HT Media chairperson Shobhana Bhartia’s email to employees on leadership change
In an email to HT Media employees, Shobhana Bhartia spotlighted outgoing MD & CEO Praveen Someshwar’s contributions and introduced Sameer Singh as the new group CEO.
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HT Media has named TikTok executive Sameer Singh as group CEO. The board has accepted the resignation of Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, with effect from February 28, the company stated in an exchange filing.
In an email to HT employees, HT Media's chairperson Shobhana Bhartia stated that Someshwar had chosen to pursue opportunities outside the organization. He would also step down as managing director of HT Media, as well as from other positions he holds in various group companies, with effect from 28th February 2025.
She said, "Over the last six and a half years, Praveen has successfully led the organisation, transforming our portfolio and guiding it through the difficult COVID period. He built a young, innovative, and strong tech/product team that has created robust, scalable, and sustainable digital businesses, thereby future-proofing the organization. Our legacy businesses of print and radio are now back to sustainable growth and margins. I thank Praveen for his contributions to HT and wish Tripti, Aditi and him the very best in life." Bhartia added, "I am delighted to announce that Sameer Singh is being appointed as Group CEO with effect from 1st March 2025. He will be responsible for the overall strategic leadership of the company, formulating and implementing progressive strategic plans, driving growth, and providing effective leadership across the group. He will work closely with the Board."
Singh is an alumnus of IIM Calcutta. In his most recent stint, he serves as Head of North America Global Business Solutions at TikTok/ByteDance, where he is responsible for leading the advertising and sales teams across all advertising revenue in North America. Prior to that, he was leading the Asia Pacific region in a similar capacity.
In a career spanning over 30 years, Singh has been at the forefront of digital and brand innovation in marketing and has lead it from the perspective of digital platforms, advertisers, and agencies. He spearheaded the media agency network GroupM as Chief Executive Officer - India and South Asia, driving competitive advantage with digital leadership and content to clients.
Prior to GroupM, he has worked at Google, GSK, Procter & Gamble, and IPG. At Google, he led agency partnerships in India and client conversations on the value of digital strategy for the Americas and global large customers. At GSK and P&G, he has led the evolution of media spending, especially into the world of digital. He has lived and worked in cities including New York, New Delhi, Palo Alto, Boston, London, Dubai, and Guangzhou. "Please join me in wishing the best to Praveen and extending a warm welcome to Sameer and his wife, Preeti, to the HT Group," Bhartia stated in her email.
