The Media Research Users Council India (MRUCI) held its 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday, September 28, at Hotel Sahara Star, with Vikram Sakhuja and Dhruba Mukherjee continuing as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.
Sakhuja, Partner and Director, Madison World, and Mukherjee, CEO, ABP Pvt. Ltd., were unanimously re-elected to their respective positions at the MRUCI Board meeting held shortly after the AGM.
The organisation has also appointed four new members to its Board of Governors. They are Samudra Bhattacharya, CEO - Print and Radio, HT Media Ltd.; Janhavi Abhijit Pawar, Director, Sakal Media Pvt. Ltd.; Kartik Sharma, CEO, Omnicom Media, India; and Navin Khemka, President, Client Solutions, WPP Media South Asia.
Commenting on the revival of the Indian Readership Survey (IRS), Vikram Sakhuja, Partner and Director, Madison World, and Chairman of MRUCI, said, “The revival of the IRS comes at a critical time for the Indian media industry. The new IRS will provide a contemporary and robust measurement framework that looks beyond reach to reflect the evolving media landscape, including Trust, Attention and digital consumption. I am excited about its launch and the opportunity it presents to enable more informed and balanced deployment of media budgets, allowing every medium to gain from a credible and common currency.”
Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO, ABP Pvt. Ltd, and Vice Chairman of MRUCI, in his vote of thanks, said, “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the MRUCI Board, the Technical Committee, and all our members for their unwavering commitment and rigorous effort in shaping the approach for a new IRS. Reviving the IRS is a collective industry mission. This progress would not have been possible without the resolve and the shared belief of the MRUCI members regarding the need for a credible, contemporary and cross-media currency. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all stakeholders.”
Sakhuja has 38 years of experience across marketing and media. He has previously served as Global CEO of Maxus WW, a GroupM company; CEO of GroupM South Asia; and CEO of Mindshare South Asia. He has also held senior marketing, media and market research roles at P&G, Coca-Cola and Star TV.
He has served on the boards and committees of industry bodies including ASCI, ABC, RSCI, BARC, FICCI, ASSOCHAM and AAAI, as well as committees with ISA, INS and IBDF. He is currently Chairman of the Technical Committee for BARC, a Board member of ABC and a past President of the Ad Club. He has also been named among the most influential persons in Indian media by The Economic Times.
Sakhuja holds an engineering degree from IIT Delhi and an MBA from IIM Calcutta.
Mukherjee joined ABP Pvt. Ltd. in 1997 as a management trainee and has spent more than two decades with the organisation. During his career, he has handled brand management, audience development, advertising sales and production before taking over as CEO.
A B.Com (Hons) graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, Mukherjee holds an MBA from IISW&BM under Calcutta University and is an alumnus of the London School of Economics & Political Science. He has also completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.
