Hires & Promotions: Amazon Prime, Disney Star, VMY&R, Scibids, Goldmines Telefilms

Vivek Srivastava exits Times Network, set to join Amazon Prime Video

Vivek Srivastava is leaving broadcasting company Times Network to join video streaming giant Amazon Prime Video, sources have told us.

Srivastava, who was elevated to President Strategy and Operations of Times Network in July, has resigned from the company after a seven-year stint. In this role, he was leading the digital operations of the network besides overseeing product strategy, audience development, and operations planning for both digital and broadcast businesses.

Both Times Network and Amazon Prime Video refused to comment on the story.

He joined Times Network in October 2014 as Senior Vice-President and Head of the English Entertainment Cluster. In May 2017, he was elevated as Executive Vice President and Head – Entertainment Cluster. His remit was expanded in August 2020 with the addition of the news portfolio (Times Now, Mirror Now, and ET Now).

Prior to Times Network, Vivek was part of Viacom18 Media as Head - Commercial and Digital of Colors. His responsibility included handling channel strategy for Colors as a part of their launch team besides managing international business and distribution.

In a career spanning over two decades, Srivastava has also worked with TAM Media Research and IMRB.

George Cherian appointed Head of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for Disney Star

Disney Star today announced the appointment of George Cherian as Head of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the market. In this role, he will be responsible for overseeing all strategic communications and CSR efforts for the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED) business in the country which includes television network, streaming platforms and studios. George will report to K. Madhavan, Country Manager and President, The Walt Disney Company and Star India and will join the India Leadership Team that drives Disney Star businesses in the country.

"We are at an exciting juncture of our growth story and strongly believe that communication is one of the key drivers in establishing a brand’s stature. As the country’s leading media, entertainment and digital network, we have a strong and compelling story to tell. We are delighted to welcome George to the Disney Star team to help us communicate our vision, strategy and commitment to the Indian market, and to the various external stakeholders,” said K. Madhavan.

“The combination of an industry that is on the cusp of exponential growth and a brand that is trusted and respected by millions of people the world over, could not have made for a more convincing case for me to join Disney Star. I look forward to the opportunity of building the Disney Star brands in India and working with some of the most talented professionals in this industry,” said George.

George brings to bear over 25 years of experience as a financial journalist and a communications professional. In his previous role as Director and Head of Group Communications for the Deutsche Bank Group in India, he led all brand and communications activities for the bank’s various businesses in the country. He previously headed Communications for Barclays in the Asia Pacific region. As a journalist, George was a part of the founding teams of Bloomberg TV India and ET NOW and prior to this, he worked with The Economic Times.

VMY&R elevates Amandeep Singh Kochar as VP - Client Engagement, CX & Commerce

VMY&R Business Director - New Delhi Amandeep Singh Kochar has taken on a new role as VP - Client Engagement, CX & Commerce at the agency. In this role, he will be based in Bangkok, Thailand.

"A New Year with new beginning in a new country. Looking forward to work with highly driven and passionate team and leadership while delivering commercial growth to VMLY&R clients with our customer experience and commerce capabilities. This time in Thailand. Starting a new role as VP - Client Engagement, CX & Commerce at VMLY&R!" Kochar said in a LinkedIn post.

In his previous role as Business Director - New Delhi, he headed the business for VMLY&R in New Delhi. Prior to VMLY&R, he was Director - Brand Strategy & New Business at Brandmovers.

In a career spanning over 12 years, he has worked with KRDS India, BrandAppZ.com, and TCS.

Former Voot executive Samir Karpe joins Paris-based Scibids

Viacom18-owned Voot's former Head Sales Strategy & Agency Business Samir Karpe has joined Paris-based digital marketing agency Scibids as Country Manager for India. Founded in Paris in 2016 with 10 locations worldwide, Scibids develops customisable AI to make marketing more effective.

"I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Country Manager at Scibids! A big Thank You to Rémi Lemonnier, Julien Hirth and Rahul Vasudev for the opportunity! Looking forward to a fantastic 2022!" Karpe said in a LinkedIn post.

Karpe spent 5.6 years at Voot and was tasked with managing sales strategy and agency business for the platform. He joined Voot in July 2016 as Senior Manager and rose to become the Head Sales Strategy & Agency Business in June this year. Prior to Voot, he spent almost six years at Radio Mirchi where he managed key client accounts.

Joy Chakraborthy joins Goldmines Telefilms as CEO-Broadcasting

Joy Chakraborthy has joined Goldmines Telefilms as CEO of Broadcasting.

Speaking on Chakraborthy’s appointment, Manish Shah, Director, Goldmines Telefilms, said, “We welcome Joy into the Goldmines family. He comes with vast experience across genres and media platforms in the country. We look forward to working with him, making the most of his experience as our mega plans unfold.”

Chakraborthy said, “I am looking forward to working with Manish Shah. Having interacted with him over time, I can see his clarity, focus and drive towards the business goals. Manish’s vision and genre understanding as a promoter is a vital add-on. Presently Goldmines has strong positions in the HSM geographies with Dhinchaak. More recently Dhinchaak 2, a channel showcasing superhits of Bollywood, was also launched in 2021. Both channels have become leaders across markets in their respective genres in a very short span of time. Goldmines plans to introduce more channels and we will be talking about them as plans rollout. As I like to work on business challenges, I see my role at Goldmines as one such exciting challenge to take on.”

“With 27 years in the media industry, Chakraborthy’s experience traverses print, television, radio and digital businesses in the Indian media industry, with ad sales and revenue generation being core to his career. He has leveraged his strength to turn around revenues for media businesses he has been associated with,” the company said.

Chakraborthy has in the past served as the CEO of Enterr10 Media, TV Today Network, and Forbes India. He was Executive Director at Zee Group, Director-Times of India group, President-TV18 News Network and Executive Vice President-Star TV.  

He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and has graduated from National Defence Academy.