New Delhi: BBC News has appointed Harsha Subramanian as its new Regional Director for South Asia. But who is Subramanian?
The 46-year-old was previously the Head of India Partnerships at TollBit, a platform through which websites can monitor and block AI bot traffic. But he also has over 26 years of experience in journalism.
Subramanian has previously worked with Bloomberg, Meta, Star TV and more. At the BBC, he will lead the editorial team as well as oversee the day-to-day business operations, including the BBC World Service’s multiple language services.
The South Asia appointment comes after Juliet Njeri was named the Regional Director for Africa, Richard Colebourn for Europe, and Kevin Ponniah for the Americas. The Regional Directors are tasked with growing audiences across their region and maintaining the standards and protocols of the channel through their stories and missions.
He graduated from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College in Tamil Nadu in 1998. Two years later, he received an MBA from the ITM Group of Institutions before pivoting to journalism. Subramanian earned a BBC Certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism in 2001. In 2018, he headed to the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore for Media Management.
Journey to BBC
Subramanian started his media odyssey at BusinessLine, a subsidiary of The Hindu, in 2001. He worked as the Chennai correspondent reporting on marketing, retailing, advertising and media.
But in 2002, he received his big break. Subramanian was appointed as the chief of bureau for Star TV Network. With his management and media training, the budding journalist was soon able to deliver news stories across politics, business, sports, and civic issues in South India, while managing everyday operations and a team of his own.
However, it wasn’t until his role as a news anchor and editor at CNBC-TV18 that things truly changed. In Mumbai, Subramanian was no longer just another journalist but a primetime host. He co-hosted the award-winning show “India Business Hour” and also introduced the “What’s Hot” segment. He revolutionised the channel from a boring business-only entity to a budding centre analysing the overlap between politics and finance, offering expert analysis as well as debate programmes.
After his seven-year stint at CNBC-TV18, Subramanian could only climb up, and he did. In 2010, he became the Head of India Partnership and an Executive Producer at Bloomberg, including launching Bloomberg-Quint in 2015. He even brought a new and improved version of Bloomberg TV back to India in 2012.
Subramanian worked for almost a decade with Bloomberg before finding greener pastures at Meta in 2019. Starting as Head of News Partnership India, he went on to become the Head of Communities and Scaled Partnerships before donning the mantle of Head of Global Content Strategy. Following his five years of Mumbai-based dominance at Meta, he took his skills to the artificial intelligence market.
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Welcome to the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation’s South Asia audience has grown to reach almost 109 million people on average per week. The media network has expanded in the area by 14 percent year-on-year.
According to a press release, Fiona Crack, Interim Global Director, BBC News, said that she was “thrilled” to have Subramanian on board.
“He will lead our talented teams across this growing and distinctive market and brings a wealth of journalistic and technological experience to the role. We look forward to welcoming him,” Crack said.
Subramaniam, on the other hand, shared his long admiration for the news channel.
“I have long admired the BBC’s editorial values, its global reach across multiple languages and its position as the world’s most trusted broadcaster. South Asia, with its dynamic and diverse culture, presents an exciting growth opportunity for the BBC. I’m honoured to lead the BBC’s presence in the region, and I look forward to working closely with our talented colleagues here,” he said.