APAC and India Mentees and Mentors 2024
About the Rise Mentoring Programme
Our award-winning Rise Mentoring Programme is a coveted six month programme to support women working in, or aspiring to work in the media technology sector.
The 2024 Mentoring Programme sees a variety of experienced broadcast media technology sector industry leaders, at a diversity of levels of seniority, ready to offer expertise, knowledge and guidance to our female Mentees.
A special thank you goes to our industry sponsors as the programme is only made possible due their generous support.
Applications to the Rise Mentoring Programme are currently closed.
APAC and India Mentees
Marjory Sy
I enjoy engaging in sound technical discussions and innovations, which drives a culture of excellence by empowering others to dream bigger and do better. I'm passionate about technology, and seek to be the inspired and inspring advocate of innovation and continual improvement.
MENTOR: Peter Bruce, Snr Manager Channel Sales, APAC, Harmonic
Yu Fang
I'm a Media Production Specialist well-versed in Asia's industry and community. Expertise includes production management, financial planning, and reporting for original content across Southeast Asia. Skilled in shaping award-winning productions, navigating genres and formats, fostering collaboration, and captivating diverse audiences globally.
MENTOR: Jyothi Nayak, Executive Vice President, Prime Focus Technologies
Nusrat Lovely
Aspiring software engineer currently pursuing a Master of Software Engineering, driven by a passion for independence and success. With a fervent dedication to my work, I am committed to mastering my craft and achieving my goals. Working as an application engineer, I embrace remote work from Malaysia, leveraging technology to excel in my role. My ultimate ambition is to transition into entrepreneurship, aspiring to become a successful businesswoman in the future. With a strong determination to thrive in the ever-evolving tech industry, I am poised to make a significant impact through innovation and dedication.
MENTOR: Paul Shutt, Deputy Global Head of Customer Success, Vizrt
Nahid Bhat
An enthusiastic team player with the passion for creating value for work. Proficient office admistrator having ample experience in people management, problem solving , data and asset management. I am highly detail oriented when it comes to compiling and overseeing operational reports. My desire for accuracy and attention to detail has helped to maintain a stellar reputation throughout .
MENTOR: Sharifah Ahmad, CMO, Torque Video
Ankita Verma
I'm Ankita Anil Verma, a passionate and results-driven professional with a diverse background in Cloud, technology, security, presales, delivery & project management;currently employed with Mumbai based MNC in telco.
MENTOR: Jai Daga, Vice President Technology, Sony Pictures Networks India
Chandni Kaithavalappil
With over 12 years in media and entertainment, specializing in client-facing, product development, and management roles, I bring expertise in designing IT solutions for digital media and OTT platforms. My experience encompasses significant projects with major OTT players in both Indian and international markets. As a technology enthusiast, I am committed to continuous learning, with a particular interest in Generative AI applications. My approach blends deep industry knowledge with a passion for technological innovation, positioning me to contribute significantly to forward-thinking projects in digital media.
MENTOR: Asha Kulkarni, Vice President - Partnerships & Ecosystem, ZEE
Rajal Bhatt
I am a passionate, cross-functional, and creative executive who likes to know an organisation's glitches and wear their shoes to bring out the relevant opportunities for them to grow. My ability to identify and implement data-driven strategies and build genuine relationships leads to greater customer satisfaction and increased revenue for my clients.
I am very interested in meeting new people especially if you want to launch a new technology idea or want to start a revolution in business thinking.
MENTOR: Nupur Saxena, Senior Vice President, Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd
Priyanka Singh
I am Priyanka Singh belonging to Delhi, India. My father is in Indian Air Force which has inculcated values in me like punctuality, dedication and smart work. Since childhood I have been academically bright student as well as a sports enthusiast as I have played for Table Tennis for 8 continuous year made till National level. I am a technology enthusiast as well and love to network on these basis.
MENTOR: Rakhi Sundar, Sr. Director: Project Operations, Deluxe
Deepalika Bhatnagar
Hi there! I'm a driven individual who strongly believes in women empowerment and feminism. Being outgoing, I love connecting with people and sharing ideas. Ambitious by nature, I'm on a mission to make a positive impact and empower others along the way.
MENTOR: Ganesh Kaushic, Consultant | Advisor, Ganesh Kaushic
Yugansha Malhotra
I'm Yugansha Malhotra, a post-graduate in English Literature. Currently, I am working as a Team Lead for Scripting Operations within Deluxe Entertainment. I am interested in furthering my proficiency in operations management and intend to utilise my learning to bring tangible growth within the associated vertical.
MENTOR: Shivani Kochhar, Senior Manager Sales System APAC, Warner Brothers Discovery
Pallavi Rajpurohit
Pallavi Rajpurohit is a B2B content marketing specialist currently associated with Amagi Corporation. With a keen eye and research-oriented approach to storytelling, Pallavi believes that a good piece of content creates a lasting impact rather than just generating leads. She is an engineering graduate with a post-graduate diploma in marketing from Kellogg School of Management.
MENTOR: Sonam Dave, Marketing Director, Incivus
Shubhra Saxena
My name is Shubhra Saxena, working as an Account Coordinator at Deluxe Entertainment. I have 5 years of experience in providing key support to clients and managing end-to-end projects, providing development and growth to the organization. With my experience, I bring a comprehensive set of abilities that includes project management, planning and Leadership skills.
MENTOR: Sulina Menon, Founder, Mediapower
Ashwini J Shetty
I am a seasoned professional with over 13 years of experience, including 8 years in project management. My expertise lies in developing key deliverables, navigating organizational dynamics, and effectively dismantling roadblocks to project success. I excel in coordinating complex project schedules and consistently exceeding quality expectations. Additionally, I am highly skilled in collaborating with vendors and suppliers to ensure timely delivery of all project materials. As a PMO Project Manager, I have a proven track record of implementing best practices in project management, reporting, and cross-project coordination. My extensive experience in the Engineering and Manufacturing industries has enabled me to drive consistency, develop processes, and improve project outcomes.
MENTOR: Sreelakshmi Sanjit, General Manager - Corporate Communicatuons & Brand Management, Larsen & Toubro
Richa Vatsala
I took the hardest decision to give up my flourishing career when my son was not speaking at 4 and was feared to be on the spectrum. I gave up all the years of hard work and quit as GM-Media at Usha International. I am happy to report that I have grown both personally and professionally in the next few years. My son is now integrated in mainstream and is speaking 5 self taught languages on his own. H has a shadow teacher and is achieving all his milestones. I studied and completed my digital marketing courses and started as a marketing consultant and worked across various business and companies. I reinvented the wheel and offered various services depending on the life stage and requirement of the company. At one time I was working across 17 clients. I will like to talk about the content hub and the communications strategy I help develop for a client of mine Nysa Global where I am consulting as VP, Communications amongst many others.
I did a soap making course and eventually setting up my own handmade soaps and beauty products homerun business. This happened to me while I was on my sabbatical but I did it all right from making the products to designing the packaging, marketing, selling and eventually bring smiles to a lot many. I have also started a handmade and homemade aggregator which helps artists sell handcrafted work. I also undertake corporate workshops in art sporadically.
MENTOR: Gayathiri Guliani, Vice President, Lionsgate
APAC and India Mentors
Peter Bruce
Peter Bruce is a 30-year veteran of the broadcast and media industry. After gaining an Engineering HND in Broadcast and Communications at Ravensbourne University. He began his career at Digital Visions, Austria and has worked for Ampex, Sony, Philips Broadcast and GV. Peter has been the IABM Director of APAC. He works for Harmonic Inc. as a Snr Manager Channel Sales.
MENTEE: Marjory Sy, Solutions Sales Specialist, Telstra International
Jyothi Nayak
High performing, strategic thinking, passionate and self‐motivated Business Head with more than 20 years of experience managing multiple global large-scale operations across different domains, providing internal employee development, team effectiveness and Customer delight, with a very strong focus on P&L. I try to lead by example and am committed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
MENTEE: Yu Fang, Production Finance, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios
Paul Shutt
Paul is the Deputy Global Head of Customer Success at Vizrt, a role in which he leverages 15 years of experience in the media technology sector. Throughout his career, he has led cross-functional teams, managed key customer relationships, always with an eye towards the successful application of cutting edge technology and innovation. His experiences range from system architecture to strategic planning, focusing on customer satisfaction and business outcomes.
MENTEE: Nusrat Lovely, Application Engineer and Presales Support, Axle.ai
Sharifah Ahmad
As the CMO and Head of Global Projects for Torque Video Systems, Sharifah orchestrates all aspects of publicity and drives brand growth in line with the overall corporate strategy. She also oversees project management and supports business operations.
Thanks to a conducive workplace culture, Sharifah lives the spirit of volunteerism through various community services, industry engagements, as well as academic programmes with the youth.
MENTEE: Nahid Bhat, Office Manager, Grass Valley
Jai Daga
A seasoned technology leader of 20+ years of experience specializing in digital transformation, with extensive experience in Media broadcasting, streaming, and digital television. Spearheaded diverse tech portfolios and product development, maintaining awareness of global technological trends. Associated with organizations like Sony Pictures, Viacom18, Oracle US etc. A marathoner with B.Tech and currently pursuing PhD.
MENTEE: Ankita Verma, IE, Ericsson
Asha Kulkarni
With over 20 years of experience in this industry, I have a deep understanding of the market dynamics, customer needs, and emerging technologies that shape the OTT/D2C landscape.
My core competencies include launching and scaling OTT/D2C products and solutions, winning and retaining multiyear contracts, and forging strong partnerships and alliances with various C-suite stakeholders in the media value chain. Some of my notable achievements include launching the world's first Android STB with Airtel, working with Hotstar, Zee5, Sonyliv from incubation to launch, and receiving an award from Mr. N Chandrasekhar for building OTT at Tata. I am also valued as a pioneering woman in media by the M&E association. I am passionate about driving growth and innovation in the OTT/D2C space, and leveraging emerging technologies to create value for customers and consumers.
MENTEE: Chandni Kaithavalappil, Products and Platform Manager, Accenture
Nupur Saxena
18+ years of leading businesses deliver aggressively and profitably. Experienced media & entertainment sales leader - managing multi-genre portfolio with multiple revenue streams.
Have worked in Media, Edtech, FMCG
MENTEE: Rajal Bhatt, Business Development Manager, Techseria
Rakhi Sundar
A highly regarded, international LOCALIZATION Operations-Leader, acknowledged for inspirational leadership of teams within multi-cultural areas including India, Europe and the US. Proven ability to lead teams in an exciting and actionable way and run end-to-end project delivery with a track record of launching new innovations. A start-up specialist – setting, managing and growing operations for multiple processes and diverse businesses with best results. P&L accountability consistently exceeding customer satisfaction scores on quality, time and cost parameters. Distinction of achieving impetus with optimum utilisation of capacity and resources.
MENTEE: Priyanka Singh, Software Development Engineer, Adobe
Ganesh Kaushic
Ganesh Kaushic. C has been in the media and entertainment industry for over 40 years. During this time, he has developed a reputation for being an Out-Of-The-Box thinker, lifelong learner, skilled communicator, collaborator, problem-solver, and storyteller.
His journey began when he graduated in 1982. He landed in his first job immediately after his graduation (1982) and quickly learned the ropes of the industry. But he knew that he wanted to do more, to achieve more, to become more, So he set out on a journey of self-discovery, And slowly, but surely, things began to change.
He refused to be deterred. He set out to learn everything he could, to build relationships with clients and colleagues, and to develop a reputation as someone who was not just competent, but truly exceptional. But more than that, he is someone who has never given up on his dreams, who has never stopped learning, and who is always looking for new ways to make a difference.
His superlative industry knowledge and childlike fascination for technological advancements have enabled him to become a Transformation Advisor & Consultant in his field by providing innovative solutions that make use of emerging technologies such as Blockchain, AI, IoT, and Metaverse to generate improved business models.
Currently associated with India Blockchain Alliance, Emerging Technology Council, and Blockchain Governing Council (Standards and Frameworks)
MENTEE: Deepalika Bhatnagar, Project Coordinator, Deluxe Entertainment Services
Shivani Kochhar
Shivani Kochhar has a rich experience of enterprise applications and have spent major part of her 24+ years’ experience in the Media and Broadcast Industry. She has collaborated with customers from across the APAC region to envision, plan and implement business focused technology solutions, while working on operational efficiencies, process improvements, managing cost and risk. She has an extensive experience in application Implementation, integration, project management, business analysis and service delivery. Apart from ASIA and Oceania, she has also implemented Broadcast Management Systems and Content Management Systems in Latin America, Discovery Inc. Shivani is based in India and currently working as Sr. Manager Sales Systems for Warner Bros. Discovery, managing Sales Systems across APAC. She is associated with RISE and was shortlisted for the RISE 2022 award. She now wants to give back by mentoring and creating awareness on the need of gender diversity.
MENTEE: Yugansha Malhotra, Team Lead, Scripting Operations, Deluxe Entertainment Services
Sonam Dave
Sonam is a Marketing and Branding leader with a passion for bringing B2B brands to life via powerful storytelling, and execution-oriented marketing strategies. Her expertise lies in designing integrated branding and marketing strategies, developing, and implementing processes and performance metrics, building, and leading high-performance teams, and contributing to bottom-line growth. In her 15-year career span, she has helped enterprises achieve 1.5x growth by driving multi-locational teams and integrated B2B marketing strategies that not only generated sales and customer delight but also led to building strong employer brands. She has also worked with 0-1 start-ups to help them establish their brand identity, and brand positioning and set up their pre-sales team to improve brand awareness and generate inbound leads. Her experience spans across B2B SaaS, IT Solutions, Outsourcing, Recruitment, and financial industries.
MENTEE: Pallavi Rajpurohit, Senior Content Writer, Amagi Corporation
Sulina Menon
A working professional for nearly 4 decades in the communication industry Sulina held leadership positions at top ad companies guiding renowned global & domestic brands. She now is a Consultant, Trainer, Life and Executive coach and Mentor and founded her media company Mediapower in 2022. Sulina has a passion for helping individuals succeed and has led and mentored many teams to deliver on their organisational and personal goals. The same is done via coaching and mentoring. She has a deep understanding of the complexities faced in today's corporate world.
MENTEE: Shubhra Saxena, Account Coordinator, Deluxe Entertainment Services
Sreelakshmi Sanjit
A result-oriented Marketing, Communications & Business leader with over 20 years of experience across India and Asia Pacific region in FMCG, Telecom, Entertainment, Automotive and Engineering industries, with a track record of crafting and integrating marketing strategies. Talent for hiring, training, and mentoring team members, Diplomatic and tactful in interpersonal communication and decision making with an ability to work in multi-cultural teams to achieve a common goal.
MENTEE: Ashwini J Shetty, Manager Projects, Deluxe Entertainment Distribution India Private Limited
Gayathiri Guliani
With a vast and illustrious career in the broadcasting and motion pictures industry, she has been involved in over 55 films and successfully sold over 2500 hours of content worldwide, spanning more than 70 markets. She is widely recognized as a trailblazer in international business, licensing, syndication, and distribution, having consistently achieved remarkable milestones by opening new overseas markets for Indian films.
Notably, she made history by pioneering the release of "3 Idiots" in Taiwan, South Korea, and China, which revolutionized the commercial prospects for Bollywood films in these territories.
Her expertise lies in navigating the intricacies of the industry and forging profitable partnerships across diverse trade value chains, both in India and on a global scale. She is renowned for her ability to identify and seize opportunities, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural barriers, ultimately fostering growth and success for the media and entertainment sector working with the biggest media studios and conglomerates such as Sony Pictures, Viacom 18 (A Paramount Company), Star Tv, Reliance Entertainment, Channel V ( part of Star Group), Sahara One Motion Pictures and currently she is serving as a Vice President with Lionsgate heading Licensing, Theatrical and Content Partnerships.
Throughout her illustrious career, she has received numerous accolades and acknowledgments for her invaluable contributions. She is a highly sought-after panel speaker and key opinion leader, regularly invited to esteemed events and renowned international festivals such as Berlinale and Cannes for over a decade. Her deep understanding of film festivals has even led her to contribute to the development of film festival blueprints in countries such as Bulgaria and Estonia.
In recognition of her exceptional achievements, she has been honored with prestigious awards, including the Youngest Achiever and Global Women Leader titles. She has also been invited to speak at prominent forums, such as the Digital Davos 2023, an esteemed initiative of the World Economic Forum.
Overall, she is regarded as an eminent industry expert and media luminary, admired for her invaluable insights and substantial contributions to the world of media and entertainment.
MENTEE: Richa Vatsala, Co Founder, Digibrandshake
Become a Rise Member
Membership to Rise is free and is open to everyone working across, or aspiring to work in, the broadcast and media technology sector.
As part of our community, you will be invited to all of our networking events / conferences / panels, as well as be asked to nominate your colleagues in our annual Rise Awards.
Each member is invited to apply for our annual Mentoring Programme and we are always looking for volunteers for our Rise Up Academy programme and for contributors to our reports too.
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