MAM
Divya Radhakrishnan launches Helios Media
MUMBAI: Divya Radhakrishnan, who had quit in February this year as president of TME, the media arm of Rediffusion-Y&R, has launched her own venture, Helios Media.
Helios Media, an integrated ancillary service company for television broadcasters, has collaborated with specialised partners to complement services in all allied areas. It has set up Sales, Marketing, Research and Traffic management verticals and will offer the services as a composite piece or as a stand-alone, based on the requirements of the broadcasters.
The company has set up offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
The company has also roped in former business head of Zoom, Bala Iyengar as business director. He will lead the sales and content syndication function at the company.
According to the official communique, the vision of this company has been crafted on the premise that the increasing number of TV channels in India is facing a key business challenge. While content is the primary scope of these channels, a lot of effort has to be invested in creating a robust eco-system to run the business. This puts in a lot of stress on the channel business head, resulting in dilution of focus from the key delivery, which is content. Also, the proliferation will lead to further slicing of the revenue pie making the all-encompassing business model non-viable.
The company has already signed up two music channels — MTunes and Music Express — as clients. It has also partnered with World Media Connect (WMC) as its Asian arm. WMC markets Indian Channels to the ethnic population based in US and UK. The portfolio includes six channels of the Sun TV Network (Sun TV, KTV, Gemini TV, Udaya TV, Gemini Movies, Surya TV) and Punjjabi TV at present.
Helios Media said that with the above contracts already in place, it is in advanced stages of negotiations with four speciality channels coming into India.
Radhakrishnan has over 24 years of rich experience in the business of media management. She has worked with leading advertising agencies like Publicis and Rediffusion Y&R. In her last assignment, she headed the Contact Practice at Rediffusion Y&R wherein the Media company TME, Public Relations company Rediffusion PR and the Event Management company Showdiff Worldwide were under her leadership.
Meanwhile, Iyengar, who has over 14 years of experience, has worked with leading media networks like Times of India, Sony Entertainment Television, Star Network and MTV.
MAM
Kartik Vishwanathan returns to WPP Media as VP – investments
14-year Mindshare veteran takes special assignment role from February 2026.
MUMBAI: Kartik Vishwanathan has made a sharp return on investment rejoining WPP Media, the very organisation that shaped a big chunk of his professional journey. The seasoned media executive has been appointed vice president for investments (Special Assignment) at WPP Media, effective February 2026. He will contribute to both regional and global priorities in this strategic mandate.
With over 14 years and 7 months at Mindshare, Vishwanathan brings deep expertise across investment strategy, strategic initiatives, and integration. His most recent role was Head of Investment Strategy – Mindshare China (Dec 2019–Oct 2023) in Shanghai, following his stint as Head – Strategic Initiatives and Integration – Mindshare India (Jun 2018–Nov 2019). Earlier, he served as Principal Partner at The Exchange in Mumbai (Jan 2016–Jun 2018).
Before Mindshare, he held short-term roles as Process Manager – Pricing Analytics at eClerx and Project Manager at Fractal Analytics in Mumbai.
Vishwanathan holds an Executive Programme in Business Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (May 2007–Apr 2008) and a Post Graduate Certification in Advertising and Public Relations from MICA (2011–2012).
His return to WPP comes at a time when the media investment landscape is evolving rapidly, with brands demanding sharper, more integrated strategies across platforms. For someone who cut his teeth at the agency group years ago, this homecoming feels less like a new chapter and more like picking up a well-worn, high-return playbook.
