New c.e.o. for HarperCollins India

HarperCollins has appointed Ananth Padmanabhan [pictured] as the new c.e.o. of HarperCollins India, and announced the formation of a new board for the business.

Padmanabhan joins from Penguin Random House India, where he was senior v.p. of sales. PRH has appointed Nandan Jha as its new v.p. of product and sales in India, to replace him.

Padmanabhan’s appointment comes the week after it was announced that HarperCollins India would report to HarperCollins UK c.e.o. Charlie Redmayne and that current HC India c.e.o. P M Sukumar is to depart. Sukumar leaves the company at the end of September, with Padmanabhan taking on his position at the beginning of October.

Responsibility for the day to day running of the Collins India education business remains with Krishna Naroor, who will continue to report into Colin Hughes, m.d. of Collins Learning, based in London. Naroor will work with Hughes and Padmanabhan to define strategy and drive growth in the schools publishing business.

HarperCollins also announced the formation of a new HarperCollins India board. The board will include Redmayne, Padmanabhan, Naroor, and Hughes, alongside Ed Kielbasiewicz, finance director of HarperCollins UK, Alex Beecroft, corporate development director of HarperCollins UK, and Amit Abrol, finance director of HarperCollins India.

Redmayne said: “I am delighted that Ananth is joining as c.e.o. of HarperCollins India at this important time. He is an experienced publishing executive with a clear strategic mind and commercial acumen, which he combines with the energy needed to build on the brilliant work already done by our team in India. It is a time of real opportunity for HarperCollins India and I know that Ananth will do a terrific job in helping us grasp it firmly."

Padmanabhan said: ''It is a great privilege to have been offered this opportunity, at a time of such rapid change in the Indian publishing industry. HarperCollins is a company I have long admired; for the breadth of its publishing and, in Collins, its fast growing education business. HarperCollins has one of the most experienced and dynamic teams in publishing and I am greatly looking forward to working with them.''

Padmanabhan has been at Penguin's India business for almost 20 years. He said: “It is near impossible to express what a wrench it is to leave. Difficult though this decision has been, it is time for me move forward and pursue other opportunities. Penguin will always hold a very special place in my heart.”

Jha, who was v.p. product and sales at Random House India prior to the merger with Penguin in 2013, will take up his new role with immediate effect. He said: “I am absolutely delighted to be taking up this new role and look forward to continuing to work with the entire Penguin Random House sales team, along with our valued author, distributors and retailers, to ensure our books reach their widest possible readership.”

PRH India c.e.o. Gaurav Shrinagesh said: “As a company we have immense talent and depth and with many years of experience Nandan is the ideal candidate to continue to build our business in India and South Asia. He has a background across the book trade as a retailer, entrepreneur with his own venture publishing in Hindi and English as well as heading sales and marketing for several international publishers. This wealth of knowledge will continue to ensure that our readers can obtain Penguin Random House books, wherever and however they wish to buy them.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ananth for all his commitment, hard work and passion throughout his career at Penguin Random House and wish him all the very best for his future endeavors.”