Sanjay Gupta of Star India to join Google India as Country Manager and VP, Sales and Operations

• Gupta will contribute to Google’s ongoing efforts to expand the internet ecosystem in the country, driving Internet adoption among consumers and businesses and accelerating innovation.
• He will take on the role early next year and will be based out of Mumbai working closely with the teams based in Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
• Gupta had played a pivotal role in Star becoming the largest media company in India.
• He played an instrumental role in extending their traditional television content to digital consumers through Hotstar.

Google has announced the appointment of Sanjay Gupta as its new Country Manager and Vice President of Sales and Operations for India. Gupta will contribute to Google’s ongoing efforts to expand the internet ecosystem in the country, driving Internet adoption among consumers and businesses and accelerating innovation. He will take on the role early next year and will be based out of Mumbai working closely with the teams based in Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Commenting on the appointment, Scott Beaumont, President of APAC, Google said “Our ongoing engagement in India is a source of pride for both our Googlers in India but also around the world. Our Indian operation is important and strategic for its own sake but also for the innovation which then feeds breakthroughs elsewhere in Google. We are delighted to have Sanjay join us. We are excited to combine his expertise, experience and leadership with our teams and build further on our existing efforts in this highly dynamic, competitive and exciting digital economy, looking to build a more helpful and inclusive Internet for everyone in India.”

Speaking about his appointment, Gupta said “I am delighted to take on the challenge of leading and shaping Google’s charter in India. It is an exciting opportunity to leverage the power of technology to solve some of India’s unique challenges and make Internet an engine of economic growth for people and communities. I am happy to join the passionate teams across Google and look forward to contributing to India’s digital journey as it becomes an innovation hub for the world.”

With a career spanning nearly three decades, Gupta joins Google from Star and Disney India where he was the Managing Director. During that time, he played a pivotal role in Star becoming the largest media company in India. Sanjay played an instrumental role in extending their traditional television content to digital consumers through Hotstar. He is also widely credited for building their sports business via the acquisition of marquee cricketing properties and launch of the hugely popular kabaddi and football leagues: Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League.

Apart from his numerous strategic and business wins, he also displays deep consumer understanding and has used it to build strong brands. During his time at Hindustan Unilever he led marketing for two of the company's critical segments: Oral and Home care. Then at Bharti Airtel as Chief Marketing Officer for the mobile business, he spearheaded several successful sales and marketing initiatives. Sanjay is a post graduate from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kolkata, and is an engineer from Delhi College of Engineering.