KOLKATA: Ticketing platform BookMyShow has rejigged its senior leadership, as the company strengthens its India management team across key business verticals.
As part of the new structure, Anil Makhija will be in charge of scaling live entertainment operations as COO - live entertainment & venues, taking over from Albert Almeida who will head brand partnerships to nurture strategic and like-minded partnerships for BookMyShow in the journey ahead.
The restructuring will help drive the next phase of growth and expansion for the company, further streamlining the core areas of the business, as BookMyShow doubles down on building a holistic platform for its customers, going forward, the company stated in a press statement.
A veteran in the industry, Makhija joined BookMyShow in 2013 to lead ground operations and service delivery, while also overseeing deployment of new technologies across all physical events. Heading BookMyShow’s award-winning customer experience force along with ground operations at the firm, Makhija and his team have successfully enabled the use of technology to enhance the entire user experience until the last mile, on-ground. In a natural progression of his role here on, he will lead the operational strategy and execution of all live entertainment experiences across music, comedy, theatre, sports, live performances and more, bringing the complete range of touch points including experience fulfilment, production, venues and service delivery all under one roof.
Almeida joined BookMyShow in 2018 to set the stage for the firm’s live entertainment business and shape its growth. In his new role, Almeida along with his team will focus on building strategic brand partnerships by unlocking the strength of BookMyShow’s critical assets – its premium IPs, vast community and the power of the platform.
Further, BookMyShow’s foray into the streaming business with the transactional-video-on-demand model BookMyShow Stream will be helmed by Ashish Saksena, COO - Cinemas bringing all things movies, under one umbrella. Saksena has been leading the company’s cinemas business with continuous screen additions across the length and breadth of the country, expansion of BookMyShow’s POS business at cinemas in towns beyond metros, overseeing the growth of F&B as an able contributor to the vertical along with newer revenue enhancement measures within the movies business for the company, through long-term, marquee partnerships with production houses across the world and India.
After playing an instrumental role in creating and building BookMyShow’s brand value over the last eight years, as also spearheading the effective utilization of the firm’s analytical capabilities to cement the firm’s leadership position in the entertainment ecosystem, Marzdi Kalianiwala will take on the role of senior vice president – Product & Design. He will drive the brand’s product strategy and innovation roadmap in line with consumer needs.
Additionally, Mahesh Vandi Chalil has been made senior vice president – technology, wherein he will scale the firm’s technological prowess and strategic approach to development and delivery.
BookMyShow founder & CEO Ashish Hemrajani said, “In its 21 year long journey, BookMyShow has been through its share of black swan events that have significantly changed not only the way we run business, but also the underlying consumer experience. However, with every such unpredictability, BookMyShow has only bounced back stronger and more ready to face the next big challenge. Without a shred of doubt, our tenacity is driven by the unwavering loyalty of millions of consumers who have stayed with us through the ups and downs of these past years and equally so, by a visionary leadership team that has always been one to think ahead of time and prepare for it today. This latest structural shift in BookMyShow’s leadership is an example of this foresight and one that will be our bedrock as we continue to future proof ourselves while moving forward swiftly, in a constantly evolving world of entertainment.”
