Jyoti Deshpande to co-chair the FICCI media and entertainment board

This is the first instance where a female executive shall hold that position at the FICCI media and entertainment board.

Jyoti Deshpande, who heads Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd as the chief executive officer (CEO), has been appointed as co-chair of the FICCI media and entertainment board.

FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) media and entertainment board oversees the entire spectrum of the entertainment industry. The board is chaired by Sanjay Gupta, who is the Country Head & Vice President of Google India.

Why Jyoti Deshpande? 

With over 3 decades of experience, Jyoti Deshpande has worked across media and entertainment companies in the country. At present, she heads Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd, a 51:49 joint venture between Network18 and ViacomCBS.

Before this, she was Group CEO & Managing Director at Eros International. She was the driving force behind the growth of Eros for over a decade, where she looked after the business strategy and operations. She has also worked in the advertising field with J Walter Thompson India before moving to the UK to head the advertising sales and marketing with Zee Television Network UK.

Jyoti also served as a senior media consultant with MindShare UK (WPP Group). She was a part of the core team that established the B4U Television Network in the UK in 1998-99 and managed its expansion to other parts of the world in two years.

Speaking about her academic qualifications, Jyoti Deshpande earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Economics from Mumbai University and went on to do a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from SPJIMR, Mumbai University in 1993.

The turning points in her career were the meetings with Kishore Lulla, Eros International’s Chairman, in the late 1990s and with Manoj Modi, which led her to Reliance.

It is said that the executive thoroughly enjoys crisis management, which according to her, brings out the best in her.

Extensive experience in the media and entertainment industry coupled with her crisis management skills is what sets Jyoti Deshpande apart. All these attributes make her an apt choice for the co-chair position.