Bertelsmann sets up India Corporate Centre

New Delhi: The advance parties arrived here first. Now, the generals have landed to set up command.

The $16-billion media giant Bertelsmann, which has had a presence in India for some years now through its books publishing, broadcasting and BPO services divisions, today opened its India Corporate Centre in Delhi.

Through this, it will identify investment opportunities and build new businesses here. Education and digital media are two key new areas the company has identified in India.

Already, four divisions of Bertlesmann — its broadcasting arm RTL, publishing house Random House, magazine publisher Gruner+ Jah and outsourcing services business Arvato — are present in India.

New Chairman and CEO, Mr Thomas Rabe, who took charge of Bertelsmann in October 2011, is here along with senior board members. Fittingly, winners from the X-factor and Indian Idol, two Bertlesmann properties (through Freemantle Media, the production arm of its RTL division), performed at the grand opening. The new Bertelsmann company in India will be led by Mr Pankaj Makkar, a graduate of the group's internal ‘Bertelsmann Entrepreneur Programme'.

For the Gutersloh-headquartered company, this is only the fourth Corporate Centre in the world — and the second in Asia — and hence a “far from routine” opening in Dr Rabe's words. Outside Germany, the group has corporate centres only in New York and Beijing.

“Creating a Corporate Centre in Delhi is meant to be a statement for Bertlesmann,” said Dr Thomas Hesse, President, Corporate Development and New Business, describing how it will serve as the growth platform for the company here.

And, like in China, where Bertlesmann set up an investment fund and acquired start-ups, the group would follow a similar strategy here, he said. According to Dr Hesse, Bertlesmann would be looking at investments in the education and digital media space in India. This appears in line with its global strategy.

Significantly, in January, Bertelsmann pumped in $50 million in a $100-million fund aimed at investments in online education ventures in Europe and the US.