MAM
Vidyabhanu shifts gears to Porsche after steering Skoda’s pre-owned venture
MUMBAI: Abhishek Vidyabhanu has swapped his role building Skoda’s certified pre-owned business for a fresh challenge at Porsche India, where he will lead the marque’s approved car sales, corporate accounts and financial services from September 2025.
The 22-year industry veteran joins Porsche as national manager for approved and corporate sales after nearly four years at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, where he established the carmaker’s entire corporate and pre-owned verticals from scratch. His stint there saw him turn a loss-making mobility division into a profit engine worth more than Rs 350 million, while also overseeing HR services, facilities and even office-space design.
Vidyabhanu’s curriculum vitae reads like a tour through India’s automotive ecosystem. He cut his teeth flogging commercial vehicles at Force Motors and Tata Motors, graduated to sales strategy at Mahindra & Mahindra, managed Toyota dealerships in Mumbai, then spent nearly seven years at Audi, first as area manager, then running the western region, before heading the German brand’s approved plus programme.
At Skoda, he coined the “certified pre-owned” nomenclature that Volkswagen and Kia have since adopted. During the pandemic, he also dreamt up contactless virtual demonstrations and steered the accessories business.
The IIM Kozhikode alumnus describes his philosophy as simple: comfort signals the end of learning. Now he gets to test that theory at one of the world’s most storied sports car brands, where the learning curve promises to be steep and the road ahead thrillingly uncertain.
MAM
Dish TV shareholders approve three independent directors
99.49 per cent vote of confidence strengthens board as company expands into connected TV, e-commerce and OTT.
MUMBAI: Dish TV has just been served a near-perfect vote of confidence and the shareholders have dished it out in style. Shareholders of the DTH operator have approved the appointment of three new Independent Directors with an overwhelming 99.49 per cent approval. The three appointees are Mr Arun Kumar Kapoor, Ms Heena Naishadh Bhatt and Mr Ashok Anant Paranjpe.
The strong mandate reflects continued investor faith in the company’s strategy, disciplined execution and long-term value creation. It comes as Dish TV focuses on stabilising its core DTH business while actively scaling new verticals connected TV platform VZY, B2B e-commerce ShopZop, and OTT service Watcho to build a more diversified and resilient growth trajectory.
Dish TV India Limited, CEO & executive director Manoj Dhobhal said, “We are encouraged by the shareholders’ approval of the appointment of the Independent Directors and sincerely thank them for their continued trust and confidence. The Board is already benefiting from the Directors’ collective experience, which will further sharpen strategic focus and support disciplined execution.”
With a fresh, strengthened board in place, Dish TV is well positioned to navigate the evolving media landscape. In a sector where every percentage point matters, a 99.49 per cent thumbs-up is the kind of ringing endorsement that suggests the company’s recipe for the future is already tasting right.
