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The Walt Disney International, a division of The Walt Disney Company announced that Mahesh Samat will return to his leadership role at The Walt Disney Company India as managing director. He will resume management of all Disney businesses in India (except ESPN), with all local business segments reporting into him. He takes up the post on November 28 and will report to Andy Bird, chairman, Walt Disney International.
Samat succeeds Siddharth Roy Kapur, who is departing the company to explore his own business interests. As MD, Samat will have the responsibility for setting and driving The Walt Disney Company's strategy, coordinating all business efforts in India including overseeing Disney global franchises in the market, expanding existing businesses, and creating new business opportunities.
Samat departed Disney India four years ago to establish Epic Television Networks and was founder and managing director of The Epic Channel, a Hindi entertainment channel (HD) focused on history, folklore and mythology-based content. Last month, Epic announced getting on board Aditya Pittie as director to take care of day to day operations which includes commercial functions of revenues and cost.
"Mahesh guided Disney in India in its early days, and we are thrilled with his decision to return to the organization he helped to build. We are encouraged by the opportunity we see to further grow our business in India and believe Mahesh's entrepreneurial spirit, knowledge of our brands and franchises, and long-standing expertise in our broader operations will continue the momentum we are experiencing in this dynamic market," said Bird
"Sid is a pillar of the Indian entertainment industry and has demonstrated passion and commitment for the Disney business. He carved a strong position for Disney in the Indian media and entertainment space that positions us well for the future. We are immensely thankful for his service and wish him well in his next venture," he added.
Samat said, "Disney really is special entertainment with heart, and I am delighted to see that the unique stories and iconic characters of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars — as well as our homegrown brands of Hungama, Bindass and UTV — continue to find a home among Indian audiences. Moving forward, we'll accelerate the great work done by the team and create new innovative ways for audiences to engage with our stories, brands and characters, and drive growth across our businesses."
With more than twenty-five years of experience in FMCG and Healthcare across India, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Samat originally joined Disney from Johnson & Johnson, where he was the Managing Director, Southern Europe, J&J Vision Care, based out of London. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, he worked for Kellogg's, Warner Lambert/Parke-Davis, and Boots India Limited.
