Factual
Fox Networks announces new leadership structure
MUMBAI: Further strengthening its proposition in India, Fox Networks Group (FNG) has announced a new leadership structure in the product team. Aparna Deshmukh has joined as the vice-president (content and communications) and will be responsible for channel strategy and operations for all FNG brands in India.
This restructure is to help drive a unified vision and renewed focus of the FNG portfolio of channels in India. This new focus will be driven through three main pillars – the channel and brand strategy, on air communication and original productions.
“I am delighted to have such a power-packed product leadership team in Aparna, Sanjay and Shruti. Our channels are witnessing some of the biggest and most exciting changes in decades that will redefine genre and consumer expectations and habits. We have instituted this new structure to help drive disproportionate growth for FNG’s bouquet of global brands by keeping them locally relevant and fresh for the viewer and also making them a strategic choice for the advertiser,” said Fox Networks Group India business head Swati Mohan.
Deshmukh comes with over 17 years of experience in brand strategy and marketing across categories of consumer, services and technology. She has had stints at Hindustan Unilever, HSBC, Microsoft India, Carlsberg and Adidas. She will focus on content programming and acquisition, consumer and trade marketing, localization and key partnerships across all verticals.
Moreover, Sanjay Ramachandran, who joined in November last year from Turner APAC, will continue to serve as head – creative services; broadcast design and on air communication for all channel brands.
Shruti Takulia, on the other hand, will also continue in her role as creative director – original productions. In the past two and a half years at FNG, Takulia and her team have created award winning original content for both Nat Geo and Fox Life that have travelled across the globe and across multiple platforms. Prior to FNG, she has spearheaded content development functions at Reliance BIG Productions and Endemol India, having started her creative journey in television with MTV.
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
