MAM
PW adds more force to its formula with Satish Sharma as new CMO
MUMBAI: It’s not rocket science, it’s marketing. And Physicswallah just found the right mind to lead the charge. In a move to amplify its brand and deepen its market resonance, India’s edtech powerhouse has appointed Satish Sharma as its new chief marketing officer (CMO). Sharma, a seasoned leader with over two decades of experience, has donned many hats entrepreneur, brand strategist, and tech transformation expert. Most recently, he co-founded Unyscape, a global marketing and analytics firm, where he served as both COO and CMO. Prior to that, he held formative roles at IBM and Tata Steel, adding operational muscle to his marketing brain.
A graduate of IIT Varanasi, Satish now steps into Physicswallah (PW) at a time when the company is doubling down on its mission to democratise education across India and beyond. With offerings spanning test prep, skilling, higher education, and study abroad, PW is evolving rapidly and it needs marketing leadership to match its ambition.
“The brand’s attempt at making education accessible to those who wish to learn deeply resonates with me,” Sharma said. “I look forward to amplifying the impact with authenticity and empathy.”
PW’s Founder and CEO, Alakh Pandey, echoed the sentiment: “Satish brings a rare mix of strategic clarity and operational excellence. As we enter the next chapter of growth, his experience will be invaluable in building a brand learners trust and love.”
With Sharma in the cockpit, Physicswallah is clearly gearing up to accelerate its brand journey powered not just by formulas and facts, but by focus and finesse.
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.
