Audit Bureau of Circulations has elected ITC Ltd.’s Karunesh Bajaj as its chairman and Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.’s Mohit Jain as deputy chairman for 2025-26.
“Mr. Karunesh Bajaj brings with him a wealth of expertise to guide the council in its next phase of growth and governance,” the non-profit organisation that certifies and audits the circulations of major publications, said in a statement. Separately, Jain was elected unanimously as deputy chairman, the statement said.
The members of ABC’s Council of Management for 2025-26 are:
Advertisers Representatives
- Karunesh Bajaj, ITC Ltd. - Chairman
- Aniruddha Haldar, TVS Motor Co. Ltd.
- Partho Banerjee, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.
Publishers Representatives
- Mohit Jain, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. - Deputy Chairman
- Dhruba Mukherjee, ABP Pvt. Ltd. - Honorary Secretary
- Riyad Mathew, Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd.
- Girish Agarwal, DB Corp. Ltd.
- Shailesh Gupta, Jagran Prakashan Ltd.
- Karan Darda, Lokmat Media Pvt. Ltd.
- Pratap G. Pawar, Sakal Papers Pvt. Ltd.
- Adimoolam, Dinamalar
Advertising Agencies Representatives
- Vikram Sakhuja, Madison Communications Pvt. Ltd. - Honorary Treasurer
- Srinivasan K. Swamy, RK Swamy Pvt. Ltd.
- Prasanth Kumar, Group M Media India Pvt. Ltd.
- Vaishali Verma, Initiative Media (India) Pvt. Ltd.
- Sejal Shah, Publicis Media India Group
Bajaj, who is currently executive vice president (marketing and exports), ITD at ITC Ltd., has steered some of India’s most iconic brands, thereby strengthening ITC’s market standing.
During his 25 years at the company, he has held several senior roles—including GM (marketing, product development and supply chain) as well as group brand head - biscuits—shaping brand portfolios that resonate with millions across India.
{{/usCountry}}During his 25 years at the company, he has held several senior roles—including GM (marketing, product development and supply chain) as well as group brand head - biscuits—shaping brand portfolios that resonate with millions across India.
{{/usCountry}}Before ITC, Bajaj was head of brands at Bharti Retail Ltd. (Bharti-Walmart JV), where he led the brand strategy during a critical stage of modern retail development in India. His earlier stints include national head - modern trade, marketing manager, and regional sales manager (north).
A management graduate from The Wharton School in the US, Bajaj started his career at Shriram Industrial Enterprises Ltd., where he was manager - corporate communications.
Outside of the workplace, Bajaj is a golfer and Formula 1 enthusiast.