MUMBAI: Sahara India Pariwar has appointed Sanjeev Srivastava as CEO and editor-in-chief, heading all media related activities of the Group.

Srivastava, currently India editor at BBC, will take up this new role starting January. He comes with over 25 years of experience in journalism with various media organisations including the Times of India and Indian Express. Working for 16 years with the BBC, he most recently led the entire BBC Hindi output generated from India across all platforms of delivery, including FM, short wave and online.

Sahara has also appointed Upendra Rai as editor and news director. Both Srivastava and Rai will be reporting directly to Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy.

Meanwhile, Rai is coming back to Sahara from Star News where he was senior editor. Rai started his career as a journalist with the Sahara group for over 12 years ago.

Roy says: "Sahara enjoys a loyal base of audiences across print and electronic media, but we realise that we cannot afford to be complacent. I am confident that Srivastava, with his experience and vision, will strengthen and streamline our offering across the entire media spectrum. Rai's skill and expertise will complement this endeavour and together they will lead Sahara's media offerings to scale greater heights. Their appointment is part of Sahara's strategy to secure a rightful place in a highly competitive environment."