Vineet Jain
Mr. Vineet Jain is Managing Director of India’s oldest, largest and most respected news media group, the 186-year-old Bennett, Coleman & Co. Limited (BCCL), also known as The Times Group. He has been the driving force behind the diversification and expansion of what began as a traditional publishing business under the flagship brand, The Times of India. Today, The Times Group is No. 1 across the media spectrum – be it internet, radio, music, news television, general magazines or out-of-home (OOH) – thanks to his vision and leadership.
A combination of business acumen, strategic insight, and creative energy – and a deep understanding of both content and marketing – has helped keep the Group future-focused.Underpinning all of this is Mr. Jain’s obsession with keeping the consumer at the centre of everything the Group does and his abiding belief in the transformative power of positive change.
He built the largest omni-platform news network in the country with leadership across print, digital and TV mediums, with a keen eye on the product and a constant focus on innovation across the different formats. The brands – which straddle platforms and audiences – speak of his success.
Mr Jain revolutionized the content behind The Times of India and The Economic Times, making it more contemporary and appealing to younger audiences. He played a pivotal role in transforming BCCL into a multimedia company with a powerhouse of brands across Radio (Mirchi), TV (Times Network), OOH (Times OOH), Music (Times Music), Audio OTT (Gaana) and global marquee IPs (Filmfare, Femina and ET NOW Global Business Summit to name a few).
In fact, he is considered the father of FM radio in India, and Mirchi –which pioneered private FM– is still India’s leading private FM radio entity. He also spotted the digital trend early and was instrumental in putting together the building blocks for the internet businesses within the Group well before the start of the millenium, with the result that Times Internet Limited became one of the largest digital consumer ecosystems in India.
Mr Jain has always believed the future of India lies with an educated and engaged youth –which led to the diversification into education and the establishment of Bennett University and its growing recognition as a respected institution and brand. Times Pro – the Edtech arm of the Group – has taken the Group’s focus on education to the next level with its strong emphasis on upskilling, and executive education.
All this has won Mr. Jain several accolades: The Rajiv Gandhi Award for Corporate Excellence, and Indian Telly Award for his contribution to Indian TV Broadcasting Industry, in 2009; IMPACT Person of the Year, 2013; Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013 from the Bombay Management Association; Media Person of the Year Award from the International Advertising Association (IAA) in 2015; the Indian Television Academy’s ‘Sterling Icon of Indian Entertainment– Media’; Art Karat Award for Excellence in Media; and AsiaOne Global Indian of the Year 2018; Lifetime Achievement Award at exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (enba) 2018; Bharatiya Mahanatam Vikas Puraskar 2018–19; Impact Digital Power 100, 2020: Business Leaders; ITA Hall of Fame, 2020.In 2021, he was felicitated by Impact Digital Power 100 2020 :Business Leaders, and in 2023 by exchange for media -Mr Jain was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award 2023 by the jury of the exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (ENBA) in recognition of his ‘immeasurable contributions to the Indian television news landscape.”