'Outsiders' to industry movers: How Uday Shankar mentored a generation of media leaders

As Sanjog Gupta takes over as CEO of ICC, capping a decades long career at Star TV, few know how he was hired fresh out of college by Uday Shankar, the then CEO of Star India and the current Vice Chairman of Jiostar India.

A journalist-turned-media executive himself, Shankar broke from industry tradition by hiring professionals from outside the conventional entertainment or television fold. Whether it was tech, FMCG, telecom, consulting, or journalism, he brought in curious minds, risk-takers, and sharp strategists and then gave them the space, mentorship, and firepower to lead.

Today, many of those handpicked talents have gone on to become CEOs, global leaders, founders, and decision-makers across media, technology, and digital platforms. From Google and Snap to Netflix, JioStar, and the ICC—Shankar’s alumni are everywhere, reshaping what media leadership looks like in India and beyond.

Here’s a look at the outsiders who became insiders—and are now industry shapers—under Uday Shankar’s leadership.

Sanjog Gupta

New Role: CEO, International Cricket Council (appointed July 7, 2025)

Sanjog Gupta, currently the CEO of Sports and Live Experiences at JioStar, has recently been appointed CEO of the ICC—marking a major international milestone in a career shaped by the Shankar era at Star India.

Gupta joined Star in 2010 and rose steadily through the ranks, eventually becoming CEO of Sports in 2020. His early career spanned roles at The Tribune, TV Today Network, ABP, and NDTV, but it was at Star that he became instrumental in redefining sports broadcasting in India. Started as a Correspondent at the Tribune from 2002 to 2008, Associate Executive Producer at the then Star News India from 2004 to 2007, News Editor at NDTV from 2007 to 2009.

Kiran Mani

Current Role: CEO – Digital, JioStar

Before joining Uday: General Manager, Android/Google Play Asia Pacific and Japan

Kiran Mani, now leading JioStar’s digital business, came into the fold during the post-merger transition in late 2024. Before that, he helmed Viacom18 as CEO and spent over a decade at Google, where he joined as Head of Sales-India and went on to hold positions like Director of Global Accounts, Managing Director of US Retail and finally General Manager-Android for Asia Pacific and Japan before he joined Viacom18.

He also co-founded an ad tech platform Fosbury Flop, following an earlier stint at Microsoft where he was the Senior Director – Marketing, Starategy and Operations. He spent a little over eight years at IBM where he started as a brand manager and went on to become the Vice President ASEAN before moving to Microsoft. While not from a traditional broadcast background, Mani’s strategic leap into the Indian media ecosystem was enabled and accelerated during the Star-Jio transition period.

Sanjay Gupta

Current Role: President, Google Asia Pacific

Before meeting Uday: CMO at Bharti Airtel

Current Role: President, Asia Pacific, Google

Sanjay Gupta joined Star India as COO in 2009, eventually becoming its MD in 2016. His leadership spanned the transformative Hotstar years and Star’s deeper integration with sports, entertainment, and regional content. Prior to that, he was Chief Marketing Officer at Bharti Airtel from 2007 to 2009. He began his career at Hindustan Unilever, where he went onto lead marketing for two of the company's critical segments: Oral and Home care.

He joined Google India as Country Head and VP in 2020, where continued to shape the tech-media convergence story. He was elevated as the President in July last year.

Ishan Chatterjee

New Role: CEO – Sports, JioStar

Before Uday: He was the Managing Director at Youtube India

Before joining JioStar in 2024, Ishan Chatterjee served as Managing Director of YouTube India, where he played a key role in expanding the platform’s reach and influence. He spent over six years in Youtube India. Prior to that, he was the Director, Global Client and Agency Solutions at Google. During his tenure at Google, he held several leadership roles across EMEA and APAC, contributing to the company’s growth across multiple international markets.
Ishan joined JioStar as CBO – Sports Revenue, SMB & Creators in 2024, and has now stepped into the CEO – Sports role after Sanjog Gupta’s exit.

Ajit Mohan

Current Role: Chief Business Officer, Snap Inc.

Ajit Mohan early editorial stint at The Wall Street Journal gave way to a strategy-focused media journey under Uday Shankar’s guidance. He started his career as Consultant with Arthur D Little in 1997 and moved on to McKinsey & Company in 2005 as the Management Consultant and was promoted to Fellow, McKinsey Global Institute. From 2010 to 2011, he was a Columnist, India Real Time with The Wall Street Journal, before he joined Star TV Network in 2012 as Senior Vice President, Corporate after which he was promoted to be the Executive Vice President. In 2015 he became the CEO of Hotstar before moving to leading Meta India in 2019 where he joined as the Vice President and Managing Director. Now he is overseeing business globally at Snap Inc, where he holds the position of Chief Business Officer.

Gaurav Banerjee

Current Role: MD & CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India

A newsroom native turned media executive, Gaurav Banerjee was instrumental in growing Star Plus, Hotstar, and the network’s regional brands.

His over two decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry started as an assistant producer and anchor for Aaj Tak. Banerjee joined Star India in 2004 as Anchor and Executive Editor of Star News prime time shows. As an anchor, he has covered the Afghan war and the General Elections.

He joined Star India in 2008 and his 16-year run culminated in leadership roles spanning content, strategy, and growth. He held the position of President, Hindi Entertainment at Star India before taking over Sony Pictures Networks India in August 2024.

During his tenure at Star India, Banerjee was instrumental in launching chart-topping shows across both linear TV and digital platforms. As Head of the Hindi Content Studio, he introduced a slate of shows that consistently ranked among the top 10 in their category. Regional content has been a particular strength of Banerjee's. He expanded Star's presence in Bengal and Maharashtra with channels like Star Jalsha and Star Pravah.

Sushant Sreeram

Current Role: Head of Marketing & SVOD, JioStar

Sushant Sreeram previously led Amazon Prime Video’s marketing and subscription business in India, and held leadership roles at Xiaomi and HolidayIQ. At JioStar, he is now shaping the marketing vision for both broadcast and digital platforms. He was brought in by JioStar in November 2024. Just a few months before this, Sreeram joined Viacom18 as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

Before his brief tenure at Viacom18, Sreeram had a distinguished career at Amazon, where he spent over six years, most notably as the Country Director for Prime Video India.

During his time at Amazon, Sreeram held various leadership roles, including Head of Customer & Brand Marketing and Director of Marketing. In his capacity as the leader of Amazon’s Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) business, he was tasked with growing and engaging Prime Video’s subscriber base, driving acquisition and retention strategies for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) segments.

Sreeram’s career also includes significant experience in brand management, having led marketing at Xiaomi India. Prior to that, he worked at companies like HolidayIQ.com, eBay, Inkfruit.com, and Hindustan Unilever.

Monika Shergill

Current Role: VP – Content, Netflix India

Monika Shergill is one of India’s most influential digital content leaders today. Since 2019, she’s been steering Netflix India’s original programming. Her earlier roles at Viacom18 (Voot), Star, Sony, and Zee gave her a panoramic view of India’s TV-to-digital transition. She briefly worked with Jio Studios in 2018.

Started her career as a correspondent at Miditech in 1996, followed by joining as the Associate Creative Director, fiction Programming at Sony Entertainment Television in 2002. In 2007 she joined Star India as the Programming Head for Star One, and later went on to hold positions of Senior Creative Director, Non-Fiction, Star Plus and eventually Creative consultant. After nearly 8 years at Star India, she moved on to join Viacom18 Digital Ventures as the Executive Vice President and Head, Content in 2015.

Nitin Kukreja

Current Role: CEO, Allen

Nitin Kukreja joined Allen Career Institute as CEO in 2023. Kukreja has over two decades of experience in leadership, strategy and investing roles across various sectors.

Prior to Allen, he was the Managing Director of Marigold Park Capital Advisors (formerly Lupa Systems, India), leading investments in consumer-tech companies.

He was CEO of Star Sports where he transformed the sports broadcasting landscape in India and made Star Sports the premier destination for Indian sports fans.

He joined Star India in 2007 as Head of Business Development and held various leadership roles like Head of Sports and the last one being CEO of Star Sports. One of the key architects of Star’s sports strategy in the early 2010s, Kukreja led innovations like Hotstar’s live sports formats and the Indian Super League. He moved on from Star in 2017. He later ventured into sports investments before returning to helm coaching giant Allen in 2023, bringing media-style scale to education.

Prior to Star, Nitin worked in the Private Equity division of Morgan Stanley.

In April 2022, Allen raised $600 million from Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment platform by former 21^st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch and Uday Shankar. Prior to Star, Kukreja was with Morgan Stanley for three years from 2004 to 2007.

Gautam Thakar

Current Role: Global CEO – EdTech, Prosus

Gautam Thakar brought a unique mix of entrepreneurial and global tech experience when he joined Star Sports as President and CEO in 2018, a role he held until 2020. Under his leadership, Star Sports expanded its reach, sharpened its programming strategy, and strengthened its position as India’s leading sports broadcaster during a pivotal phase of transformation. Prior to this, Thakar was Executive in Residence at Revolution LLC, a Washington-based investment firm, where he advised consumer and tech ventures. From 2014 to 2017, he served as President and CEO of LivingSocial, a U.S.-based local commerce company.

Earlier in his career, Thakar played a foundational role in India’s early digital commerce ecosystem. He was part of the founding management team at baazee.com, which was acquired by eBay in 2004, and went on to become CEO of eBay India and later CEO of Shopping.com. In 2023, he joined Prosus Group as Global CEO of EdTech, leveraging his deep experience in scaling digital businesses across sectors and geographies.

Amit Chopra

Current Role: Co-Founder, Avanzia Global Pvt Ltd

Amit Chopra is currently the Co-Founder of Avanzia Global Pvt Ltd, a strategic consulting firm he launched in 2023 to advise businesses across media, consumer, and digital sectors.

Before turning entrepreneur, Chopra served as CEO & Managing Director of Esme Consumer Pvt Ltd and was appointed as a Director on the Board of Way2News in 2024. His most influential stint in media came during his time at Star India, where he joined in 2013 as President – Sales. Over a six-year tenure at Star (2013–2019), he held multiple senior leadership roles, including Revenue Head, CEO – Entertainment Business, and Head of Ad Sales across the Star Network. He played a pivotal role in scaling monetization, driving advertiser partnerships, and expanding Star’s entertainment portfolio during a period of rapid industry transformation.

Prior to Star, Chopra had already made his mark as CEO of Hindustan Media Ventures (2007–2013). He had earlier served as Vice President at HT Media from 2005 to 2007.

Chopra began his career at Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), where he spent over 11 years across various roles in marketing and sales, including serving as Marketing Manager – Beverages.

Deepak Jacob

Current Role: President, Corporate Affairs & General Counsel, Dream Sports

Deepak Jacob spent 13 years at Star India, leading legal and public policy during its most transformative years. He joined Star India in 2008 until 2021. He was the President & General Counsel - Legal & Regulatory Affairs, Public Policy & Government Relations where he managed the legal, regulatory, government relations, standards & practices and corporate governance functions at Star TV Network in India, SEA, MEA, UK & US overseas business.

From 2018 to 2021 he held the position of Chief Regional Counsel -India, South East Asia & Middle East at The Walt Disney Company.

Since 2021, he’s been shaping the regulatory and strategic landscape at Dream Sports. Earlier, he held legal roles at eBay India and Reliance Communications.

Prateek Garg

Current Role: MD, Marigold Park Capital Advisers

An M&A and strategy specialist, Garg was part of the core team at Star-Disney that drove Asia-Pacific expansion and launched digital bets like Hotstar. He joined Marigold Park Capital in 2023 to lead investment strategy and media-tech ventures.

He joined Star India in 2012 as Vice President and was elevated to EVP in 2015. He moved on from Star after spending over 9 years. Prior to joining Star, he was the Associate Director, Principal Investments, Asia-Pacific, HSBC from 2008 to 2012. He also served in Ernst & Young from 2001 to 2006 in various capacities. From 2007 to 2008 he was the Associate, SUN Group Pvt Equity.

Gayatri Yadav

Current Role: Group CMO & EVP, Strategic Initiatives, Reliance Industries

Before meeting Uday: Marketing Director at General Mills

Prior to joining Uday Shankar at Star India, Gayatri Yadav was the Marketing Director at General Mills, a food company for over 14 years from 1996 to 2010. Known for brand building and strategic vision, Yadav was a pivotal marketing leader at Star India from 2011–2019 where she was President, Consumer Strategy and Innovation during the last three years in the company. Following her stint with Star India, she went on to become the Chief Marketing Officer India and SEA at Sequoia Capital from 2020 to 2023, then CMO at Peak XV Partners. She also serves on the board of the Paani Foundation and PRS Legislative Research. She has driven key campaigns across telecom and digital.

Akash Saxena

Current Role: CTO, JioStar

Having built the tech backbone for Disney+ Hotstar, Saxena now leads JioStar’s technology, unifying streaming, broadcast, and backend infrastructure. He joined Disney + Hotstar in 2017 as Head of Technology, VP Engineering. He was elevated to the position of Executive VP IN 2021. In 2023, Viacom18 Media appointed him as the Chief Technical and Product Officer (CTPO) and in November 2024, when RIL and Disney merged to form JioStar, he continued to hold the role of CTO.

Before his stint with Star and Viacom, he was Head of Technology for Craftsvilla from 2016 to 2017 and at TinyOwl from 2015 to 2016. He was also the Director of Engineering at OpenTable from 2004 to 2015.

Gunjan Soni

Current Role: Country Managing Director, YouTube India

Gunjan Soni took on the role of Country Managing Director at YouTube India in April 2025. With over two decades of cross-industry experience spanning consulting, media, e-commerce, and technology, she brings a rich blend of strategic vision and operational depth to one of the world’s largest creator ecosystems.

Before joining YouTube, Gunjan was the Group CEO of ZALORA in Southeast Asia from 2023 to 2025, where she led regional growth across multiple markets, introduced new product categories, and strengthened customer engagement through loyalty programs and personalization. Prior to that, she served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Myntra and later took charge of Jabong following its acquisition by Flipkart, playing a key role in shaping the early years of India’s fashion e-commerce boom.

Between 2014 and 2015, Gunjan was the Executive Vice President at Star India, where she played a pivotal role in launching Hotstar, the digital streaming platform that rapidly scaled to 70 million users within two years. She also led strategic initiatives in sports content, helping build popular leagues in kabaddi and soccer.

Gunjan began her career at McKinsey & Company, where she spent nearly five years and rose to Partner in the Consumer and Marketing Practice. She pioneered McKinsey India’s Scientific Marketing Practice, introducing the use of big data and advanced analytics in marketing and sales across global markets including India, the UK, Singapore, and Bhutan.

Amita Maheshwari

Current role: HR Transformation, Organisational Growth Advisor & Marshall Goldsmith Coach (Self-employed)

Amita was Disney Star’s Head of HR for APAC and India, who left the company in 2022 after 13+ years of service. She joined Star India in 2009 as part of the core management team of Star, led by then CEO Uday Shankar.

Prior to Star, Amita worked in diverse organizations such as Asian Paints as Senior Executive (from 1995-99), GE Capital as VP-HR (1999-2004), Genpact as VP-HR (2005-07) and MetLife India Insurance as Director and Head HR from 2007 to 2009.

Post 21st Century Fox’s acquisition by Disney in March 2019, she was elevated to HR Head of Disney across APAC and India and led the integration and transitions of Disney and Fox organisations across the region.

With three decades of experience, encompassing senior leadership positions across multiple industries, Amita managed multiple mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and transitions globally.

Simran Khara

Current Role: Advisory Board Member, I-Venture, ISB | Founder, Koparo | Independent Director at Snapdeal

Simran is the Founder and CEO of Koparo Clean, a D2C brand offering plant-based, non-toxic cleaning products. Since launching the brand in early 2021, Simran has led Koparo’s rapid ascent in India’s conscious consumer market.

She began her career at McKinsey & Company, advising clients in consumer, retail, and media sectors. In 2010, she joined Star India (now JioStar), where she worked closely with the leadership as Chief of Staff in the CEO’s office and later led product and revenue strategy for Star’s Hindi entertainment business. This stint gave her a strong foundation in building, scaling, and monetizing consumer-centric media platforms.

In 2017, Simran became the CEO of Juggernaut Books, where she led the company’s digital publishing initiatives, working at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and new media formats. Her leadership across these varied domains reflects a consistent focus on audience insight, brand storytelling, and operational excellence.

Niharika Pande

Current Role: Head, Creator Partnerships, YouTube India

She is a seasoned media and tech professional with over 15 years of experience across content, partnerships, and strategic leadership roles. She is currently the Head of Creator Partnerships at YouTube India, a position she took on in September 2023.

Prior to joining YouTube, Niharika spent nearly six years at Meta (2018–2023), where she held multiple leadership roles including Head of Creative, Curation & Programs and Strategic Partner Manager for Instagram India.

Before her stint at Meta, she worked at Star India from 2015 to 2018, where she was involved in media partnerships and strategic programming, contributing to the company’s content innovation during the early growth phase of Hotstar’s digital platform.

Niharika began her career in the media industry with NDTV, where she worked from 2007 to 2011 in editorial and production roles, gaining early exposure to storytelling and news programming. She then transitioned to the consulting sector with Ernst & Young, where she worked from 2011 to 2013, sharpening her analytical and strategic planning skills. Following that, she pursued roles in the content strategy space, eventually moving into leadership tracks in the digital media ecosystem.

(This list is not in any particular order)