MAM
Adani Sportsline names Sanjay Adesara as new CBO
Mumbai: Formed in 2019, Adani Sportsline has been the sports arm of the Adani group. The core objective has been to align to building a sporting nation with holistic support to the sustainable development of a sporting nation. The Adani Sportline’s initiatives have grown ever since at a steady pace and are now poised to make a significant impact with the right guidance and strategy.
To take charge of the same, Sanjay Adesara has been announced as the new chief business officer (CBO), of Adani Sportline. A veteran in the brand-building space with over a decade and a half of experience with Adani Wilmar, Sanjay will now add his expertise to the growth story of Adani groups sports business.
Prior to this, Sanjay has been one of the driving forces as the founding Chief Executive for Adani’s various sports activities, leading leagues including the Pro Kabaddi League among others. He has also been one of the pillars for Adani Wilmar Limited, which he joined in 2008, and since has demonstrated an ability to ensure significant progress.
Sanjay’s strategic approach for Adani Sportline will include the development of an effective approach for brand strategy, brand activation, and cross-functional team management. He has a proven track record in launching new products, revamping brands, and developing brand architectures that align with long-term business objectives.
“At Adani Sportsline, the vision is to help India grow into an all-round sporting powerhouse. From cricket to indigenous sports, we want to sow the seeds of progress. The Indian sporting ecosystem has plenty of talent, and it is not just about identifying the potential of an athlete, but also providing them with the essentials so that they can hurdle over any obstacles in their journey. We know sport has the power to bring people together, and we would like nothing more than a united nation cheering on for their sporting stars. I look forward to be part of some exceptional impact-oriented work ahead of us at Adani Sportsline,” said Sanjay Adesara on his new role.
Currently, Adani Sportsline are making their presence felt with strong teams in some of the most loved leagues in the country, such as the Pro Kabaddi League and the Women’s Premier League, among others. Additionally, the team is a supporter of Olympic talent with the IOA and is also working towards building an inclusive culture for sports, fitness and play with the recently launched Adani Sportline Riverfront Sports Park alongside the ongoing annual Ahmedabad Marathon. That apart, the Adani Sportsline team is also keeping in line with their core objective of building a sporting nation and already have in place academies for various sports such as cricket and football, and continue work on the lines of providing aspiring athletes the necessary infrastructure.
At Adani Sportsline, Sanjay aims to establish a strong market presence while his vision, leadership skills, and deep industry knowledge will further contribute to the organisation’s continued growth and success. Known for his charismatic leadership style, he looks forward to foster a positive work environment that encourages innovation and creativity.
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.
