Management changes at Lintas Media Group; Sathyamurthy moves on

NP Sathyamurthy has moved on to join Mudra Max Media as president and head. Premjeet Sodhi who is currently with LMG as president, The Collaborative will replace him at LMG. In another move, Suresh Balakrishnan is joining LMG to head a new agency under the LMG brand.

Lintas Media Group has made some senior level management changes. NP Sathyamurthy, COO, Lintas Media Group and CEO for Karishma Initiative, has called it a day. He is all set to join Mudra Max Media as president and head. He will serve his notice period at LMG till March 2012.

Premjeet Sodhi, who is currently with LMG as president, The Collaborative, will take up Sathyamurthy's role at LMG. His new designation is still to be revealed by the agency.

In another development, Suresh Balakrishnan will return to LMG to head a new agency under the LMG brand. He will report to the agency's chairman and CEO, Lynn deSouza. Balakrishnan will come on board on January 9, 2012. Lynn de Souza has confirmed these developments to afaqs!.

Balakrishnan has over 25 years of media experience. He started his career with The Times of India Group. Post this, he moved on to Lowe Lintas' Initiative Media, where his last position held was executive vice president and general manager, when he left the agency in 2003. He then joined The Hindustan Times as vice president, media and marketing. In 2005, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) appointed him as executive vice-president, marketing after which he moved to DNA when ZEEL joined hands with the Bhaskar Group to launch DNA in Mumbai.

In 2007, he then joined Mail Today as COO. After he quit Mail Today last year, he took a sabbatical and taught media management at the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication.

Recently, Sudha Natrajan was promoted as chief executive officer (CEO) of the newly created full service media and digital offering, Lintas Initiative Media. She was appointed to the board of Lintas Initiative Outdoor, the wholly-owned out of home subsidiary of the Lintas Media Group (LMG), known as Aaren Initiative before the acquisition.