MAM
VideoVerse onboards Hemant Agarwal as chief financial officer
Mumbai: VideoVerse, a leading video technology company dedicated to transforming the landscape of content creation and distribution, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hemant Agarwal as its chief financial officer (CFO). Hemant will be responsible for financial functions, including investments, monitoring acquisitions and overall, worldwide financial planning and analysis, accounting treasury, and internal audit.
In his two decades of experience, Hemant has led various roles in Finance, Manufacturing & Supply Chain, Controllership roles in India and Internal Audit overseas. He has been credited for leading business transformation and delivering strong business performance whilst establishing robust internal controls.
As VideoVerse continues to expand its presence on the global stage and accelerate growth, Hemant’s appointment as CFO will help further cement its position as a trailblazer in the video technology industry.
VideoVerse Chief Financial Officer Hemant Agarwal: “I am delighted to join VideoVerse and be a part of their exciting journey of innovation and growth. VideoVerse’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology in video content creation is truly inspiring, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success. Together, we will drive financial excellence, foster innovation, and unlock new opportunities for the company.”
VideoVerse co-founder and CEO Vinayak Shrivastav: “We are thrilled to welcome Hemant to the VideoVerse team. His extensive experience and knowledge make him the ideal candidate to lead our financial operations. With Hemant on board, we are confident in our ability to achieve new milestones and elevate our company to even greater heights. His expertise will play a pivotal role in shaping the financial future of VideoVerse.”
Before joining VideoVerse, Agarwal served as the Chief Financial Officer and chief business officer (New Business) at Sesa Care, where he played a pivotal role in spearheading financial strategies, Raising Funds, setting up new business, fostering growth, and ensuring fiscal excellence. Hemant has been a financial expert for the past 18 years with a Chartered Accountant qualification to his name.
VideoVerse, founded in 2016, is a pioneering video technology company that encapsulates an ecosystem of smart video editing tools using AI and ML. The company’s mission is to empower content creators, enterprises, and individuals to maximize the impact of video content in real-time. With a focus on innovation and cutting-edge solutions, VideoVerse is at the forefront of reshaping the video technology landscape.
MAM
Sameer Nair shares heartfelt note as he exits Applause Entertainment
After nine years building the streamer’s content engine, one of India’s best-known TV men is moving on
MUMBAI: Sameer Nair is out. The chief executive of Applause Entertainment, the content studio backed by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s media empire, has announced his departure after nearly nine years at the helm, closing the chapter on one of Indian entertainment’s more quietly consequential careers.
Nair, who built Applause from the ground up in its current avatar, oversaw a slate that spanned Indian originals and international adaptations, threading together a hub-and-spoke business model that partnered with streaming platforms, broadcasters and production houses alike. The results were uneven, as they always are in content, but the ambition was not.
In a post on LinkedIn, Nair was generous to his outgoing patron. He thanked Birla for being an “inspirational boss and a great patron of the arts,” and signed off with a cheerful “Au Revoir” and a promise to remain Applause’s biggest cheerleader. Whether that sentiment survives the next chapter remains to be seen.
No successor has been named. Applause Entertainment did not immediately comment.
Nair built the machine. Now someone else has to run it — and in a streaming market that is simultaneously consolidating and convulsing, that is no small ask.
