Uday Shankar to take over as President of FICCI in mid-December

New Delhi, December 4, 2020

Uday Shankar, the President of the Walt Disney Company for Asia Pacific and Chairman of Star and Disney India, will take over as the President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for 2020-21 in mid-December.

A press release from FICCI said Shankar would succeed Sangita Reddy, the Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Group, during the apex industry body's 93rd annual general meeting (AGM) to be held on December 11, 12 and 14.

Shankar will be the first-ever media and entertainment executive in India to lead a national industry chamber such as FICCI, which is the country's oldest industry body.

Shankar presently leads Disney's direct-to-consumer business in over 30 countries. He has been credited with the creation of pathbreaking entertainment shows and bringing world-class sports broadcasting to India. He also envisioned the digital transformation of Star by creating Hotstar, which has now expanded globally as Disney+ Hotstar.

In addition to his leadership at Disney and Star, Shankar has played a key role in shaping the growth trajectory of the media and entertainment sector in India, to benefit industry stakeholders as well as consumers. He has been at the forefront of landmark initiatives in television broadcasting, such as self-regulation of content and digitization of the broadcasting sector.

He has earlier been the President of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and the Chairman of FICCI's Media and Entertainment Committee.

A trained journalist, Shankar also pioneered the development of the television news ecosystem in India. Prior to Star India, he was the CEO and Editor of Star News, the country's first 24-hour news channel. He has also been the Editor and News Director at TV Today Group, where he spearheaded the launch of Aaj Tak in 2000 and Headlines Today in 2003.

Shankar holds an M. Phil. in Economic History from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

NNN