MAM
Cannes 2011: Two Indians at Young Marketers Competition
MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever’s Mukesh Pawar and ITC Kolkata’s Tanmay Prusty are representing India in the second annual Young Marketers Competition at the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity currently taking place in Cannes, France.
There are 34 participants, sent from 17 countries, competing for the title.
The contest aims to recognise in-house marketers, age 30 or under, from around the world and give them the opportunity to showcase their work in front of industry leaders at the festival.
The competition challenge was revealed on 22 June, when teams were given 30 hours to produce a creative brief on a product or service.
The contest will be judged by leading creatives and strategists. Gold medals will be presented to the winners at an Integrated Awards Ceremony on 25 June.
The jury includes Ketchum senior partner and president of Europe David Gallagher; Ogilvy and Mather U.K. planning director Rachel Hatton; and McCann Worldwide global strategy director Eric Einhorn.
Public relations agency Ketchum is the exclusive sponsor of the competition.
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JioHotstar EVP, head subscriptions (SVOD) and media Piyush Kothari exits
Streaming executive signs off after 6.5-year run across DisneyStar and JioStar
MUMBAI: Piyush Kothari, EVP and head subscriptions (SVOD) and media at JioHotstar, has stepped down from his role, bringing the curtain down on a 6.5-year stint spanning the DisneyStar and JioStar eras.
Kothari shared the update in a note reflecting on what he called a “transformative” phase for the media industry and a personal journey through the fast-evolving world of streaming and sports entertainment.
“The last few years have been transformative for the media industry and experiencing this journey up close over the past 6.5 years with DisneyStar and now JioStar has been a thriller,” he wrote, thanking colleagues and collaborators who shaped his time in the business.
Kothari joined JioHotstar in November 2024 as EVP, head subscriptions (svod) and media, where he oversaw subscription revenues and subscriber growth for the platform’s svod business.
Before that, he spent over five years at The Walt Disney Company in a series of leadership roles. His last position there was head of product, growth, partnerships and international expansion for Disney+ Hotstar, where he led efforts to scale subscription revenues across direct to consumer and partnership channels. The role also involved overseeing the service’s standalone businesses in markets such as Singapore, Canada and the UK.
Earlier, he served as lead, corporate office and strategic projects, working across the company’s entertainment, sports and streaming businesses. He also headed business operations at Mashal Sports, the entity behind the Pro Kabaddi League, where he helped steer the league through key commercial milestones including a five year broadcast and streaming media rights deal.
Alongside his operational roles, Kothari also served as nominee director on the board of Mashal Sports and was a director on the board of Novi Digital, the company that operates Hotstar.
Before entering the media and entertainment space, Kothari held senior roles across consulting, fintech and conglomerates. He worked with Welspun Group as head, group executive office, with Aditya Birla Group as joint president and business head, digital, analytics and strategy at Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank, and earlier served as vice president in the chairman’s office at the group.
His career also includes stints at Accenture as principal, Accenture Strategy, and earlier at Shell in channel development and sales.
Reflecting on his time in the media sector, Kothari said he leaves with a lasting belief in India’s subscription economy. He also joked about picking up a new affection along the way.
“Carrying with me love for kabaddi, a deep belief in the potential of the subscriptions business in India, and fond memories and friendships,” he wrote, adding that he is now “onward to the next chapter”.
