Bennett, Coleman picks up majority stake in VPL, appoints Chinen Das as President
Chinen Das has been appointed President of Vijayanand Printers Limited (VPL) in which Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. has recently picked up majority stake. He moves from his position as Director – Response (South), The Times of India.
Chinen Das has been appointed President of Vijayanand Printers Limited (VPL) in which Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL) has recently picked up majority stake. While the size of the deal or the exact stake purchased could not be ascertained, the appointment of Das is with immediate effect, confirming that the takeover of control has happened. He moves from his position as Director – Response (South), The Times of India.
The signing is said to have taken place today, and Das will continue to be based in Bangalore in his new role.
Confirming his appointment, Das said, “The role right now is to develop and implement strategy for market dominance; an effective integration of the two groups; and from the revenue point of view, unlocking the value of the acquisition. It’s a huge responsibility and challenge, and the expectations from shareholders are very high. I am looking forward to it.”
Das will be President of VPL, heading business operations. VPL publishes the leading Kannada daily Vijaya Karnataka, English daily Vijay Times, and Kannada daily Usha Kirana.
The development is significant, as it marks the coming together of the market leader among English dailies in the Bangalore market, The Times of India, with the leading Kannada daily Vijaya Karnataka. The move also marks BCCL’s entry into the regional language publishing space in the South.
Also see:
BCCL in race to buy out VPL, publishers of Vijay Karnataka, Vijay Times and Usha Kirana
