The chairmanship of the international magazine association was passed to Purie (pictured) after Pierre Lamunière, chairman, Edipresse Group completed his two-year term. The inauguration took place at the close of the 37th FIPP World Magazine Congress at Old Billingsgate in London on 6 May 2009. Purie is a long standing member of the FIPP Management Board, having been appointed in October 2003.
Said Purie: “We all seem to be in a dark tunnel but I see light at the end and it is not an on-coming train. History shows that innovation follows adversity. I believe that magazines as brands, whether on-line or off-line, can innovate so they continue to engage and excite. I believe the competition is not between magazines and digital media and newspapers or television but between business models. It depends - as we have heard in this conference - on how we leverage our brands through new platforms, forge alliances and discover new revenue streams. We must never forget our outstanding brand equity, and our capacity for creativity. There will be restructuring but it will not be the end.
The downturn of the world economy has shown that our destinies are more connected than we ever thought. In such a globalised world, FIPP has a great role to play. I would like to see a stronger bonding and sharing of information and expertise between publishers in the developing countries with those in the developed. Also, there is urgency about how we address the digital opportunity. And FIPP has been very active in promoting conferences dealing with such subjects. Given the present day challenges, these efforts need to be further enhanced.”
Commenting on the election, FIPP president and CEO Donald Kummerfeld said: “Aroon Purie is a leader in every sense of the word. He led the way in developing a thriving international publishing company which brought prominent foreign titles to India. He has transformed his magazine company into a multimedia success story and as editor of the prominent news weekly, India Today he has become an influential spokesman on major issues of public policy. So we are proud and pleased that Aroon has agreed to lead FIPP as chairman of the Management Board for the next two years as we prepare for the 38th World Magazine congress in New Delhi in 2011.”
Purie is an alumnus of the London School of Economics and a qualified chartered accountant. He has served as chairman and member on the board of many institutions both in India and abroad and is chairman of the newly-formed FIPP Asia Pacific Council. India Today is published in English and four regional languages and sells nearly a million copies. Purie has been instrumental is changing the face of journalism in India, and is the recipient of numerous awards for his contribution to journalism in both print and television. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan – one of India's highest civilian honours – from the president of India in 2001.
