MUMBAI: Star India, today announced the appointment of Nitin Bawankule as the head of ad sales. In this role, Bawankule will be responsible for leading ad sales across both linear broadcast and OTT for Star TV network and Hotstar respectively. This appointment is effective 1 October 2019 and will report to Star and Disney India country manager Sanjay Gupta.

“The media and entertainment industry is poised for rapid growth and our viewership continues to reach newer heights. With Nitin’s proficiency in growing teams and scaling businesses, his prowess in building long-term partnerships, and his mastery of the consumer internet space, I am confident that he will play a pivotal role in shaping and driving our ambitious growth strategy in the years to come,” said Sanjay Gupta.

“Star is a great brand and has played a lead role in transforming the media and entertainment industry in India. It’s truly an honour to be a part of such an exceptional organization and I look forward to all the great things we will accomplish together,” said Nitin Bawankule.

Bawankule has over two decades of experience in global sales, building large businesses and expanding into new markets. His expertise includes scaling sales organisations, establishing strategic partnerships and helping build long-lasting relationships with some of the biggest global internet and consumer brands.

Prior to joining Star, Bawankule worked with Google for over eight years. In his last role, as the Country Director for Google Cloud India, he spearheaded the exponential growth of Cloud adoption in the country. In addition, Bawankule has led the Google Ads business as Industry Director. Prior to joining Google, Bawankule worked with Dell as a Director, where he handled multiple sales and business roles.

Bawankule holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and Finance from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology.