We hope to see many of you later today, at  the MediaNama Launch, which starts off with a discussion on the current market situation, and seeks advice from those who experienced the downturn post the dot-com-boom.

We’re pleased to announce that Sanjeev Bikhchandani, MD & CEO of Info Edge Ltd (Naukri.com Group) will be joining our panel. Relevant to our discussion, do read a couple of his posts – here and here.

Kushan Mitra, Assistant Editor of Business Today has kindly agreed to co-moderate the panel with me. To offer their perspective and advice, I’m pleased to introduce our panelists:

Mahendra Swarup, Chief Mentor of Smile Interactive has guided group companies like Quasar Media, Tyroo Media, Zoomtra, among others. Quasar Media was acquired by the WPP Group, and Tyroo Media received investment from Yahoo. He was previously the MD and CEO of Times Internet Ltd (Indiatimes), and during his 30 years of business experience, has worked with ACC, Nestle India, Sun Breweries–Moscow and PepsiCo India at the senior-most functional levels.

Murugavel Janakiraman, CEO of Consim Info (Bharatmatrimony Group), launched Bharatmatrimony.com in 1997, and today it is among India’s leading matrimonial sites. The companys diverse portfolio now includes ClickJobs.com, Mobile 5050, IndiaProperty.com, IndiaList.com, Indiaautomobile.com, LoanWala.com, BharatMatrimony Centre, among others. Consim Info has been funded by Canaan Partners and Yahoo.

Sanjeev Bikhchandani is the MD and CEO of Info Edge India, which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. Their portfolio includes Internet sites like Naukri.com, launched in 1997, 99Acres.com, Jeevansathi.com, Shiksha.com, among others. Bikhchandani has worked in Lintas India, Glaxo SmithKline, and The Pioneer. Last year, the company invested in StudyPlaces Inc, and after Info Edge got an approval from its board to raise money for further investments, and they put those plans on hold.

Sidharth Rao, CEO and co-Founder of WebChutney, established the full service interactive agency with Sudesh Samaria in 1999. WebChutney is also incubating new media ventures – online publications and advertising networks – via GooseFish Media Ventures. Rao also has investments in research agency JuxtConsult. In 2007, Capital18, the private equity arm of Network18 invested in WebChutney.