MAM
Ashirvad by Aliaxis appoints Partha Basu as managing director
Mumbai: Ashirvad by Aliaxis, a leader in pipes and fittings, has appointed Partha Basu as managing director. The announcement was made by Aliaxis’ headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Basu, who previously held the role of acting divisional CEO for India, will now lead the Bengaluru-headquartered company’s 5,000-strong workforce. His extensive experience in leadership, finance, supply chain, and business transformation has positioned him to steer the company into one of the fastest-growing markets for infrastructure and construction solutions.
Aliaxis managing director Thierry Vanlancker said, “Partha Basu has played an instrumental role since joining Aliaxis in 2023. His leadership has been key in strengthening the India division, enhancing governance, and driving profitable growth.”
Basu, referring to his new role, stated, “I am excited to lead Ashirvad Pipes, a strong brand with values that resonate deeply with me. I look forward to building a performance-driven culture while upholding the company’s inclusive values.”
With over 30 years of experience, Basu’s career spans leadership roles at AkzoNobel, Coca-Cola, and KPMG. His expertise in business transformation has been demonstrated through successful initiatives at companies like Whirlpool and SpiceJet. Basu is a CMA, DBF, and certified professional coach with an executive certificate in general management from IIM Calcutta.
Beyond his corporate work, Basu is a published author and thought leader in career development. His 2022 book Outskill, published by HarperCollins, offers insights into navigating corporate life post-pandemic. He is also a sought-after speaker and mentor on topics of leadership, business strategy, business transformation, and professional growth.
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Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
