Former Disney+ Hotstar Head Sajith Sivanandan Joins Jio Mobile

Sajith Sivanandan, former head of Disney+ Hotstar, has been appointed President of Jio Mobile Digital Services at Jio Platforms, where he will lead the company's mobile digital services strategy and growth initiatives.

He will focus on developing the AI-powered digital services for Jio Mobile aimed at improving users experience through scaling digital offerings to meet further demand and enable better value provision to customers.

Sivanandan is the former CEO of Disney+ Hotstar from October 2022 to December 2024. He has led the strategic direction, growth initiatives, and product development of the platform. Under his leadership, Disney+ Hotstar has been at the forefront in maintaining its market leadership in the country's rapidly changing streaming market.

He resigned in October 2024 after Disney merged Star India with Reliance Industries Viacom18, a major strategic shift for the company.

Before that, he had worked at Google, Star TV, The Gallup Organization, and Affle UK, where he had experience in digital media, business strategy, and analytics.

Sivanandan spent 15 years at Google, leading to high-ranking leadership positions in India and the entire Asia Pacific region, helping initiate impactful initiatives that led to growth.

Between October 2018 and September 2022, he served as the Managing Director and Business Head for Google Pay. As part of his mandate, he led Next Billion User Initiatives and led growth and expansion efforts in emerging markets while driving innovation in digital payments and user engagement strategies.