The Media Research Users Council India (MRUCI) has re-elected Vikram Sakhuja, partner and director at Madison World, as chairman and Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO of ABP, as vice chairman, while appointing former Dainik Bhaskar Group CMO Kaacon Sethi as chief executive officer, effective 8 October 2026.
The leadership changes come as MRUCI moves to revive the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) and develop a contemporary measurement framework that reflects evolving media consumption beyond conventional reach metrics.
Sakhuja and Mukherjee were unanimously re-elected at a board meeting held shortly after MRUCI’s 32nd Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on 28 September.
Sakhuja said the revival of the IRS comes at a critical time for the Indian media industry, with the new survey expected to incorporate factors such as trust, attention and digital consumption alongside reach.
“The new IRS will provide a contemporary and robust measurement framework that looks beyond reach to reflect the evolving media landscape, including Trust, Attention and digital consumption. I am excited about its launch and the opportunity it presents to enable more informed and balanced deployment of media budgets, allowing every medium to gain from a credible and common currency,” Sakhuja said.
Mukherjee described the IRS revival as a collective industry effort, highlighting the contribution of MRUCI’s board, technical committee and members in shaping the new survey.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the MRUCI Board, the Technical Committee, and all our members for their unwavering commitment and rigorous effort in shaping the approach for a new IRS. Reviving the IRS is a collective industry mission. This progress would not have been possible without the resolve and the shared belief of the MRUCI members regarding the need for a credible, contemporary and cross-media currency. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all stakeholders,” Mukherjee said.
Sethi, who will lead MRUCI’s work on the revised IRS study design, methodology and measurement framework, said audience measurement has an important role in helping the industry understand changing consumption behavior and make more informed decisions.
Sakhuja welcomed Sethi’s appointment, saying MRUCI’s audience measurement work now requires both credibility and reimagination.
The council has also appointed four new members to its Board of Governors: Samudra Bhattacharya, CEO, Print and Radio, HT Media; Janhavi Abhijit Pawar, director, Sakal Media; Kartik Sharma, CEO, Omnicom Media India; and Navin Khemka, president, Client Solutions, WPP Media South Asia.
Sethi spent nearly 12 years at Dainik Bhaskar Group as Chief Corporate Marketing Officer, working across corporate marketing, advertiser relationships, branded content and revenue initiatives. She later worked on the Kantar–Dainik Bhaskar Urban Bharat initiative.
Founded in 1994, MRUCI is an industry body focused on media research, with its IRS historically used to measure readership and support advertising and planning decisions.
