Network18 Publishing promotes Mukhtar Qureshi as COO, business directories division

Qureshi, who has been part of the company in its various avatars for over two decades, will look to serve the communication needs of its SME clients across media channels.

After being recently demerged and consolidated as Network18 Publishing, Infomedia18’s publishing business within Network18 has announced a change in its senior management.

Mukhtar Qureshi, executive vice-president, sales has been promoted as chief operating officer, business directories division. As is known, Network18 Publishing encompasses three divisions of the publishing business – business to consumer (B2C) magazines, business to business (B2B) magazines and business directories division (BDD).

The business directories portfolio that Qureshi will take charge of includes multi-city editions of Yellow Pages business directories, Machine Tool Guide, Indian Exporters Guide, Construction and Interior Design Guide, Industries State Guide and Motor Pumps & Valves directories.

On the development, Sandeep Khosla, chief executive officer, Network18 Publishing, says, "The business directories division, especially its Yellow Pages stable, is core to our growth plans for Network18 Publishing. As we scale up and expand our suite of products and services across touch points, Qureshi’s proven track record and unparalleled experience in this space will be critical for us. I look forward to working closely with him as we further strengthen our leadership in the business directories space."

An old warhorse in the system, Qureshi has been with the company for 21 years. The graduate from University of Mumbai’s Government Law College began his career in the company and has taken up many roles in sales and operations in the various avatars of the company through its three ownership changes (Tata, ICICI Venture and Network18).

In his new role, Qureshi will look to leverage the potential of his sales force and serve the communication needs of the company’s SME clients across media vehicles and particularly synergise with the network’s news channels.

"At the business directories division, we’ll continue to be focused on fulfilling the growing aspirations of the Indian SME. Our widespread presence under the Yellow Pages umbrella and deep customer relationships provide us with an enormous opportunity to diversify our offerings and innovate through integrated media solutions," he says.