MUMBAI: Allied Media, the media buying and planning arm of Percept Ltd, has elevated PM BalaKrishna to the position of chief operating officer.

BalaKrishna, who was vice president, will take charge of the entire operations of the current Rs 10 billion franchise that Allied media manages.

Balakrishna had joined Allied Media along with Shripad Kulkarni – the CEO of the company since its inception in April 2007. Soon, Balakrishna was promoted as the VP of the company.

According to the company, Balakrishna has played a key role in building a formidable team to service all the group clients of Percept, including North and South Regions.

He has been an intrinsic force for the company in forging business relationships with a varied mix of clients such as Panasonic, Toyota, Canon, Hirco, Nahar Group and Sahara Group.

In his 20 years of experience, Balakrishna has worked in sales and marketing with media houses like Times of India – Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd and Zee Network.

Kulkarni said, "BalaKrishna has been the key resource of Allied Media since its inception and has played a pivotal role in the super success story of the company. As we grow at a breakneck speed, we strongly believe in nurturing and growing in-house talent. We believe in building leaders from within."

BalaKrishna added: "I am excited with the challenging opportunity to drive the company to newer heights. We have established a strong presence in India in a short span of time and our association with Point Logic – The world leader in marcom planning tools and analytics - we are now ready to take on the best in the industry."