BCCL restructures top level Editorial Team

Jaideep ‘Jojo’ Bose, Editorial Director of The Times of India, has been at the helm, first at ET (from when he was in his late twenties) and then TOI from 2004 onwards. Three decades of being the Editor, and the pressures of day-to-day management – especially at the world’s largest English language paper, with over 50 editions spread across the length and breadth of India and thousands of stories flooding the network through the day – is both physically and mentally exhausting. Jojo has been expressing his desire to give up his executive and administrative responsibilities since early last year.

Jojo also wanted the next-in-line Editorial Leadership to assume national operational responsibilities – in recognition of their abilities and sterling contribution, and as the logical step in their career progression. This, he said, would help create space for other outstanding Editors to assume larger leadership roles.

In keeping with Jojo’s wishes and in alignment with the company’s longterm vision, a new Editorial structure has been crafted that’s aimed at strengthening current systems & processes even as it prepares for the future. Jojo will step back from daily operational responsibilities and will instead assume a wider strategic role. With the production, distribution and consumption of content, across media, changing at a dramatic pace – throwing up new opportunities as well as challenges for the media industry – Jojo will focus on longer-horizon ideas and projects aimed at consolidating and enhancing Brand TOI’s position as the pre-eminent destination for news, views, analysis and features. As part of this overarching objective, he will facilitate greater integration between print and digital with a view to enriching TOI’s relationship with its audiences.

Jojo will also mentor and guide colleagues in TOI and our Language publications in achieving their full potential, and help cross-leverage the Group’s editorial assets and capabilities in a manner that works to everyone’s advantage.

As part of the new structure, the company has decided to constitute The Times of India Editorial Board with the following Editorial leadership team members:

1.Vikas Singh, Associate Executive Editor, will be Executive Editor (News) in overall charge of all news content that goes into the paper. Barring a five-year break when he worked for Business Standard and Business Today, Vikas has been with the company since 1994. He was first with ET and then TOI, and besides news, has worked at the edit page as well as in digital.

2. Derick D’Sa, Associate Executive Editor, will be Executive Editor (National Coordination). In addition to his existing responsibilities, he will coordinate with REs and Metro Editors on city coverage as well as be point person on staffing issues across the country. Derick began his career with The Statesman in Kolkata, moved to Ahmedabad with TOI, and was RE of Express in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Pune before returning to Times as RE of Calcutta and then Mumbai. Vikas and Derick will work closely together on people-related issues.

3. Diwakar, who joined ET in 1992 before moving to TOI in 2004, will continue as Executive Editor (Politics and Government) and will guide editors and reporters across editions and bureaus. Saubhik Chakrabarti, Associate Executive Editor of ET, who takes over as Editor of the TOI Edit Page upon Swagato Ganguly’s retirement, will relate to Diwakar on issues and ideas.

4. Rohit Saran, who moved from the paper to the online edition last year as Editor-in-Chief – and is working full steam to take digital to the next level and establish TOI+ as a robust subscription news product – will be a core member of this central Editorial Board.

Jojo will be Chair of The Times of India Editorial Board, with the above four key editorial positions relating to him. He will also work closely with national vertical heads, REs and other colleagues on ideas and projects that add long-term value to TOI. Knowing how much Jojo still enjoys the art and craft of journalism and the buzz of the newsroom – whether physical or virtual – he may still want to suggest and edit stories, design a page, or come up with a headline!