Brands
Puma names Ramprasad Sridharan as managing director India
MUMBAI: PUMA India has appointed Ramprasad Sridharan as its new managing director, signalling a fresh stride for the brand in one of its most important markets. Sridharan steps into the role following Karthik Balagopalan’s decision to explore new interests outside the company.
With over two decades of experience in the fashion and footwear industry, Sridharan brings deep retail knowledge and leadership expertise to Puma. His career spans senior positions across major brands including United Colors of Benetton India, Clarks and Reebok India, where he has overseen operations, strategy, marketing and digital growth across Asia-Pacific and India.
Puma chief commercial officer Matthias Bäumer said Sridharan’s appointment would strengthen the company’s operations and help translate global strategic priorities into local success. He added that Karthik Balagopalan’s two-decade-long contribution to Puma had been invaluable and wished him the very best for his future endeavours.
Sridharan’s appointment reflects Puma’s ambition to continue scaling its footprint in India, leveraging his deep industry insight to fuel growth, enhance retail operations and reinforce the brand’s market presence.
As Sridharan takes the reins, Puma India looks poised to step up its game, combining global strategy with local expertise to energise the market and deliver on its growth ambitions.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
