Lakshmi Narasimhan is new Web18 CEO; Surya Mantha moves

Network18 has re-calibrated the roles of its functionaries at the highest echelons, assigning the position of Web18 CEO to Lakshmi Narasimhan, till recently the head of Infomedia18, the group's special-interest publishing and printing operations business. Narasimhan's predecessor at Web18, Surya Mantha, has been handed the reins of Network18's convergence initiatives; he assumes the post of executive director, convergence.

The reshuffle reflects Network18's intensified concentration on its on-mobile business and digital convergence. As for the latter, Mantha has been charged with responsibility of harnessing the benefits afforded by the group's TV and print brands, in terms of community-building and digital opportunities. His remit will cover TV18, IBN18 and Infomedia18.

The group CEO of Network18, Haresh Chawla, has been quoted as saying that the re-alignment of roles was intended to create a separate focus area for the company's web and mobile business. He has said that another rationale was to digitally tap the group's offline media assets.