MUMBAI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has elevated Uday Shankar as senior vice president of the apex industry body in the country.

Shankar had been holding vice-president role at FICCI since 2018 and this is for the first time that Indian media executive would assume the second in command leadership charge of the chamber.

Shankar is currently chairman and chief executive officer of Star India and president of 21st Century Fox (Asia); he has been given additional charge as chairman of Star and Disney India and president of Walt Disney (Asia), which he will assume charge of new role post takeover of 21st CF by Disney.

Shankar began his career as a political journalist with The Times of India, and eventually rose to Editor and CEO position at Star News, the first 24-hour news channel in India. He played a prominent role in making Star India one of the largest media & entertainment companies in India.

He spearheaded the launch of Aaj Tak (2000) and Headlines Today (2003) as Hindi and English news channel respectively while being at the helm of Editor, News Director’s position at TV Today Group.

Being the chairman of FICCI Media & Entertainment Committee, Shankar has been at the forefront of landmark changes in self-regulation and pushing access for consumers to digitized distribution.

Shankar holds an M Phil in Economic History from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is an avid reader and his knowledge domain transcends from literature to politics, economics, and sports.

Along with Shankar’s elevation, the chamber has also appointed Apollo Hospitals Group managing director Sangita Reddy as president, Hindustan Unilever’s chairman and managing director Sanjiv Mehta as vice president.