Sukumar Ranganathan, Editor-in-Chief of Hindustan Times, is set to move on from HT Media Group following this year’s Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, bringing an end to his more than two-decade association with the organisation. Kunal Pradhan will succeed him as Editor-in-Chief.
Pradhan will join HT Media on October 1, 2026, as Acting Editor-in-Chief and will formally take over the role in mid-November.
Ranganathan has been associated with HT Media for over two decades. He was one of the founding editors of Mint and later took on the role of Editor-in-Chief at Hindustan Times. During his tenure, he played a key role in strengthening the group's journalism and led the newsroom through significant changes in the media landscape.
Under his leadership, Hindustan Times continued to focus on credible and independent journalism while adapting to evolving reader behaviour and changing modes of news discovery and consumption.
Commenting on his decision to move on, Ranganathan said, “HT Media Ltd is one of the few media companies that still cares deeply about its journalism and it has been an honour and privilege to edit not one, but two mastheads of the company, Mint and Hindustan Times over the past two decades.”
He added, “Editors are just the visible face of teams that run newsrooms, and both at Mint and Hindustan Times, I have been fortunate to be part of extraordinarily talented teams. I am delighted that Kunal Pradhan, one of my fellow travellers at HT for most of my stint, is returning to take over as head of the newsroom.”
Pradhan returns to Hindustan Times after previously holding senior editorial responsibilities at the organisation, including serving as Managing Editor. His journalism career spans nearly three decades, with stints at India Today, The Indian Express, Mumbai Mirror and Reuters.
Speaking about his appointment, Pradhan said, “Hindustan Times is a newsroom I know well and an institution I care deeply about, so coming back as its next editor-in-chief is both a privilege and a responsibility.”
He added, “Sukumar and I have worked together for many years, and I have enormous respect for his vision, his clarity, and for what he has built. I look forward to working with the team to build on that foundation and take HT’s journalism to even more readers across platforms.”
Pradhan will initially serve as Acting Editor-in-Chief from October 1 before formally assuming the position of Editor-in-Chief in November.
