MAM
Dentsu India appoints Divya Gupta as the CEO
MUMBAI: Dentsu India has roped in Divya Gupta as its chief executive officer.
Prior to Dentsu India, Gupta was an independent consultant advising and consulting marketers, media agencies and owners in the media business.
Her key priorities in Dentsu will be to consolidate its media business in India and cement its media competencies with global proprietary tools, knowledge and best practices from across the Dentsu Global Network, the company said in a statement.
Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri said, “Divya is one of those few rigorously seasoned media professionals to have witnessed the evolution of Indian media while being a key contributor to it. Her long-drawn engagements with media, as agency head, marketer, owner and strategic advisor have given her an almost uninterrupted consciousness of the dynamic media landscape. At Dentsu Media, I see her insider’s understanding of the business combined with her razor-sharp business acumen working in sync with our vision for the business. I am delighted to have Divya come on board and lead Dentsu Media!”
Gupta added, “The media landscape today presents huge challenges. However there are always opportunities to seamlessly harness collective media synergies in real time to enable meaningful brand dialogues with consumers, almost on a one-on-one basis. One of the key imperatives from computing mere eyeballs to an engagement metric would also be to tighten ROI. These would be among my focus areas at Dentsu Media. I look forward to adding value in building engaging consumer connections, experiences and nurture mutually respectful relationships.”
Gupta comes with over 25 years of experience in the media industry. This includes 19 years across agencies, four years as a marketer and two years as a media owner.
She has worked with companies like O&M, Mediacom India, Bates India, Reliance ADA Group, The Media Edge (TME) and Hindustan Times Media.
MAM
Sameer Nair steps down as CEO of Applause Entertainment
Veteran media executive exits after a decade at the Aditya Birla Group-backed studio.
MUMBAI: After a decade of calling the shots, Sameer Nair is taking a bow from Applause Entertainment. The veteran industry leader and CEO of the prominent content studio is stepping down from his role, according to sources familiar with the development. This marks a significant leadership transition at one of India’s key players in the television and digital content space.
Applause Entertainment, part of the Aditya Birla Group, has built a strong reputation under Nair’s leadership for its high-quality adaptations of international formats and a slate of original series across OTT platforms. Nair, who joined the company a decade ago, was instrumental in shaping its growth and positioning it as a notable force in India’s evolving streaming landscape.
Prior to Applause, he held senior roles at major media organisations, including Star India, where he played a pivotal part in the launch of the iconic show Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000. He also worked with Balaji Telefilms and NDTV Imagine.
It remains unclear who will succeed Nair or what his next professional move will be. Queries sent to Nair did not receive a response, and Applause Entertainment declined to comment on the matter.
His exit comes at a time when the Indian content ecosystem is undergoing rapid changes, with streaming platforms recalibrating investments, focusing on profitability, and adjusting content strategies amid shifting viewer preferences and increasing competition.
Industry insiders suggest the transition could signal a strategic reset for Applause as it navigates the next phase of growth.
In the fast-paced world of Indian entertainment, where hits can fade as quickly as they rise, Sameer Nair has enjoyed a remarkably steady and influential run. As he steps off the stage at Applause, the spotlight now turns to what comes next for both the executive and the studio he helped build.
