BS People: Jagdish Kumar

New Hathway CEO has big shoes to fill

Gearing up for the next phase of growth, digital cable and broadband service provider Hathway Cable & Datacom has roped in industry veteran Jagdish Kumar as chief executive operator.

Kumar, who assumed the role with Hathway this week, brings with him 25 years of experience working with leading bluechip companies like ITC, STAR TV and Reliance Industries.

He will use his experience spanning every aspect of the broadcast and distribution space to guide Hathway through the critical digitisation phase of the cable TV industry.

A chartered accountant by training, Kumar’s leadership skill is expected to help Hathway grow exponentially as it sets out to complete the Phase-II of cable television digitisation by March 2013. Hathway has successfully completed the first phase, covering Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

During his over 16 years with STAR TV, he worked on several aspects of the TV broadcast business, including, content, distribution, marketing, broadcast infrastructure, digital platforms, business development and finance. He was also a part of several initiatives such as the company’s Asianet purchase and its entry into the direct-to-home business with Tata Sky, a joint venture with the Tata group. He quit Star as chief operating officer.

Prior to Hathway, he was with Reliance Industries as president, media and entertainment.

At Reliance, he was a part of the team that looked after the digital services (including 4G wireless services) project. He was responsible for devising content plans and forging relationships with content providers for films, TV channels, music, gaming and new media.

However, this is not Kumar’s first stint with Hathway. He had been on the Hathway board earlier as director and had represented STAR TV’s interests.

He would replace K Jayaraman at Hathway who has been elevated to the post of vice-chairman of the board of directors with effect from December 21, 2012.

K Jayaraman has been with the company for around 15 years. It was during his time that Hathway’s revenue rose from Rs 5.3 crores in 1998 to Rs 900 crores on a consolidated basis.