Happy birthday Rajesh Kamat: From building media businesses to investing in their future

Currently Managing Director at Emerald Media Advisors in Singapore, Kamat has spent more than a decade on the investment side of the media and entertainment ecosystem

by e4m Staff
Published: Sep 25, 2026 2:26 PM | 3 min read

Rajesh Kamat, a media executive and investor, celebrates his birthday today, highlighting a career that spans brand building, television, content creation, and media investments across India and Asia.
Currently the Managing Director at Emerald Media Advisors in Singapore, Kamat has focused on investment opportunities in the Asian media sector for over a decade, transitioning from operational roles to investment leadership.
His notable past positions include Group COO and CEO of COLORS at Viacom18, where he played a key role in establishing the channel as a major player in Hindi entertainment, and Managing Director at Endemol India, contributing to the expansion of international content formats in India.
Kamat began his career in brand management at Coca-Cola India and has since gained extensive experience across various dimensions of the media ecosystem, influencing significant shifts in the industry over nearly thirty years.

As media executive and investor Rajesh Kamat celebrates his birthday today, his professional journey reflects a career spanning brand building, television, content, business leadership and media investments across India and Asia.

Currently Managing Director at Emerald Media Advisors in Singapore, Kamat has spent more than a decade on the investment side of the media and entertainment ecosystem. Emerald Media was set up as an investment platform focused on opportunities across the Asian media sector, marking a significant transition in Kamat’s career from operating media businesses to identifying and backing growth opportunities across the industry.

Before moving into investments, Kamat held several senior leadership positions across some of the biggest names in media and consumer businesses.

Between 2011 and 2015, he was Group Chief Operating Officer at The Chernin Group. He joined the organisation as CEO of CA Media India, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Chernin Group, with a mandate that included building its presence and investment activities in India.

One of the defining phases of Kamat’s career came at Viacom18, where he served as Group COO and CEO of COLORS between 2008 and 2011. He joined the company around the launch of COLORS, Viacom18's Hindi general entertainment channel. Launched in a highly competitive television market, COLORS went on to establish itself as a major player in Hindi entertainment.

Prior to Viacom18, Kamat served as Managing Director, India, at Endemol between 2006 and 2007. His tenure coincided with the expansion of the global television production company’s footprint in the Indian market, as international content formats and production models increasingly became part of India's television landscape.

His association with the media industry goes back further to Star TV Network, where he worked from 2001 to 2005 as Senior Vice President – Commercial, Business Affairs and International Operations. The role gave him exposure to the commercial and strategic side of broadcasting during an important period of expansion for the Indian television sector.

Interestingly, Kamat began his career on the brand side rather than in television. From 1997 to 2000, he worked with Coca-Cola India as Marketing Manager for Brands & Media, giving him an early grounding in consumer marketing and media strategy.

Over the years, Kamat’s career has therefore traversed multiple dimensions of the media ecosystem advertiser, broadcaster, content producer, operator and investor. It is this combination of operating experience and investment perspective that has defined the evolution of his professional journey.

From helping build television businesses to participating in the investment landscape shaping the next generation of media and entertainment companies, Kamat has witnessed — and participated in — some of the most significant shifts in the sector over nearly three decades.