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Gary Carter to head FremantleMedia’s new platforms division
MUMBAI: Format creator FremantleMedia has announced that Gary Carter, who is the company’s senior executive VP, worldwide entertainment, has been appointed to the newly created position of chief creative officer, new platforms.
In this new role, he will be responsible for creating new brands and concepts specifically for new platforms such as mobile, broadband, game consoles and IPTV.
Carter will manage a team of development executives whose focus will be to create new brands and concepts specifically for new platforms and will also work closely with executives in FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) who are already responsible for exploiting the company’s TV brands across multimedia channels.
In addition, he will also work with third party developers to acquire formats that can be developed for new platforms. Carter is based in London and Amsterdam.
Carter has also been appointed FLW acting CEO. In his acting position, Carter will be responsible for exploiting FremantleMedia’s many strong brands off screen and developing product and promotional associations that enhance and extend consumers’ experience of each property, including brand licensing, music publishing, online and interactive, home entertainment, business diversification and archive sales.
Carter has worked in FremantleMedia Worldwide Entertainment since January 2005, having been a consultant for the company since August 2003. He worked closely with the division to set the overall strategic and creative direction and the operational agenda. He also provided central support to the development, acquisition and exploitation of entertainment formats, which have international potential and drove entertainment development activities across the company globally.
Carter said, “I believe that we are living through profound changes in entertainment, not just in production and distribution, but in form. I’m excited to have this opportunity to explore the world of entertainment creativity is opening up through technology.”
In related news Simon Spalding is Fremantle Asia Pacific director of operations.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
