Albert Almeida is the Chief Operating Officer for the Live Entertainment business at India’s leading entertainment destination, BookMyShow, offering not just tickets for movies and beyond but also experiences across theatricals, concerts, live events and sports. Helming the business since January 2018 when he joined the firm, Albert is responsible for leading the next phase of growth and expansion for the company, curating the best live experiences from across Indian and international shores for the millions of Indian consumers on BookMyShow. With a strong team, Albert has been instrumental in driving efficiency and agility across all live entertainment verticals including theatricals, sports, music concerts, stand-up comedy and other live events having played a key role in bringing several marquee international projects for entertainment lovers in India. These include the global premiere of Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR, Disney’s Aladdin, India edition of Bryan Adams - The Ultimate Tour, Ed Sheeran - Live In Concert and A R Rahman Encore – The Concert amongst others. With a career spanning 25 years, Albert has worked across the advertising, media & entertainment space with eminent advertising, broadcast & digital media companies. Before joining BookMyShow, he was the COO of Hungama Digital Media Pvt. Ltd, where he led Hungama Mobile’s domestic and international businesses and built a strong content proposition for the various telco partners. He has also served as the Executive Vice President with Sony Entertainment Television for over half a decade leading the SET and MAX brands during his time there. Albert holds a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai and a Masters in Management Studies from Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. When he’s not strategizing to bring home the next big international entertainment extravaganza, Master Chef Albert is busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen!

Anantya Anand, is India’s Top ‘Kids Content Creator’ who is known to create comedy series for the kids of her age. Her love for storytelling, playing pranks and challenges have already amassed over 5+ million subscribers on her YouTube channel - “MyMissAnand”. At the age of 10, she has become a successful Kids Influencer and has an enviable youngster fan following. Her efforts have been recognised by many leading publications and magazines. Recently, she was honoured with “The Global Child Prodigy Award” from Lieutenant Governor Dr. Kiran Bedi, on January 3, 2020 to appreciate and recognise her talents.

Entertaining and engaging the most demanding audience, children is no mean feat and Anu Sikka - Head – Creative, Content and Research Kids Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18 has perfected it. Focused at creating content that is gripping, Anu’s objective is to set new stands of scale and animation in India. As content head for the kids’ cluster at Viacom18, Anu holds the responsibility of driving the channels programming strategy through curating a great content pipeline and creating a wide array of endearing characters for children. The characters that she has brought to life like Motu Patlu, Shiva and the recently launched Rudra have all emerged as category frontrunners. Her ahead of the curve programming strategy has been a game-changer and contributed to Nickelodeon’s journey to numero uno. Anu has over 22 years of work experience in curating content across various media sectors. Prior to Viacom18, Anu was with Hungama where she was the Creative Director, responsible for the animation and non-fiction strategy of the channel. Preceding this, she was executive producer with Sab TV for over two years leading the Delhi bureau. At SAB TV she set up the in-house production team and was responsible for starting a daily current affairs band on the channel.

Arjun Sahu, an engineer by education, did his B.Tech from IIT Delhi, after which he has worked across the India and USA with several MNCs. In 2015, Mr. Sahu stepped into the content creation business and raised his own digital media company along with his wife Shruti Anand. In a span of 5 years, Mr. Sahu has successfully built up a strong Youtube community that comprises of 8 Youtube channels, having over 25 Million+ subscribers and 250 Million+ monthly viewership along with diversifying into all other social media platforms. Mr. Sahu has build his reputation as one of India’s leading content creators strongly focusing on Makeup, Beauty, Kids, Food & Entertainment space. Engaging his entire family and turning them into influencers, Mr. Sahu and his family has been credited as one of a kind ’Family of Youtubers’ across various news/print media like Forbes, Fortune magazine etc.

Marketing head at the world’s largest edu-tech company (Byju’s). Helped multiple start-ups for “Go to market” through his stint at Sequoia Capital. Prior experience involves leading media for Unilever – South Asia.

A postgraduate in Management from North Maharashtra University and currently based in Mumbai, B. Krishnarao has more than 20 years of work experience in the FMCG sector across several leading companies such as Parle Products, Uncle Chipps, Maxwell Apparels and Excelcia Foods. Over the years, Krishnarao has also grown to become one of the key opinion leaders within the industry on several aspects such as manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing, advertising and branding to name a few. In his current role as Senior Category Head, Krishnarao is responsible for Parle’s entire Snacks, Confectionery, Cakes and Rusk portfolio. Krishnarao works closely across teams within the company to drive need gap identification and new product launches, pricing and profitability, advertising and media management, building brand equity and imagery and budget management. In the 18 years that Krishnarao has spent at Parle, some of his landmark achievements include launch of Parle’s snacking portfolio comprising brands like Parle’s Wafers, Chatkeens, FullToss and Mexitos, launch of Parle’s Kachha Mango Bite to be the leading candy brand in the category and launch of Magix cream biscuits to be a market leader within a span of three years of its introduction. A strong believer in work-life balance, Krishnarao enjoys playing word games, reading.

Mandar Natekar holds office of the Chief Business Officer at KidZania India, a global edutainment theme park conceptualized to inspire and educate kids by building life skills and making them future-ready. He has been instrumental in building several strategic partnerships; leading forward the brand with his extensive knowledge and aim to deliver memorable experiences at KidZania. An alumnus at the Indian School of Business, he studied Management with a special emphasis on leadership and team building. Natekar also holds certification in Marketing and Brand Building from The Wharton Business School. He started his career with Bennett Coleman and Company post which he moved to SET, where he was part of the ad sales team for Max. His area of expertise lies in creating large format revenue partnerships and generating new opportunities for expanding revenue streams across start-ups to established businesses . With over two decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry, Mandar has been associated with leading media brands like TOI, Sony, BigAdda, Turner, HBO, Movies Now & MTV India. He specializes in helping brands narrate engaging stories of their brand through content & customised brand experiences. His successful professional journey led Mandar to KidZania in March 2019. Dedicated to driving strategic and growth objectives, he is responsible for scaling up the revenue across industry partnerships, marketing, group sales, merchandising and licensing. Besides exceeding on the professional front, Mandar is also an avid traveller. He also makes for an ardent story-teller and has launched his own blog soccerdad.in. He is passionate about both cricket & boxing and plays both sports professionally.

Presently, President of The Advertising Club, and consulting in the media and advertising space. A General Management professional having experience in diverse consumer industries and media management experience in print, television and out of home. A keen observer of consumer and media trends, Partho was the first CEO of BARC, the joint initiative of Broadcasters, Advertising agencies and Advertisers to develop a new Broadcast Audience Measurement system. His biggest achievements in this assignment was to start up this operations from scratch, devising an unique funding model from banks, MULTI stakeholder board management, most advanced technology architecture globally including M2M and big data capabilities and finally reaching 3000 towns and villages across the country making the panel the largest in the world. His larger career has been in Media and consumer industries where he did large and small startup media projects. Partho has led startup teams and management teams of Times Now, Future Media, The Economic Times and Times Multimedia.

BARC is today the largest Audience Measurement panel company in the world, having expanded its sample and also introducing insight offerings in the areas of News, Sports, Music and Premium homes and OOH measurement as well.

Today the most experienced sales head at Godrej with over 25 years of experience. Has a passion for sales, loves to travel and loves food. He has a following of over million on TripAdvisor for his reviews on food and travel. He has a bucketlist of things to complete, one of which was to run a marathon which he ticked off recently. Percy also has a passion for bikes like most Parsis and has a collection of 7 bikes, out of which is a classic 1950s BSA maintained in a condition next to new.

Experienced Head Of Marketing with a demonstrated history of working in the retail industry. Skilled in Marketing Management, Customer Insight, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Operations Management, and Analytical Skills.

Preeti Vyas is President of Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited, publishers of the iconic Amar Chitra Katha comics, Tinkle magazine and National Geographic India. She is also the Founder Director of FunOKPlease Publishing India that creates contemporary Indian content for children. Through her 25-year-long career in the retail, publishing and content industries in India and Australia, she has worked in a variety of business and creative roles at organizations such as Toys"R"Us, Sony Music, Crossword and Future Group and at one time also ran an independent children’s bookshop of her own. She is also the author of a children’s storybook series, published by Penguin India. Preeti is a passionate bibliophile who believes any problem’s solution can be found within the pages of a book somewhere. She is a practicing Buddhist and lives in Mumbai with her 10-year son and in-house editor, Neel.

MBA with over 15 years of qualitative experience in Brand, Product, Digital, Social Media & Content Marketing and Corporate Communications • Experience in handling large budget, multi-media campaigns • Proven expertise in design and execution of marketing and brand communication • Experience in design and roll-out of websites and mobile apps employing latest technologies to present a seamless and pleasant browsing and buying experience. • Understanding of rural India, having travelled extensively and executed award-winning marketing campaigns at over 300 villages. • Experience of working with Rural, Urban, Retail, HNI and Institutional client base.

Ron is a leader in business and creative development with over 20 years of experience working in India and South Asia. He is currently in BBC Studios in new Business and Creative Development for India and South Asia in Production, Television and OTT. Previously, stint was in Fremantle Media in Mumbai and South Asia where he led the commercial, creative, partnership & business affairs teams serve as Sr.Vice-President -FremantleMedia’s South Asia. Each of these roles have involved being at the forefront of the evolution of the environment and navigation of new and complex issues, tech, products and transactions and creations of new IP spin offs and creative innovations in various broadcasting platforms on Television and OTT. Prior to this Ron has a rich experience in advertising sales and marketing in leading media houses like Zee TV and NDTV Media.

Mr. Rushabh Mehta heads Partnerships – West region at BARC. Since joining BARC in 2015, he has held key positions in multiple functions like Market Analytics and Measurement Science, before donning the current role as West Region Head. Mr. Mehta has over 12 years of hands-on experience in all aspects of Broadcast Media like Distribution Sales, Asset Monetization Strategy, Content Strategy and Audience Measurement. He started his career in Corporate Planning at Infosys and has been previously associated with Zee Entertainment, Times Network, and Digicable in various capacities.

Mr. Satish Veerappa, currently designated as Chief Executive Officer, Kokuyo Camlin Ltd. has rich experience of 20+ years working in Business & Sales management, Strategic Brand Management, Team & Leadership Development.
Mr. Veerappa have strong experience steering some key business turnarounds anchored in complex and ambiguous contexts. He has valued experience onto leading the projects involved into making Market Entry strategies & new country development. Mr. Veerappa’ s experience has helped organizations worked earlier in sighting new product, its development & successful launches.

Saurabh Varma is the Chief Marketing Officer of India’s leading cinema chain, INOX Leisure Ltd. In his career spanning 23 years, Saurabh has handled multiple exciting roles in the cinema and entertainment organizations and has marketed more than 500 films in almost all Indian languages. On the creative front, Saurabh has written & directed 3 films, besides short films, TV shows, music videos and ad films. Saurabh’s in-depth knowledge & expertise of all the aspects of cinema marketing fetched him the prestigious Philip Kotler Award for his experiential marketing initiatives at INOX.

She has spent close to 20 years in consumer research. She has explored multiple specializations within research, and believes that it takes a curious mind to uncover the power of consumer stories. She drives research programs that are sharply focused on business questions and works on approaches that successfully implement learnings within the organizations. She is an avid traveler and loves to explore cultures.

Smita Maroo holds a Masters in Management Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University (NSU), Florida, as well as a Masters in Management Studies with a major in Finance from Mumbai University. She currently heads the Animation Business at Shemaroo Entertainment and has also ventured into movie-related merchandising business for the company. In addition, she is currently spearheading other initiatives like Marketing Services, newly formed Content Division and the Golden Jubilee celebrations for the company. She has played the role of Producer in the Shemaroo Films like ‘Kuch meetha ho jayee’, Omkara, Manorama 6 feet under, Mera Baap Pehle Aap and more. In Animation division, she has produced and co-Directed films like Bal Ganesh, Ghatothkach-Master of Magic, Bal Ganesh 2, Super 7, Super K and Veer Abhimanyu. Her leadership has made Shemaroo one of the foremost players in the Indian Animation Industry and the only company to have consistently released 1 film a year. Her business acumen and 360 degree approach in marketing and distribution is currently paving the path for International Co-productions. Founded in 1962, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd is among the largest Filmed Entertainment “Content House” in the country active in Content Ownership, Aggregation and Distribution. Shemaroo Entertainment has a large content library of over 2500 titles. The Shemaroo brand is today synonymous with quality entertainment in the Indian entertainment eco system. Shemaroo is engaged in the distribution of content for satellite channels, physical formats and emerging technologies like the Mobile, Internet, Broadband, IPTV and DTH among others. With its partnership with the major telecom operators and other digital media platforms, Shemaroo is at the forefront of the digital age. The company has also tied up with many content providers across the country.

Subha is a Media Management Specialist with her core experience in the areas of Media Planning, Strategy and Media Negotiations. She’s passionate about Measurement & Metrics and also serves as part of the Technical Committee at BARC as well IRS (Indian Readership Survey). She is also part of the Media Committee at the Indian Society of Advertisers. In her current role as Head-Media Services at Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, she is responsible for the Media Marketing and Strategy delivery for all brands of Godrej Consumer Products. She works from the Vikhroli headquarters of the Godrej Group at Mumbai.

Business-focused, multimedia futurist focused on delivering innovative & measurable media solutions. Extensive experience across Integrated Communication Planning and customized solutions across product categories – FMCG, F&B, Airlines, Travel and Tourism, BFSI, Telecom, Entertainment and Luxury. Dwibedy’s major experience pans across Large Global Media giants-IPG, Publicis Groupe, Omnicom Media Group and currently at Amplifi Media, the media buying and trading unit of Dentsu Aegis Network where she looks into both Offline and Digital media. Also has the experience of syndicated and customized media research at Nielsen. With 20+ years of in-depth experience in all aspects of Media as well as Business - Planning, Buying and Research, has delivered the best Media Product to top notch clients from varied categories. Has been accountable for Business acquisitions, Client management, Process enhancements, Automation, general and P&L management. Innovations and strategy have been her core strengths. During her tenure, has also won EMVIES and BIG Bang awards on various projects pushing every buck to deliver extra. Recent awards include ICMA, CIDCA and Maddie’s. Driven to manage costs and establish strategic, mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships with clients, vendors and people. Strengths: Focus on customer experience, business efficiency, innovation & strategy,
building strong performing teams.

Tarandeep Singh Sekhon is the Marketing Director at KidZania India, a global indoor theme park that inspires, educates, and empowers kids, by helping them understand and manage their world better. Tarandeep has been associated with the organization since December 2015. With over 15 years’ experience in Marketing, Tarandeep has developed expertise in a wide spectrum of tasks especially in Entertainment industry. In the past, Tarandeep has led marketing mandate for Fame Cinemas, EsselWorld & Water Kingdom. At KidZania, he is responsible for defining & executing marketing strategy for short and long term period aimed at building affinity for the brand. An alumnus of MMK College, Mumbai, he has a MBA Degree in Retail Management and Marketing from The ITM Business School, Navi Mumbai where he was rewarded with the Dean’s Award for Top honours in Academic Excellence. He also holds a PG Certification in Digitial Marketing & Communication from MICA & Upgrad. Besides being passionate about his career and excelling on the professional front, Tarandeep also has a lighter side to him. A passionate cricketer, movie and sports buff, he also loves travelling. A matter close to his heart, Tarandeep is also extremely dedicated towards the cause of education for underprivileged kids. Tarandeep’s vision is to build KidZania as the ultimate destination for families in the country with the highest brand recall in the Industry

Uttam has been in Kids content and Animation Industry for almost 20 years and has contributed to it in a 360-degree manner. From Animation to Design to Direction and Producing several award-winning Television series, shorts, Commercials, Campaigns to now Heading a Kids Entertainment channel – Discovery Kids
On his journey he has worked with leading Broadcasters, Advertising Agencies and Brands like - Cartoon Network, POGO, The Walt Disney Company, Channel [v], MTV, Star TV, Hungama TV, O&M, Leo Burnette, McDonalds, Future Group and currently Discovery Communications. He is the creative vision behind the rise of Discovery Kids in ranks, ratings and popularity and successfully launching a very popular Bollywood IPs ‘Little Singham’ and ‘Fukrey Boyzzz’ on Discovery Kids.

The Editor-in-Chief of MEDIANEWS4U.COM is the driving force behind the most successful and disruptive digital trade magazine that caters to Media, Broadcast, Advertising, Brands and Digital Professionals across India and APAC . His vision and passion towards this medium has transformed the platform in to one of most happening and fastest growing portal that disseminates credible industry information. He comes with two decades of Media exposure through his association with prominent National and International Media Houses. His acumen in the areas of Media Sales, Content Creation, Marketing, Acquisition and Syndication, Knowledge on Industry trends and practices, Well Networked Relationship with leaders across all leading Broadcast and Media Network acts as a catalyst for his present Assignment. His conviction is to make MediaNEWS4U.COM, a firebrand with one stop solution for all the queries related to Indian Media industry, in matter of few years and mark its presence felt across every cubicles in the Media and Advertising World.

Ved joined Discovery as marketing head in Dec 2016. Over the past 3 years he has managed ATL & digital marketing has managed to build culture leading campaigns, IP’S & platforms. Prior to Discovery Ved has 10 years of core marketing experience in e-commerce (Amazon India), FMCG (Mondelez International) and Advertising (Ogilvy) sectors across India and Asia Pacific driving success in achieving the twin peaks of marketing – creativity and effectiveness. He has a successful track record in developing brand strategies, heading development, media management and creation & delivery of best in class initiatives. He has also championed the establishment of best practices, process innovation and setting up of a robust partner ecosystem across organizations.

Vinit is a highly accomplished professional with 24 years of extensive experience in Business Management, Media, Marketing, Digital, Content and Team Building. Vinit’s current assignment is with GroupM’s ESP Properties (specialised unit for Sports and Entertainment business) as Business Head, Entertainment, Sports & Live Events. Under Vinit’s leadership, ESP Properties India has grown and emerged as a unique and dominant entity in the sponsorship business in India generating over $300 million investments from more than 150 clients. With expertise in formulating & directing strategies to promote products and services; steering marketing investment towards delivering business results for clients based on valuation and ROI, Vinit have played a pivotal role in the growth of sports and entertainment business in India. Vinit has worked with the Indian Premier League (IPL) from its first year and have been a part of each and every landmark in terms of media rights, sponsorship sales and media strategy and more for the last 12 years.
Vinit has a strong entrepreneurial drive & vision to identify organizational strength/ weaknesses to create new markets & harvest untapped business opportunities. With the digital and technological advancement in the business of sports and entertainment, Vinit have been relentlessly working on data and tech driven products that will help build a robust fan engagement platform for right holders.
In 2014, Vinit initiated a pioneering initiative, a first of its kind and a very definitive reports on sports sponsorship in India titled ‘Sporting Nation in The Making’ and in 2017 ‘Showbiz’ a similar report on movie marketing. Vinit has also co-authored and published a white paper in association with one of the premium academic institutes ‘Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad’ on ‘What Spells Success for Indian Leagues’. As an industry leader, Vinit represents GroupM in various industry bodies like The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India largest and oldest apex business organization in their Media and Entertainment committee and The Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Sports committee, enabling and influencing key policy changes.