The Internet & Online Association of India has announced the appointment of Neville Taraporewalla, country head, Yahoo Web Services India Pvt Ltd, as its chairman. Mahendra Swarup, CEO, Times Internet Ltd, has been chosen the vice chairman of IOAI.
IOAI is a not-for-profit Industry trade organisation, registered under the Societies Act, 1896 and is dedicated to present a unified voice to the industry and the government.
Founded in January 2004 by leading Indian portals rediff.com, hindustantimes.com, indiatimes.com, msn.co.in, sify.com, yahoo.co.in and the online media agency, Mediaturf, the IOAI has been created to specifically address the issues, concerns and growth related to online media, advertising, e-commerce and wireless / mobile advertising, challenges of the Internet economy and takes a leading role in its development.
Taraporewalla, on his appointment, said, "There is a huge potential in online marketing industry and it is IOAI's constant endeavor to ensure that online media will be appreciated along with other mediums. I also look forward to the continued and broader participation from our board and committees members who represent the leading companies and experts in the industry."
Meanwhile, Swarup said that "the rapid development of e-commerce is forcing companies today to adopt business strategies revolving around the Internet. The e-commerce market size in India is estimated to reach Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion), while the online advertising market is expected to touch Rs 137 crore (Rs 1.37 billion) by 2005-06. As a proactive association, IOAI will help traditional advertisers understand the power of the Internet to achieve business benefits."