Uday Shankar Steps Down as Disney Asia Pacific President
There’s been a bit of changing of the guard over at the Asia Pacific division of the Walt Disney Company. According to a report coming in from Variety, Uday Shankar, president, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and chairman, Star & Disney India will be stepping down from his role effective Dec. 31, 2020.
He has announced that after his departure from Disney he hopes to pursue an entrepreneurial career.
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According to the piece in Variety, Shankar will be working with Rebecca Campbell, Chair of Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international segments to find his successor.
Prior to his time at Disney, Shankar was president of 21st Century Fox for Asia and the chair and CEO of Star India. One of the highlights of his career was transforming Star India into one of the largest and most successful media companies in Asia.
In a statement regarding his departure from Disney Shankar said, “I have always believed in the power of creativity and cutting-edge technology to create a better world and consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to do so at Star, 21CF and now at The Walt Disney Company. As I look back on this journey, I take pride in having set ambitious goals in my professional career, and achieving all that we set out to do. For some time now, I have been contemplating the question of how I give back to the country, community and the industry that have given me so much. I think the best way to express my gratitude to all of them will be to support and mentor a new generation of entrepreneurs as they set out to create transformational solutions that will have a positive impact on countless lives. I intend to partner with global investors and pioneers to achieve this.”
Image Credit: Disney
Rebecca Campbell had this to say about Uday’s time with Disney, “I want to thank Uday for his leadership and dedication to our APAC business.” She continued, “With the successful launch of Disney Plus throughout the region, he has helped put The Walt Disney Company in a commanding position in this dynamic and incredibly strategic part of the world. His vast experience and expertise have been invaluable in bringing together a strong, cohesive APAC leadership team to chart a path forward for our streaming businesses in the region and beyond. Uday has been a great friend, colleague and valued counselor to me personally, and I know I speak for all of DTCI when I say he will be greatly missed. At the same time, I understand and respect his desire to make this change. I am extremely grateful that he has agreed to stay on to help ensure a seamless transition.”
Shankar leaves an impressive legacy. Under his leadership, Hotstar which has now been rebranded Disney+ Hotstar has become the region’s most popular streaming platform.
We’ll be playing close attention to this story and will let you know as soon as a new candidate has been selected to fill Shankar’s role! Keep following along with MickeyBlog for further news and updates.
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