AIMA honours Vineet Jain with 'Lifetime Contribution to Media Award'

Vineet Jain, managing director of  Bennett, Coleman & Co. -The Times Group-., has been honoured with the “Lifetime Contribution to Media” award at the All India Management Association’s (AIMA) 70th Foundation Day and 20th National Management Day on Saturday in New Delhi. The award was presented by Union Cabinet Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.

AIMA’s 16th Managing India Award 2026's  theme was ‘Transforming for Tomorrow: Growth with Resilience’. Vineet Jain received the honour recognising his transformative leadership in expanding The Times Group into India’s largest diversified multimedia enterprise.

Accepting the honour, Jain said, “It is a huge honour to receive this award. I dedicate it to my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make The Times Group, India’s largest multi media company.”

Presenting the citation, AIMA lauded Vineet Jain as a future-ready leader and agile entrepreneur who has transformed a legacy newspaper business into a diversified media powerhouse. Highlighting how Jain revitalised and modernised the Group’s print foundations and strategically expanded into emerging media technologies and markets across 35 from the late 1980s, AIMA said: “He did not just grow a newspaper company; he built a multifaceted media empire that dominates information and entertainment in India and shapes the nation’s political and commercial awareness. From television and radio to internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments, his leadership has created influential brands across every platform.”

Under Vineet Jain’s stewardship, Print was revitalised and many new editions were launched. He was instrumental in diversifying the group into new media platforms which steadily gained #1 leadership. Radio Mirchi and Gaana have pioneered the FM Radio and music streaming revolution respectively in India and they are Number 1 in their categories. He saw the opportunity in digital in the late 1990s and launched Times Internet Ltd, and moved beyond digital media verticals to launch entire new genres like Magicbricks. 

He subsequently diversified BCCL into TV and brands like Times Now, ET Now and Zoom have strengthened the Group’s television presence even as their digital avatars have broken new ground. Times OOH and Times Music have emerged as India's largest entities in their categories even as Times Group's legacy magazines Femina and Filmfare have grown from strength to strength.

The AIMA citation also noted the group’s entry into education through Bennett University and the EdTech platform TimesPro, reflecting Vineet Jain’s vision of integrating knowledge and enterprise.