Herald and Prajavani are two iconic newspaper brands that I grew up with. It is my privilege to be associated with such a well-known and respected company. I look forward to working closely with the Directors and the rest of the TPM team in this exciting journey of transformation and growth," said Balakrishnan. 

In his current role, Balakrishnan's key short-term priorities are building people capabilities and a performance-oriented culture, driving operational efficiencies and cost consciousness, revamping the company's digital presence, developing a strong customer focus and securing financial results to support future growth. In the longer term, Balakrishnan's focus is driving robust business growth, securing sustainable sources of long-term competitiveness, developing market-leading brands, creating a great place to work and making the company a benchmark in the digital media space.

Prior his current role, Balakrishnan spent over eight years with the Mahindra group in Mumbai. In his last role with the group, he was the custodian of the corporate brand. He has led several strategic pan-group programmes in brand strategy development, global brand building, brand architecture strategy, movement marketing campaigns, employer branding, social and digital marketing programmes.

Prior to joining Mahindra in 2008, Balakrishnan spent 11 years in sales and marketing in companies like Monsanto, Lafarge and Dabur Ayurvet. He has worked in diverse markets in B2C and B2B sales; channel and key accounts management; domestic and export operations among others. He has an impressive roster of achievements and awards in his stint with these companies.

Balakrishnan has a degree in Agricultural Sciences from UAS, Bangalore and a post-graduate diploma in Management from IIM Ahmedabad.

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