MAM
Convergence India opens on Digital India theme with 434 exhibitors from 29 countries
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as one of the most promising markets for IT and Telecommunications companies with government initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India propelling growth and encouraging major tech companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Google, who are preparing to serve the Indian rural market.
This was the general view of speakers at the inauguration of the 24th Convergence India Expo, which opened in the capital today with 434 exhibitors from 29 countries.
Speakers said India is in the midst of a digital revolution, and the government has unveiled new policies and regulations to accelerate the adoption of ICT in key economic and strategic sectors to increase India’s competitiveness and productivity.
Bharti Enterprises vice chairman Akhil Gupta said, “The Indian ICT sector has entered an exciting growth phase led by the proliferation of digital media and technologies. With over one billion mobile connections, the country’s transformation into a digital economy will be driven by mobile broadband, which will help hundreds of millions of Indians benefit by connecting to the internet. The industry remains committed to the Government’s Digital India vision.”
CII National Committee on Telecom & Broadband chairman Kiran Karnik, who was moderating the inaugural conference session on Digital India, added, “The panellists comprised eminent names who bought a unique and different perspective on the various issues involved. The result was an excellent session, which provided many insights and useful suggestions.”
Keynote speaker at the Convergence India forum, former Secretary in the Government and former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Pradip Baijal said, “Today’s India and Indians want to be informed and connected 24×7, hence mobile broadband. India has very poor fixed-line tele-density and fixed broadband density. Of seven billion mobiles in the world, 3.5 billion have been converted to mobile broadband. In India, less than 10 per cent of mobiles have been converted to mobile broadband. This needs correction, and I hope the conference will deliberate on this.”
Exhibitions India Group chairman Prem Behl, who conceived the Convergence India Expo, said, “Our endeavour is to bring to the forefront an extraordinary platform, which is informative, thought provoking and empowers both government and industry stakeholders to meet the challenges of the future.”
Participating exhibitors include: Appear TV, Cisco Systems, Elemental Technologies, Ericsson, NAGRA, RiverSilica, SanDisk India and Telenor, among others, who are using the Convergence India platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies and innovations.
Apart from the exhibition arena, concurrent conference sessions are being held in two separate halls with prominent government officials, industry leaders, technocrats, academia, media, etc.
Eminent speakers included TRAI chairman R S Sharma; Kiran Karnik; Broadcom India MD Rajiv Kapur; Cisco India and SAARC managing director – service provider business Sanjay Kaul; Telenor India CEO Sharad Mehrotra; ICA National president Pankaj Mohindroo; Bharti Infratel MD and CEO Devender Singh Rawat; and Viom Networks CEO Syed Safawi, amongst others.
Organised by the Exhibitions India Group, the Expo is supported by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
MAM
Collective Artists Network reshuffles talent leadership
Fiona D’Souza, Jinal Jhaveri and Arjun Banerjee take expanded roles in core division.
MUMBAI: Collective Artists Network just handed the talent baton to its homegrown stars because when your agents have been building careers this long, it’s time to let them run the show. Collective Artists Network has announced the next phase of leadership for its talent management business, elevating senior agents Fiona D’Souza, Jinal Jhaveri and Arjun Banerjee to expanded roles within the division. The move strengthens the company’s foundational talent arm while it continues to grow into content creation and production-led ventures.
Each of the three has played a significant part in shaping artist careers across films, digital platforms and brand partnerships. Together they now represent the next generation of leadership for Collective’s talent operations, with a continued focus on long-term career building, strong partnerships and adapting representation to a fast-changing media landscape.
Collective Artists Network founder and Group CEO Vijay Subramaniam remains actively involved in guiding artist strategy and key relationships. He said, “Talent management has been the foundation on which Collective was built, and that philosophy continues to guide how we grow the company. As we enter this next phase, it’s important that the people leading this business have both deep context and long-term convictions.”
Collective Artists Network partner and head of talent Janahavi Rawal added, “Collective’s talent business has always been built on trust, long-term thinking, and a deep understanding of where artists want to go next. Fiona, Jinal, and Arjun have each played an important role in shaping the careers of the artists we represent, and this phase is about empowering our senior agents further while building the right support systems around them.”
The leadership evolution reflects Collective’s belief in promoting from within and creating clear ownership across verticals. In a talent world where yesterday’s agent is tomorrow’s partner, Collective isn’t just reshuffling chairs, it’s handing the spotlight to the people who’ve been quietly directing the show all along.
