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FRAPA appoints four format heavyweights to its general board
MUMBAI: The Management Board of FRAPA has announced the appointment of four new general board members: Mike Beale, ITV Studios’ executive vice-president of global development and formats; Lisette van Diepen, Sony Pictures Television’s vice-president of acquisitions; Grant Ross, Zodiak Media’s executive vice-president of global creative development and format acquisition; and Michael Schmidt, Red Arrow Entertainment Group’s chief creative officer.
UFA Show & Factual CEO Ute Biernat has also been named as a lifetime FRAPA Ambassador in recognition of her 15-year contribution to the Association, which included a seven-year stint as FRAPA chair.
Under Biernat’s tenure, FRAPA underwent a successful rebranding and restructuring programming, launching several new initiatives and expanding its suite of services to reflect the format industry’s rapidly evolving needs.
The expansion of the general board follows last week’s announcement that Phil Gurin, president and CEO of The Gurin Company, and Jan Salling, chief operating officer and managing director of sales and acquisitions for Nordic World, have been named the new co-chairs of FRAPA. The appointment of four high-profile format executives signals Gurin and Salling’s determination to transition FRAPA into a dynamic new era, while intensifying its efforts to build a global community for, and serve as the mouthpiece of, today’s billion-dollar formats industry.
Phil Gurin added: “Mike, Lisette, Grant and Michael bring to FRAPA a depth of experience and a knowledge of the global formats business that will be invaluable to us as we move into the next phase of our development. Not only are all four at the top of their game professionally, but they are also deeply committed to helping us build a fairer, safer, better regulated environment for the creation and trade of formats. Jan and I would also like to thank Ute for her tireless work on behalf of FRAPA. She has been a quiet inspiration to us all and we are delighted she will continue to fly the flag for FRAPA as a lifetime Ambassador.”
Commenting on her appointment as FRAPA Ambassador, Ute Biernat said: “FRAPA is a unique organisation that has played a pivotal role in growing the formats business from a small sideshow to the main event of television into a billion-dollar global industry. I am delighted to have been a part of that journey and will continue to protect and promote our vibrant yet still vulnerable industry in my new role as FRAPA Ambassador.”
Other board changes to have taken place in the recent restructuring include the appointment of Keri Lewis Brown, K7 Media’s managing director, to the FRAPA management board, where she takes over from Biernat. The FRAPA management board now consists of Gurin, Salling, Lewis Brown and FRAPA co-founder David Lyle, whose television career spans 30 years, 20 countries and top executive positions for National Geographic Channels, Fox and FremantleMedia.
Beale, Van Diepen, Ross and Schmidt join existing FRAPA general board members Nicolas Smirnoff, director of Prensario Internacional, and Vivian Yin, chief representative and deputy general manager of Star China International Media.
Biernat is the second FRAPA ambassador to have been appointed by the general board. The honour, which was first conferred on Robert Chua, CEO of The Interactive Channel, is awarded to leading industry figures whose time, knowledge and dedication has resulted in significant progress, projects or initiatives to the benefit of the global business.
People
Times Network revamps revenue leadership structure for FY27 growth
New roles aim to boost monetisation and align teams across verticals
MUMBAI: Times Network has rolled out a sweeping restructuring of its news revenue leadership for FY27, as it looks to sharpen monetisation strategies and respond to shifting media consumption trends.
The reorganisation is designed to streamline decision-making, improve cross-team collaboration and drive more outcome-focused revenue strategies across its business verticals. At the centre of this reset are three senior leaders tasked with steering distinct revenue engines for the network.
Gaurav Dhawan will continue to lead ad sales across channels as chief revenue officer, while also taking charge of a newly created Network Alliance vertical. The unit is expected to unlock incremental revenue through partnerships, smaller agency collaborations, print tie-ups and expansion into new categories across brand solutions and intellectual properties.
Supporting this initiative, Edwin Crasto steps in as zonal head for Network Alliance, with regional leads including Prajit Menon in the West, Prateek Sharma in the North, Vigil Varghese in the South and Ipsita heading the East.
Gaurav Nagar has been appointed zonal head with additional responsibility as national channel custodian for key properties such as Times Now, Times Now World, ET Now and ET Now Swadesh. He will work with Kaushik Bagchi and Niraj Malhotra across regions.
Meanwhile, Gaurav Dewani has rejoined the network as executive vice president, Times Influence Sales, reporting to Ashish Sehgal. Dewani will lead revenue across brand capital, IP expansion, PSU business and national corporate sales, with regional teams supporting execution.
Rajesh Madampath continues to head government business, overseeing both state and central mandates, with a focus on scaling growth in the segment while contributing to broader monetisation initiatives.
The restructuring also strengthens the role of the Times Influence team, which will support ideation and execution across verticals, signalling a push towards more integrated and innovation-led revenue streams.
With sharper roles and clearer accountability, Times Network is tuning its revenue engine for the next phase of growth, aiming to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive and fast-evolving media landscape.
