Maheshwer Peri calls it a day at Outlook Group

Peri will now focus on his own publishing venture, Pathfinders, that he had launched in 2009. Indranil Roy, president, Outlook group will take charge.

Maheshwer Peri, publisher, Outlook Group and president, Outlook Publishing, has put in his papers. His term with the company is scheduled to end in March 2012, after which he will work in a consulting role.

Peri will now concentrate on his publishing venture Pathfinders, which he launched in 2009. The company at present publishes titles such as 'Careers 360' and 'Education 360'.

Speaking to afaqs!, Peri, says, "It was a very painful decision as I have been associated with the company for a really long time. However, Pathfinders now needs more of my time. I will continue to be with the Outlook in a consulting role."

Indranil Roy, president, Outlook group will take charge from Peri. Roy has been working with the company since 1996.

Peri was not always a media person. He started as an investment banker and worked with SBI Capital Markets, from 1991 to 1995. In the same year (1995) he joined the Rajan Raheja Group as an investment analyst with Hathway Investments. The group also owns Outlook magazine. And, it was publisher Deepak Shourie's departure from the group in 1998 that changed everything for Peri.

At the time when Shourie quit, speculation was rife that Outlook was up for sale. It was then that Peri was given charge of the group, to create a new beginning. While his finance background provided the support the company required, it went through many phases before tasting success. The country at that time witnessed the entry of the internet. And like most other publishers, the Outlook Group, too, thought of riding the boom and came up with Outlooktraveller.com, amongst other sites. But after the dotcom bubble burst in 2002, Outlooktraveller.com was on the verge of closing, just like many other web portal.

The turnaround came after Peri's visit to a book fair in London. He bought a few travel books at the fair and gave them to his team. The outcome was 52 Weekend Breaks from Delhi, which sold more than a million copies. And today Outlook Group has come a long way from a general interest magazine to a finance magazine to lifestyle and many more. The group has titles including Outlook Business, Outlook Profit, Outlook Money, GEO, Marie Claire, People, Outlook Traveller, Career 360, News Weekly and Outlook Saptahik. Peri's understanding of the publishing business turned Outlook into a household name.