Ajay Chacko takes up additional charge as COO, Network18

He will handle both responsibilities for some time as president, A+E Networks|TV18 and COO, Network18.

The Network18 Group has given Ajay Chacko, president, A+E Networks|TV18 the additional role of COO, Network 18. He will continue to report to B Sai Kumar, group CEO, Network18. The appointment is aligned with the group's plan to strengthen its central management structure aimed at accelerating growth and furthering synergies between businesses.

Chacko joined Network18 in 2003 as head, marketing for its English business news channel, CNBC TV18.

Kumar says, "We've invested in and built a great set of brands across multiple platforms over the last decade. In the next phase of Network18, we intend to consolidate the strengths of each of these businesses across the network, extract value through unrelenting focus on internal assets and thereby better our offerings to external constituencies all around. Chacko has been key to the success of some of these businesses and in this new role, he will bring his expertise, foresight, operational and people skills to achieve what we've set out to accomplish."

In his new role, Chacko will actively support management teams and leaders across functions in leveraging the network's diverse strengths, be responsible for creation and management of network-wide properties and institutionalise processes and models that unleash the value across the group and its ventures. He is also mandated with strengthening the business planning and monitoring processes as well as other critical support and staff functions across the group.

Additionally, he has been entrusted with the role of being the custodian of 'Brand Network18'.

In an official communiqué, Raghav Bahl, founder and editor, Network18, says, "We have now embarked on a path of bringing together our various business units in order to successfully ride the opportunity wave and stay focused on returns to shareholders. In Chacko, we entrust the responsibility of strengthening our continued efforts to emerge as 'one' strong network. He has our best wishes and whole-hearted support."

Chacko says, "We have been seen to be a diverse and talented set of people running some of the country's most successful media brands. I hope to be able to supplement Sai's efforts to help strengthen the collaboration between our various business units and functions with a view to improve financially as well operationally and emerge stronger as one network."

In his earlier roles at Network18, Chacko has led many of the group's businesses such as CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and Forbes India and has been instrumental in their ascendance as market leading media brands in the country. He has also led the group's efforts in the business media domain as well as the successful launches of key digital properties of Network18. He has been responsible for the functioning of the JV between A+E Networks and TV18, now a key player in the Indian factual entertainment space with HistoryTV18 emerging as a top tier brand in the genre.

Before joining Network18, Chacko worked in financial services and media for over a decade. His earlier stints were with IL&FS (Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, India); he has also been a part of the start-up team at Sharekhan. He started his career in 1996 with the Indian Express Group, where he worked in various capacities. Later, he worked in the financial services sector between 1999 and 2003.