MAM
Pepperfry names Shubbam Sharrma as new chief growth officer
Mumbai: Pepperfry, India’s e-commerce furniture and home decor platform, has appointed Shubbam Sharrma as chief growth officer, marking a significant step in the brand’s journey to redefine growth. With over 17 years of expertise across retail, e-commerce, and omnichannel ventures, Sharrma is set to lead Pepperfry’s strategic expansion, focus on customer acquisition, and boost operational efficiency.
In his role as CGO, Sharrma will expand Pepperfry’s presence in the home categories, launch new product segments, and elevate B2B growth through initiatives like the multi-tiered channel partner program and partnerships with Horeca and corporate clients. His proven track record in driving transformative growth makes him a valuable addition to Pepperfry’s leadership team.
Welcoming Sharrma aboard, Pepperfry co-founder & CEO, Ashish Shah said, “We are delighted to welcome Shubbam to the Pepperfry family. His extensive experience in driving growth in retail, coupled with his deep understanding of the consumer landscape, makes him the ideal leader to spearhead our next phase of expansion. We are confident that Shubbam’s vision and expertise will be instrumental in solidifying Pepperfry’s position as the undisputed leader in the furniture, mattress and home décor market.”
Expressing his excitement, Sharrma said, “I’m thrilled to be part of Pepperfry during this exciting phase of its growth journey. For anyone looking to buy furniture, Pepperfry has become the go-to destination. Our aim would be to further enhance this segment with tech-driven innovation and omnichannel integration to complete more and more customer journeys and make the business funnel more efficient. By fostering content and community engagement, we will democratize access for D2C entrepreneurs, helping to bring the best curated collections to our customers”.
Sharrma added, “Our vision is to blend new-age and legacy brands, creating a one-stop destination for all things home—truly the best of both worlds. Furthermore, we see immense potential in the B2B segment, particularly in building a curated platform for architects and interior designers to meet their discerning clients’ needs. As any B2B client setting up a workspace requires extensive furniture and decor, we are committed to developing efficient channels to serve this segment effectively. Together, we will set new benchmarks for customer-centricity, operational excellence and innovation.”
Prior to Pepperfry, Sharrma was chief business officer at ImpactGuru, where he drove multi-city growth and optimised operations, marketing, and HR processes. He played a pivotal role in CarDekho’s success in the used car retail space and has consulting experience with KSA Technopak and RedSeer, advising on digital transformation and growth strategies.
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.
