MAM
South Indian Bank welcomes P R Seshadri as new MD & CEO
Mumbai: South Indian Bank (SIB), one of India’s leading private sector banks with over a nine-decade legacy has appointed P R Seshadri as its MD & CEO effective 1 October 2023. He will succeed Murali Ramakrishnan who served a successful tenure from 1 October 2020 till 30 September 2023.
With nearly 25 years of banking experience spanning domestic and international markets, P R Seshadri has held senior leadership positions at prestigious institutions, including Karur Vysya Bank Ltd and Citigroup. His leadership, marked by scaling, optimizing, growing, and transforming businesses, has earned him respect and acclaim within the industry. His career trajectory underscores his ability to drive sustained growth, emphasizing the adoption of digital operational frameworks and innovative solutions to meet the unique demands of the Indian market. Prior to joining SIB, Seshadri was associated with the Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) in a similar role.
Welcoming the incoming MD & CEO, executive vice president and chief business officer Thomas Joseph K, said, “Embracing a new era of leadership, we proudly welcome Mr. Seshadri to lead our institution. With a proven track record and a visionary approach, he embodies the future of banking excellence. His expertise will guide us towards greater heights, paving the way for success and prosperity for our valued clients and stakeholders. Together, we anticipate exploring new frontiers in finance and redefining growth through a customer-centric ethos.”
Commenting on his appointment,South Indian Bank MD and CEO P R Seshadri said, “Leading South Indian Bank is a privilege as we embark on a growth journey, leveraging technology while upholding our business values and rich heritage. I am enthusiastic about collaborating with the Bank’s talented professionals to build upon the legacy. Together, we will navigate the evolving financial landscape, delivering innovative solutions and unparalleled service to our clients.”
P R Seshadri is an electrical engineer and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in management from IIM Bangalore. In his new role as MD & CEO, he is poised to lead South Indian Bank into an era of growth and innovation, while upholding its rich legacy and core values, promising an exciting journey ahead for the Bank and its stakeholders.
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.
