MAM
Helios Media elevates Shrutish Maharaj as chief sales officer
MUMBAI: Helios Media has promoted Shrutish Maharaj as chief sales officer.
He has been a part of the company’s core team since its inception four years ago.
In the new role, Maharaj will be responsible for spearheading the revenue and content marketing functions at Helios. He has about 12 years of experience and has earlier worked with organisations like India Today Group, HT Media Ltd, Network 18, UTV News ltd and Times Group in various capacities.
Maharaj said, “The last four years haven’t been the easiest but surely most exciting and enriching. We have created benchmarks and then recreated them. We are constantly redefining the way people approach media sales and it’s most satisfying to see larger networks counting on us as experts of specialty products. We have built this team of handpicked people for whom sales is a passion; more than just a career and I would say our people are our biggest assets. I am definitely thrilled at this development and am geared up for all the challenges and opportunities coming our way this year.”
Helios Media currently handles revenue mandate for MTunes HD, Living Foodz, Epic TV, Music F Fatafati, food vertical of Femina (WWM Group), Fashion TV in exclusive capacity.
Apart from the above he will also lead Brand Chef, which is an indigenous initiative by Helios connecting the brand, consumer and content in the food domain.
Commenting on Maharaj’s appointment, Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan said, “I am glad that the reins are now in the right hands and Shrutish will continue to make us proud. His organisational pride of wearing the Helios Spirit on his sleeve has been heartening and also infectious.”
Helios Media COO Bala Iyengar added, “Shrutish is a perfect example of what it takes to sprint your way to this coveted position, which was waiting for him to occupy. The right persona that a rapidly growing organization likes ours is what Shrutish has worked towards developing and successfully at that.”
Brands
From mega bills to spontaneous dates: Swiggy Dineout Valentine’s report
From mega bills to last-minute plans, India celebrated love with flair
MUMBAI: Valentine’s Day 2026 was a feast for the senses and wallets alike, according to Swiggy Dineout. India’s on-demand dining platform revealed how the nation celebrated romance with big gestures, lively nights out, and plenty of spontaneous bookings.
Metropolitan hubs continued to rule the roost with Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad seeing the most reservations. Emerging cities aren’t far behind, with Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh joining the party. Growth was particularly striking in Surat (up 180 per cent), Vadodara (155 per cent) and Bhubaneswar (145.5 per cent) compared with the previous Saturday.
Mumbai stole the headlines with a single customer splashing out Rs 130,155 – the highest bill in the country. The city also hosted the largest single group booking, with 30 diners coming together to celebrate in style. Most Valentine’s transactions took place between 10pm and 11pm, proving love, and hunger, strike late.
Mumbai stole the spotlight with a mega-spender whose bill made everyone else blush, while savvy diners were cashing in on discounts, including a Pune customer saving 60% and another in Bengaluru saving 50 per cent. Fine dining was on fire, with bookings up 121 per cent year-on-year, though pubs, bars, and lounges remained the crowd favourites, accounting for 30.6 per cent of all reservations. Last-minute romance was the order of the day, with 66 per cent of diners booking within two hours of heading out. Together, India saved over Rs 6 crore, proving that love can be grand, yet thrifty.
Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi led the premium dining rush, showing a growing appetite for curated, high-end experiences. Meanwhile, spontaneous bookings reinforced modern lifestyles, where convenience and instant gratification rule the day.
Whether it was big spends, huge groups, or a last-minute romantic dash, Valentine’s Day 2026 proved love and dining go hand in hand – and sometimes, they go all out.
