MAM
Kamal Oberoi resigns as M&C Saatchi’s India chairman & MD
MUMBAI: M&C Saatchi India, the Indian arm of the UK-based independent advertising agency said that its India chairman and MD, Kamal Oberoi, has called it a day to pursue other professional and academic interests.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Oberoi said, “The agency has been firmly established now. We have a very good management in place. M&C Saatchi India is doing well and I thought its time to move to the next level and this the right time.”
Denying revealing his next destination Oberoi stated, “It can be academics and I might leave advertising as well. Nothing has been decided as yet.”
Oberoi founded M&C Saatchi’s India operations in October 2005. Before that he was the president of J Walter Thompson (JWT) for 21 years.
Oberoi added, “It has been great challenging and rewarding experience. I am grateful for support from all colleagues and for clients for reposing their faith in us. The company is poised for next stage of growth.”
M&C Saatchi Asia CEO Chris Jaques said, “Thanks to Kamal, M&C Saatchi is privileged to have a blue-chip client list and a first-class management team – one that is ready to take the company into the next phase of its exciting development. I would like to thank Kamal for his determination, his professionalism – and for his friendship. I wish him well in this new phase of his life, and I thank him for his extraordinary contribution to M&C Saatchi.”
Brands
Hemlata Sharma joins ONEOTT Broadband as chief business officer
Former Zee Media distribution head to steer growth, partnerships and strategy
MUMBAI: Hemlata Sharma has joined ONEOTT Broadband as chief business officer, bringing with her more than three decades of experience across television, telecom and media distribution.
Sharma most recently served as head distribution, research & CRM at Zee Media Corporation Limited, where she worked closely with editorial and senior management while overseeing distribution, consumer research and customer relationships for 14 news channels including Zee News, WION, Zee Hindustan and Zee Business, along with ten regional state channels.
In that role, she led nationwide distribution across platforms such as DTH, Hits, IPTV, cable networks and DD Free Dish. She also drove consumer research and strategic insights on a pan India scale, analysing content performance, anchor impact, programme slots and audience behaviour to guide editorial decisions and programming strategy.
Her portfolio also included managing one of the largest alliances with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and overseeing the global distribution monitoring of Wion across North America, Mena, Europe, Africa, APAC and Australia.
Earlier, Sharma briefly served as head sales and distribution at Triplecom Media Pvt Ltd, an engagement driven OTT platform bringing together content, gaming, music and advertising for the entertainment distribution ecosystem.
Her earlier career includes a senior vice president stint at Ten Sports Network, where she played a key role in relaunching the sports broadcaster as an independent bouquet comprising Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action and Ten Golf following the Zee takeover. During this period, she moved from vp west to head strategy for cable and dth and later national head retail distribution, helping build the network’s retail distribution vertical across India and launching dedicated golf and football channels.
Before that, Sharma spent over six years at Bharti Airtel as general manager operations for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. She initially led marketing and corporate communications before moving into sales leadership, where voice sales grew by 86 per cent and revenues by 96 per cent. She later headed business operations, expanding annual business volumes to Rs 100 crore while significantly reducing operational costs.
Sharma began her long association with the media distribution ecosystem at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited as regional head sales and distribution for central India. During that period, she played a role in the early rollout of pay television channels including Zee Cinema, HBO, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, while also contributing to the launch of Siti Cable in key central Indian cities.
With her new role at ONEOTT Broadband, Sharma is expected to focus on strengthening business strategy, expanding partnerships and driving growth across the company’s broadband and digital distribution ecosystem.
