MAM
HostBooks appoints RD Mishra as VP (FnB) for exponential growth
Mumbai: HostBooks – a SaaS-based and one of the fastest-growing accounting platforms is moving on an expansion spree in the FnB industry with the recent appointment of RD Misjra as the vice president – Of fnB business from January 2024. With his appointment, HostBooks aims to revolutionise its growth strategy, strengthen its leadership position, and acquire a significant market share across FnB markets.
With over 33 years of profound experience in the FnB industry across the gamut of Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Communications, Mishra is set to take charge of the new Development in the products, and Leadership delivery at HostBooks. His experience in leading and building excelling business strategies will facilitate the platform’s profitable growth trajectory and fortify its presence in the HORECA industry with new excellence.
Commenting on R D Mishra’s appointment, HostBooks founders Kapil Rana & Biswajit Mishra said, “We’re excited to have RD Mishra in our team. His impressive track record in overseeing diverse operations across multiple globally renowned companies in the FnB industry will bring a spark to our products. The domain knowledge and network he brings to the forum will enable us to solidify our position as the leader in the automation software space of the FnB industry.”
Delighted with the appointment, HostBooks global business head & Sr. director Dr Livingston said, “It is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of HostBooks that is taking charge of streamlining the automation requirement of the industries. Given my background in end-to-end process streamlining in the FnB industry, I look forward to contributing to the company’s ongoing success and propelling it to accelerate business efficiency.”
We’re thrilled to welcome R D Mishra, a seasoned professional in the Food and Beverage software and service industry, to HostBooks. With his wealth of experience, industry insights, and strategic acumen, Mr. Mishra is a valuable addition to our team. We’re confident that his presence will contribute significantly to our growth and success, aligning seamlessly with our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions and exceptional services, said BOD – CSO and Advisors Abhijit Dutta.
I’m excited to collaborate with HostBooks’ talented team to develop a robust product for the FnB market, addressing their pain points. Confident in delivering exceptional value, I believe we’ll successfully implement solutions for both existing and new clients.” he adds.
Before joining HostBooks, Mishra, former CIO at Om Sweets, played a pivotal role in building the business, leading product development, automation, and optimizing operations. With over a decade at Haldirams as AGM IT, he blended strategic thinking to foster excellence in execution.
As a premium automated business solution that revolutionises the business operations of SMEs, HostBooks is poised to become a pioneer in this highly competitive space, delivering excellence in execution to its diverse clientele both global and domestic.
AD Agencies
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.
