iWorld
Dhruv Chadha Bids Farewell to Meta After 13.5 Years
MUMBAI: What do you say about an executive who has spent his entire working career with one company and has seen it grow from a $5 billion venture to $100 billion?
Well, you say salaam Dhruv Chadha!
The senior regional business leader at Meta, has finally decided to say ta-ta to Meta after almost 14 years (13.5 years to be precise) of service. Based in Singapore, his last day at the company will be 31 January 2025.
During his tenure, Chadha played a pivotal role in driving Meta’s growth across emerging markets in Asia through strategic sales and innovative go-to-market strategies. He worked extensively on delivering industry-first solutions and guiding key industry clients to navigate the evolving digital landscape.
Reflecting on his journey, Chadha expressed gratitude for the opportunities offered by Meta’s leadership and highlighted the company’s exponential revenue growth from $5 billion in 2011 to over $100 billion within a decade. “It’s been a journey of a lifetime, collaborating to solve unique challenges—from reaching customers in the deepest parts of emerging Asia through feature phones to enabling digital-first businesses to build purchase journeys on WhatsApp,” he shared.
Chadha also credited mentors and colleagues, including Kirthiga Reddy, Reynold D’Silva, and Jordi Fornies, for their support throughout his journey.
Looking ahead, Chadha indicated plans to explore the tech and advertising industry from a new perspective, promising further updates soon.
In addition to his role at Meta, Chadha has served as an early-stage investor in Nanoclean Global, a startup recognised by the South Korean government as one of the top 25 technical startups globally and awarded India’s President’s Startup of the Year. Nanoclean’s affordable air filtration technology aims to make clean air accessible to all.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
