The announcements were made during MRUCI’s 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Monday, followed by a board meeting. The council also announced that Shashidhar Sinha will take over as the new chairman of the IRS Technical Committee. Vikram Sakhuja succeeds Shailesh Gupta, Wholetime Director of Jagran Prakashan Ltd., who served as Chairman for two consecutive terms from 2023 to 2025.
While handing over the mantle, Shailesh Gupta said, “The Board’s approval of the pilot marks a significant milestone for the Indian Readership Survey. By beginning with a metro and two states, we are ensuring financial prudence while building operational confidence. The learning from this phase will guide the nationwide rollout, delivering a robust and credible readership measurement system that the print industry deserves. I sincerely thank our Board Members and stakeholders for their support and extend my best wishes to Mr. Vikram Sakhuja and the new Board.”
Vikram Sakhuja, in his vote of thanks, stated, “I thank Mr. Shailesh Gupta for his leadership and guidance. I am deeply honoured to take on the role of Chairman at MRUCI and thank the Board for placing their confidence in me. Our endeavour is to restore IRS as the gold standard in readership research and the most credible survey in the country.”
Vikram Sakhuja, Partner and Director at Madison World, is a respected member of India’s marketing and media fraternity. Across his 38-year career, he has been the Global CEO of Maxus WW, a GroupM company; the CEO of GroupM South Asia; and CEO of Mindshare South Asia. He has also held senior marketing, media, and market research positions at P&G, Coca-Cola, and Star TV.
Vikram has served on several industry body boards and committees including ASCI, ABC, RSCI, BARC, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, and AAAI committees with ISA, INS, and IBDF. He is the current Chairman of the Technical Committee for BARC, Board member of ABC, Co-chair of the IBDF-AAAI subcommittee on payments, and a past President of Ad Club. He has consistently been voted one of the most influential persons in the industry.
Meanwhile, the new Vice Chairman, Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO of ABP Pvt. Ltd., joined the organisation in 1997 and rose through the ranks from management trainee to CEO during his career spanning over two decades at ABP. He has handled responsibilities in brand management, audience development, advertisement sales, and production functions before taking over as CEO.
Born and brought up in Kolkata, Dhruba Mukherjee holds a B.Com (Hons) from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta; an MBA from IISWBM under Calcutta University; and is an alumnus of the London School of Economics & Political Science. He has also graduated from the Senior Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. Outside of work, he is passionate about travel, food, and sports.
Additionally, three new members have joined MRUCI’s Board of Governors:
– Navaneeth LV, CEO, THG Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
– Surinder Chawla, President, Response, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
– Upali Nag, President Strategy South Asia, WPP Media
These new appointments mark a significant strengthening of MRUCI’s leadership, poised to advance the organisation’s mission in readership measurement and media research.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/vikram-sakhuja-elected-as-chairman-of-media-research-users-council-india-dhruba-mukherjee-named-vice-chairman-23595287
