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BBC Worldwide hires Fleshman as SVP Consumer Digital Technology
MUMBAI: Former Financial Times CTO and CIO Michael Fleshman has taken up a new role within BBC Worldwide’s Consumer Digital business, overseen by MD and EVP of Digital, Daniel Heaf.
Fleshman is tasked with developing the technology needed to drive a further step change in BBC Worldwide’s digital revenue. He’ll take responsibility for the technology delivering all BBC Worldwide’s commercial digital businesses including Global iPlayer, TopGear.com and BBCShop.com.
His appointment further indicates BBC Worldwide’s commitment to becoming a leader within the digital sphere and building its reputation and presence within international markets.
Fleshman is based in the UK and will work with teams in the UK, New York, Singapore and Oakland, who together will execute BBC Worldwide’s Consumer Digital strategy to delivery digital experiences to all consumers across multiple devices and across multiple brands
Heaf said, �Our digital business is growing fast and now represents 12.8 per cent of revenue to the business, up from 8.1 per cent during 2010/2011. While this is a fantastic achievement, we recognise there is much more to do. Michael is a highly respected and experienced technology professional with success in building global digital businesses at scale. I’m delighted to have him on board to support our
ambitions.�
Fleshman said, �I have always had a great respect for the BBC Worldwide brand and am a great believer in its potential in the digital space. I am extremely excited that they have allowed me to play a part in building the business at this pivotal time for digital and look forward to working with Daniel and the team to execute our strategy.�
Fleshman joins BBC Worldwide with over 20 years of experience in technology and product development across media, publishing and telecommunications. Prior to his appointment, Fleshman was CTO and CIO for the Financial Times, responsible for the technology strategy, architecture, development, and programme and portfolio management. He also oversaw technology operations and corporate IT systems for online, print and corporate technology functions, and had started work on unifying the historically separate �IT’ and �online’ functions at the FT. Fleshman also held similar roles at Nickelodeon Online/MTV Networks and AOL France.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
