UPDATE: Raju Narisetti named managing editor of the Washington Post - Jan. 13, 2009
In 2006, Raju Narisetti
(click for high-rez photo) was one of the most senior South Asians in
American journalism when he decided to move to India to become the
founding editor of Mint, a new
business daily in New Delhi from the HT Media group. Now HT has
announced that Narisetti will be stepping down from his role as editor of the paper, becoming advisory
editorial director of HT Media.
From a report in Exchange4Media.com:
Mint's Managing Editor R Sukumar would succeed Narisetti as Editor, and would report to Rajiv Verma, CEO, HT Media. Consequently, Niranjan Rajadhyaksha would replace Sukumar. The changes are effective January 2009.
In a conversation with exchange4media, Verma said, "Raju had come from the US and he has been here with us ever since the paper was announced in 2006. He now wants to move back. However, as Advisory Editorial Director, his association with HT Media would continue. We are very proud of the product that he has helped create; he has contributed immensely in setting up a world class business paper, and bringing a high editorial standard in the product."
The official memo outlining these changes is below. As we hear more from Narisetti, we will update this post.
NOTE: S. Mitra Kalita, former SAJA president and former Washington Post reporterr, had also moved to India to work with Mint
as an editor/columnist on a temporary basis, is returning to the
U.S. She will be the Wall Street Journal's deputy global economics
editor, starting in January 2009. More details as we get them.
Below you will find three items:
* Official memo from Rajiv Verma, CEO of HT Media, announcing the Mint moves
* Five questions (and answers) with Narisetti from April 2006
* The April 2006 press release announcing the move to India
Be sure to read the archives of Narisetti's blog, A Romantic Realist, "a blog about things and people as they might and ought to be" as well as his 2006 SAJAforum interview with Priyanka Dayal.
Post your comments below.
From: People Communication
Sent: 12/26/2008 04:46 PM ZE5B
Subject: Organisation Announcement - Mint
26 December 2008
Leadership Transition at Mint
HT Media Ltd is pleased to announce that Sukumar Ranganathan will become
editor of Mint with Niranjan Rajadhyakasha taking over from him as Managing
Editor, effective 1 January 2009, as part of a leadership transition that
is aimed at leading the next phase of Mint and its online offering,
Livemint.com’s, growing success with readers.
Sukumar had been instrumental in the creation and execution of Mint’s
strategy from its pre-launch days. He has managed the day-to-day editorial
offering as well as Mint’s growing 7-city newsroom since its inception,
initially as the Deputy Managing Editor and then as Managing Editor. Both
the print and online content teams report to him.
Under Niranjan’s leadership, Mint’s Views pages have been innovative and
path breaking, be it through smartly analyzed opinions—often contrarian and
on the mark, especially when it comes to India’s economy. The widely read
section has also brought in new voices and columnists into mainstream
Indian business media. His weekly column, Café Economics, remains a very
popular must-read read for Mint readers in print and online.
Sukumar’s well deserved elevation is a clear recognition of his many
talents and management skills, as well as the culmination of an orderly
leadership succession plan in Mint editorial. Within a very short period,
Mint has become the new journalistic standard among Indian business
newspapers, with its emphasis on clarity, and transparent, ethical
journalism, an offering that has resonated very well with readers as
evident in the latest Indian Readership Survey results. With both members
of this new leadership team having been in place from Mint’s pre-launch
days, this will be a seamless transition to the second phase of Mint’s
growth and continued success.
Mint, which began in Delhi and Mumbai nearly two years ago, is now
available every morning in five Indian cities, which also include
Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh. According to the most recent 2008 IRS Round
2 data, Mint now has a total daily readership of 217,000, sharply
solidifying its No. 2 position in key metros. By November, livemint.com has
recorded its highest ever monthly unique visitors (1.6 million) while the
recently launched mobile site (m.livemint.com) has already had one million
page views. Mint has also been a pioneer in India with an integrated
newsroom that provides strong multimedia offerings on livemint.com,
including video and radio content, as well as a unique portfolio of 14
blogs (http://blogs.livemint.com/blogs).
Mint’s advertising revenue and number of advertisers has grown steadily
even during the recent slowdown, posting strong, double-digit,
year-over-year growth in revenue. Starting off with an average, daily
ad-to-edit ratio of about 3% : 97% in its launch month, Mint’s average
monthly ad-edit ratio has now reached 16% : 84% and continues to climb.
This early commercial success, while it remains work-in-progress,
underscores the appeal of Mint’s unique design, a clutter-free environment
and strong content for advertisers as well. Mint and its weekend magazine
Lounge, as well as Markets Watch and Campaign supplements, have quickly
drawn a large, growing readership, one that comes with among the best
demographic profiles among India’s business newspapers.
Having fulfilled the Mint mandate that was given when he joined HT Media,
which was to help envision and launch a unique, world-class business
newspaper in India—in print and online; and having hired and managed a
strong news and features team that is the real foundation of Mint’s future
editorial success, Raju Narisetti, 42, the founding editor of Mint, will
shift to the role of an Advisory Editorial Director to HT Media. He joins
an advisory team that includes Dipak Jain, Dean of the Kellogg business
school at Northwestern University, and Nigel Oakins, founder of Oakins
Media Partners in Bangkok, who offer critical and strategic inputs from
time-to-time to HT Media.
Like many Indian industries that wanted to build uniquely competitive
offerings with the help of global talent, we turned to Raju to envision a
world-class business news offering in Mint and Livemint.com. That this was
done through a diverse talent pool from within India, and in such a short
time gives HT Media the complete confidence that we are now best positioned
to build on Raju’s vision. I would like to take this opportunity to thank
Raju, not just for Mint, but for many other internal contributions across
the company.
Sukumar, who joined HT Media in 2006, is 14-year veteran of business
journalism, having started his career at The Hindu Business Line where he
became the marketing editor; and then spending nine years at Business
Today, where he was an Associate Editor and later the Managing Editor, with
both strategic and operational leadership of India’s leading business
magazine.
Niranjan, has spent two decades in business journalism, after a stint as a
lecturer in Economics at Elphinstone College in Mumbai. He started his
journalism career at the Business & Political Observer, and then spent the
next 16 years with Business World where, his last job as Deputy Editor also
included heading the large Mumbai bureau of that magazine. Niranjan, who
joined HT Media in 2006, has a BA in Economics from Elphinstone, and an MA,
also in Economics, from Bombay University. He has written and edited two
books on Doing Business in Asia and on the Indian economy.
Sukumar, who is based in New Delhi, will now report to me. Niranjan, who
will continue to be based in Mumbai and still oversee the Views section,
will work closely with all Mint bureaus in his new role. He, along with
other members of Mint’s editorial leadership team, will now report to
Sukumar, as does livemint.com managing editor, Durga Raghunath, and Mint
video managing editor, S Srinivasan.
Please join me in congratulating Sukumar and Niranjan on their expanded
roles at Mint, and in wishing both of them the very best as they take Mint
and livemint.com to the next phase of growth and success.
Rajiv Verma
CEO
o o o o o
From SAJA.org archives, April 14, 2006
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR RAJU NARISETTI
Raju
Narisetti, one of SAJA's most senior members, is leaving the Wall
Street Journal after a 13-year-stint. He is moving to New Delhi in
early June to run the editorial operations for a new business newspaper
from the Hindustan Times group (see press release below).
Deepti Hajela, SAJA President, had this to say about the move: "Raju Narisetti has been a longtime friend of SAJA's and an inspiration to us all. We wish him the best as he takes this exciting next step, and are eagerly anticipating his success!"
Narisetti answered five quick questions via e-mail on Friday, April 14, 2006.
SAJA.org: They say you can't go home again. Are "they" wrong?
RN: For the past two decades and since I left my parents and their home in
Hyderabad in 1985, home really has been where I have previously lived
the longest. So at Indiana University, I was from New Delhi, in Dayton I
was from Bloomington, in Pittsburgh I was from Dayton, in New York I was
from
Pittsburgh and in Brussels I was from New York! I think for
professionals in this day and age, home is a state of mind. But India
has a special place in my heart so a chance to renew my relationship
with India was one that was an added bonus in this
decision.
SAJA.org: What does it mean for us South Asian journalists in America that you
have chosen to walk away from the upper tier of a major US newspaper?
RN: For 13 great years, WSJ has been a wonderful home for me. But it became
home only when I left my comfort zone-India/The Economic Times-to seek
new
adventures. It is rare in our industry to get a chance to start a
newspaper-create a new culture, an ethos and build an entire team. And
it is going to be a lot of fun to be a beginner again in this field. I
am walking away from WSJ but not from its values or the kinds of
journalism it embodies or the many friends and mentors and colleagues.
Just as my coming to WSJ; my becoming editor of the European edition or
becoming the Deputy Managing Editor of WSJ in the US suggested that
being South Asian is no hurdle or bar to get there, I hope my leaving
suggests that good journalism can be pursued in many places. It also
perhaps says something equally strong about India and its future as a
place to do great journalism.
SAJA.org: What have you learned at the WSJ about editing and management styles that will help you at the HT?
RN:
I could say a lot about this and not all of it would necessarily be
high praise, but perhaps the best way to describe it is to admit that
it is the closest I have ever come to a true meritocracy. And putting
readers and their trust above everything else is critical to the
success of a great newspaper.
SAJA.org: How do you compare the three media cultures you know better than most folks: US, India and Europe?
RN:
Quite different in many respects but am hoping to find that some
bedrock principles are the same and that there will be a desire to
pursue-and get paid for--for honest and insightful journalism.
SAJA.org: Were you and Kim worried about how hard it would be to raise American children in India?
RN: More
than three years ago, Leila moved to Brussels when she was
nine-months-old and now Zola will be moving to Delhi when she is
nine-months-old. We hope the two of them grow up to be smart and
curious adults and if living in myriad cultures can help accelerate
that process, we would be delighted.
Resources:
Official bio
HT press release (below)
2006: Economic Times | TelevisionPoint.com
2002: Rediff story on Narisetti
- Press release-
induHindustan Times Media Ltd Appoints Head of Editorial for its New Business Newspaper
DELHI, April 13, 2006 – Rajiv Verma,CEO, HT Media Ltd announced today the appointment of Raju Narisetti as head of editorial for its forthcoming business daily. Mr. Narisetti will report to Rajiv Verma, chief executive officer, HT Media Ltd.
HT Media is to launch an English-language business daily newspaper and website, aimed at its enlightened readers.
“In order to create a world-class, respected and successful business newspaper we need the best global talent available and Raju is a perfect fit,” said Mr. Verma. “With the changing economic landscape in India there is an obvious place for a high-quality business daily. Raju has the right experience, exposure and respect to launch an unrivalled Indian business newspaper that will gain international recognition over time.”
Mr. Narisetti, 39, is currently editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe and deputy managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, and has overall responsibility for European and Middle East/Africa coverage for all global editions of The Wall Street Journal. He was instrumental in the development of the European and Asian editions of the Journal, including the highly successful launch of the compact and online format in October last year. A 13-year veteran of The Wall Street Journal, his leadership has resulted in many journalism honours for the newspaper, including the 2004 Overseas Press Club award and six ‘Business Journalist of the Year’ awards in 2005.
“I am very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of me at HT Media. India is at a tremendous inflexion point and this new venture will aim to meet the growing demand for accurate and insightful business journalism--both in terms of covering Indian business, as well connecting the dots between India and the rest of the business world.” Mr. Narisetti said.
Prior to joining The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Narisetti was a business writer for the Dayton Daily News, Ohio. He started his journalism career in India with The Economic Times as a business writer in 1989.
Mr. Narisetti has a degree in economics and sociology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post graduate diploma in management from IRMA, Anand. He received a further post graduate diploma from the Times of India School of Journalism in New Delhi and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington, U.S.A.
Mr.
Narisetti, who is married to Kim Barrington, also a journalist, and has
two young daughters, Leila and Zola, will be relocating to New Delhi
from Brussels, Belgium, effective June 1.
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