Aroon Purie elected chairman of the Federation of the Periodical Press

Aroon Purie, chairman and editor-in-chief, India Today Group, has been elected as the chairman of the Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP).

FIPP, founded in 1925, engages in promoting common editorial, cultural and economic interests of magazine publishers nationally and internationally in print, online, digital and mobile media. Various issues championed by FIPP relate to freedom of the press, intellectual property, information provision, freedom to advertise, freedom of distribution and environmental protection.

Interestingly Purie is a long-standing member of the FIPP Management Board, ever since October 2003. Additionally, he is also the chairman of the newly-formed FIPP Asia Pacific Council.

In a press release posted on FIPP’s official website, Donald Kummerfeld, FIPP president and chief executive officer, welcomed Purie's nomination by hailing him as someone who has led the way in developing an international publishing company, which brought 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. We look forward to Purie 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,” stated Kummerfeld.

Purie is an alumnus of the London School of Economics and is a qualified chartered accountant. Purie has been the recipient of various awards for his contribution towards journalism, in both print and electronic media. Purie was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2001.