Viacom18 appoints Ajit Andhare as head of films biz

Andhare replaces Vikram Malhotra, who had quit recently to start his own venture

Viacom18 has announced the appointment of Ajit Andhare as the Chief Operating Officer of its films business – Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

Replacing Vikram Malhotra, Andhare will be responsible for the growth and profitability of Viacom18 Motion Pictures. He will report to Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO – Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd. He will also lead Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ distribution alliance with Paramount Pictures.

Malhotra had put in his papers some time back to pursue his entrepreneurial interests.

Vats said, “In Ajit, we’ve found the right leader to drive Viacom18 Motion Pictures to the next level of growth and profitability. His passion for films coupled with his education and experience across varied fields like Engineering, Marketing and Creative production give him the edge to build a business that would become a benchmark in the industry.”

Prior to Viacom18, Andhare was CEO of Colosceum Media Pvt. Ltd. since 2007, a venture that he founded, along with Capital18. He has experience of over 17 years in FMCG & Media.