BBC has appointed Harsha Subramaniam as Regional Director for South Asia. In this role, Subramaniam manages editorial content and business operations across the region, including the BBC World Service language services. He leads a cross functional leadership team comprising editorial heads and the finance, HR, and business operations departments.
The appointment follows the naming of Juliet Njeri as Regional Director for Africa, Richard Colebourn for Europe, and Kevin Ponniah for the Americas. These positions are part of the BBC international operating model. The directors hold responsibility for operational accountability and audience growth within their respective territories.
Subramaniam joins from TollBit, where he served as Head of India Partnerships. He also spent ten years as Executive Producer for Bloomberg Media in India, where he led the launch of Bloomberg TV India and Bloomberg-Quint. Earlier in his career, he worked as a primetime business news anchor and News Editor for CNBC India. Subramaniam holds an MBA and journalism credentials from the Asian College of Journalism.
The appointment comes after the BBC reported a 14 percent year on year increase in its South Asian audience. Average weekly reach in the region grew to 109 million people last year.