MAM
Mystifly appoints senior leadership team for next phase of growth
Mumbai: Mystifly, a travel technology provider for airlines and travel sellers, today announced the appointment of several highly experienced and capable executives to its senior leadership team. With this strategic move, Mystifly aims to accelerate organizational growth, reshape the air travel technology landscape, and solidify its global presence.
The new appointees are:
1. Dennis van Noord as chief business officer: With over two decades of sales, business development, and strategic partnerships expertise in online travel, Dennis van Noord will lead the commercial strategy at Mystifly. In this role, he will drive revenue growth and implement pricing strategies across various product lines, maximizing profitability while ensuring Mystifly’s continued success in a rapidly evolving industry.
2. Susan Carter as chief marketing officer: Susan Carter, who has over 20 years of strategic storytelling and leadership experience in global B2B technology companies, will develop and implement marketing strategies for the company. As CMO, she will enhance market presence, corporate and product brand, go-to-market strategy, and product success within the global airline industry.
Speaking of the appointment, Mystifly founder, CEO & MD Rajeev Kumar stated, “The appointment of the new leaders marks a pivotal step in our journey of driving global growth and innovation in the evolving air travel landscape. As we expand our horizons, especially with the recent launch of our flagship offering, the Smart Selling Platform (SSP), their wealth of experience will be instrumental. SSP represents a significant stride toward the future, addressing the complexities of multi-source airline content in today’s hybrid world. These leaders join us at a pivotal moment, supporting our vision to seamlessly integrate diverse content sources, enhance customer experiences, and establish Mystifly as a trailblazer in the industry. This strategic move reflects our dedication to providing scalable solutions for the air travel ecosystem worldwide.”
The new appointees (contd.)
3. Jeremy Jameson as vice president-Americas: With two decades of expertise in orchestrating new revenue streams, Jeremy Jameson is set to lead Mystifly’s client adoption, customer success, and business operations throughout the Americas. His vast experience in travel industry technology, including PSSs, GDSs, and new distribution channels, will contribute to Mystifly’s regional expansion.
4. Gaebler Lars as head-product: A dynamic executive in airline IT and commercial airline environments, Lars possesses extensive experience in ticket distribution, product design, and business strategy. His role at Mystifly will involve spearheading the change in ticket distribution in the airline ecosystem, focusing on product design, business objectives, and continuous change management.
5. Eugene Kalatsidis as head-airline connectivity & payments: Eugene is a results-driven professional with extensive global experience in the travel tech industry. His expertise in developing and adjusting global operations strategy, stakeholder management, and project and operations management positions him to lead Mystifly’s airline connectivity and payments efforts.
The above individuals join previously appointed leaders Farooq Ahammed M, head-people & culture; and Jibby Kollanoor, head-marketplace supply.
As Mystifly embarks on this transformative chapter with its strengthened leadership team, the organisation reaffirms its commitment to pioneering innovation in the dynamic landscape of air travel technology. The strategic appointments of the leaders signify a strategic shift towards a future where Mystifly will innovate, create, and drive enduring value for its global partners.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
