GECs
ZEE wins big at Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards ’21
Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has won three key awards at the prestigious and globally acclaimed Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards 2021. The media company bagged silver for ‘Best Advance in Custom Content’ and bronze for ‘Best Advance in Employee Engagement’ and ‘Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program’.
The awards feature two annual programs recognising the best organisations that have successfully deployed programs, strategies, modalities, processes, systems and tools that have achieved measurable results. ZEE has been felicitated amongst the best in the list of global companies, recognising its employee focussed learning and development initiatives and a people-first approach.
In line with the evolving media and entertainment ecosystem, ZEE is nurturing its pool of talent by building a strong employee value proposition revolving around three key tentpoles of being an ‘Academy of Talent’ in the M&E industry, cherishing its roots by celebrating the proud legacy of the brand, its values, culture, traditions and building a safe and secure workplace. The company has successfully implemented learning and development initiatives for its employees despite headwinds faced by the sector during the lockdown, said the company in a statement.
Some of these programs include increase in the quantum and coverage of learning initiatives (13,000+ man-hours of learning clocked across its offices during FY21, access to online learning courses on global e-learning platforms like Coursera and Udemy, access to e-books of different genres through a tie-up with the new-age platform – Librarywala), ZEEcademy – an online learning experience platform hosting all learning needs in one place and digitalisation – building employee capabilities to adapt to the existing business practices through new digital methods, it added.
Speaking on the recognition, ZEEL, president- HR and transformation, Animesh Kumar said, “Learning and development efforts have been a foundation stone of our strong employee engagement strategy and we are honoured that the same have been recognised at the globally renowned Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards 2021. This recognition is a testament of our continued commitment towards enhancing the overall employee value proposition at ZEE. As an ‘Academy of Talent’, we continue to focus on initiatives that enhance our capability building programs and encourage our people to perform to their fullest potential.”
Capability building has been one of ZEE’s key focus areas and the company has been substantively increasing the quantum and coverage of its learning initiatives. Keeping gamification at the core, the company partnered with Upside Learning, a player in the digital learning space, to create a story-based employee induction experience with gamified elements to engage the new talent.
“It is an honor to be recognised by the esteemed Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards for our partnership with ZEE. We’re extremely proud to have developed high-quality learning and development experiences for ZEE, keeping gamification at the heart of the program, that have enhanced the company’s overall engagement with its talented workforce,” said Upside Learning Solutions’ founder and CEO, Amit Garg.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
