MAM
Veteran journalist Runjhun Sharma to head RT India’s newsroom
NEW DELHI: Runjhun Sharma is back on home turf, this time in the hot seat. The seasoned South Asia hand, long plugged into RT Moscow’s frontline coverage, has taken charge as head of news at the freshly launched RT India as the broadcaster sharpens its focus on the region.
Sharma has spent years reporting across global summits, diplomatic flashpoints and the Ukraine conflict, carving a reputation for sharp reportage and rare access. Her columns have offered an up-close view of Vladimir Putin’s multilateral manoeuvres and the geopolitical stakes shaping Russia, China and beyond.
Now she is steering RT India’s editorial direction from the New Delhi studio, joining Margarita Simonyan on-screen as Putin declared the launch of Russia Today India. The network claims it will deliver “truthful information” to India about global events, cutting through what it calls Western-filtered narratives.
RT India is being positioned as a dedicated India-facing arm of Russia’s state-run global media machine, part of a wider strategy to deepen Moscow’s footprint in partner nations. With Sharma at the helm, the newsroom is expected to shape India–Russia storytelling as the world fragments into multipolar messaging.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
