The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) has announced its newly elected office bearers following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in New Delhi, marking a renewed phase of leadership for India’s magazine publishing industry.

According to a press release, Manoj Sharma, CEO (Publishing & Experiential), Living Media India (India Today Group), has been elected as President. He will be joined by Dhaval Gupta, Director, CyberMedia as Vice-President; Anurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld as General Secretary; and Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor & Director, Malayala Manorama as Treasurer.

Outgoing President Anant Nath (Executive Publisher, Delhi Press) expressed gratitude to AIM members for their support during his tenure. Reflecting on the association’s progress, he highlighted AIM’s contribution in revitalising the magazine ecosystem through collective initiatives that positioned magazines as trusted, multi-platform media. “We have achieved significant milestones — from strengthening subscription and distribution networks, to building policy engagement with ministries, and bringing magazines back into the advertising conversation,” Nath said.

In recent years, AIM has played a key role in enhancing magazine distribution and accessibility, including partnerships with India Post through Magazine Post, IRCTC and Indian Railways for retail expansion, and the launch of the WAVES OTT magazine store in collaboration with Prasar Bharati, alongside a shared storefront on ONDC/DigiHaat.

The 14th Indian Magazine Congress (IMC 2025), themed “The Deep Connect: Building Communities, Nurturing Trust, Re-imagining the Future,” recently concluded in New Delhi, bringing together top publishers, advertisers, policymakers, and global experts. AIM also hosted the Magzimise Awards 2025, honouring excellence and innovation in magazine advertising.

Looking ahead, AIM’s new leadership has outlined a strategic roadmap to further strengthen magazine distribution, subscriptions, and advertising visibility. The association plans to launch a national magazine advertising campaign and intensify policy advocacy with ministries to secure budgetary allocations for magazines in public libraries and educational institutions. AIM will also urge the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) to revise and rationalise advertising rates to ensure fair representation and revenue flow to magazine publishers.

Commenting on his election, President Manoj Sharma said, “This is a pivotal moment for the magazine medium. AIM has laid important groundwork over the past few years to rebuild our distribution backbone and strengthen our voice. The new leadership team looks forward to carrying this work forward with greater energy, sharper focus, and stronger collaborations to grow magazine readership, advertising, and relevance.”

The AIM Governing Body for the new term includes senior leaders from across India’s publishing houses — Delhi Press, Malayala Manorama, Ananda Vikatan, CyberMedia, Next Gen Publishing, Pathfinder Publishing, Spenta Multimedia, Chitralekha, and Outlook Publishing.

Founded as the apex body representing India’s leading magazine publishers, AIM continues to serve as the industry’s collective voice, working toward policy advocacy, digital transformation, and ecosystem development to ensure the long-term sustainability of the magazine medium.