MAM
Awfis expands senior team to drive growth and innovation
MUMBAI: Awfis has strengthened its senior team with key appointments across technology, managed office solutions, and design & build. These strategic hires aim to boost operational excellence and meet the rising demand for flexible workspaces in Tier one and Tier two cities.
In workplace solutions and growth, strategic advisor, Sanjay Baurai will oversee initiatives related to account management, co-working, manufacturing, government liaison, M&A integration, and overall business strategy. His extensive background in corporate real estate and large-scale operations will help Awfis navigate its next phase of expansion.
To enhance its managed office segment, national head business development and growth, Parul Seth, senior national director enterprise business, Roshan Alva, and national director sales, Rahul Kanungo join the team. Their expertise in real estate, banking, and technology will drive business expansion and reinforce Awfis’ position in the flexible workspace.
With increasing demand for premium design & build solutions from GCCs and large corporates, Awfis has added design specialists, Noelle Bianca Aguilar (Philippines) and Debora Emert (USA) to bring global insights to its projects. Additionally, director business development, Kamal Pandey joins with over a decade of experience, ensuring innovative and sustainable workspace solutions.
On the technology front, chief product & technology officer, Rohit Manghnani will lead Awfis’ digital transformation, focusing on enhancing system capabilities, driving scalability, and improving user experiences.
Awfis Space Solutions Ltd chairman & managing director Amit Ramani stated, “The expansion of our design & build, managed office, and technology teams is a pivotal step in our growth journey. With their expertise, we are poised to create workspaces that drive productivity, innovation, and business success.”
Digital
AI set to transform media and entertainment industry
From creation to monetisation, AI is rewriting how stories are made and found
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is no longer a backstage tool in media and entertainment. It is fast becoming the main act. Delivering the keynote at the FICCI-EY M&E Industry Report launch, Meta managing director and country head Arun Srinivas, laid out how AI is transforming the entire value chain, from content creation to discovery and monetisation.
At the heart of this shift is access. AI is breaking long-standing barriers of language and reach, allowing content to travel further than ever before. Films, short-form videos and creator-led stories are now being dubbed, subtitled and even lip-synced across multiple languages with ease. The result is a more fluid, borderless entertainment ecosystem where stories find audiences far beyond their original markets.
Discovery, Srinivas noted, is undergoing an equally dramatic shift. On platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, a significant share of content consumption now comes from recommendations rather than followers. AI-driven systems are increasingly acting as matchmakers, connecting viewers with content tailored to their interests. In simple terms, content no longer waits to be found, it finds you.
For advertisers and platforms, this intelligence is translating into sharper targeting and improved efficiency. AI tools can identify the right audiences, optimise campaigns and even assist in crafting narratives for advertisements. What was once manual and intuitive is now data-driven and predictive.
India, Srinivas argued, sits at the centre of this transformation. With millions of creators producing content in dozens of languages, the country is both a testing ground and a growth engine for AI-led innovation. A large and rapidly digitising population, widespread smartphone adoption and expanding 5G access are further accelerating this shift towards a digital-first media economy.
Creators are already tapping into AI tools for editing, translation, dubbing and audience insights, enabling them to refine content in real time. Studios, meanwhile, are using predictive models to gauge consumer sentiment and optimise release strategies. Advertisers are deploying AI across campaigns, while developers continue to build new layers of tools and services on top of these platforms.
Srinivas also pointed to emerging interfaces that could redefine how content is consumed. From AI-powered assistants embedded in everyday apps to wearable devices offering immersive, on-the-go entertainment and real-time translation, the next wave of innovation is set to be more interactive and deeply personalised.
The broader message was clear. AI is not just enhancing the media business, it is restructuring it. As creators evolve into full-fledged studios and content becomes inherently multilingual, the lines between production, distribution and consumption are blurring.
With its scale, diversity and digital momentum, India is uniquely positioned to lead this shift. If storytelling has always been the country’s strength, Srinivas suggested, AI could well be the force that amplifies it to a global stage.
