MUMBAI: Former sports administrator and sports marketing and management professional Sundar Raman is joining Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) as its CEO - Sports. He will be responsible for consolidation and integration of RIL's sports portfolio including its Foundation activities in sports. In addition to the existing sports properties of RIL, Raman will be driving newer avenues of growth in this area and also at integration with Reliance’s digital services of Jio. 

Over the course of last few years, RIL has invested in a variety of sports properties and is now positioned as one of India’s leading sports businesses.  RIL is involved in multiple sports (cricket, football, basketball, tennis, golf) either on its own or through its Joint Ventures. In addition, the Reliance Foundation has several initiatives such as Basketball and Young Champs.

Raman said "I am delighted at the opportunity to join Reliance. The group’s existing sports properties coupled with its Jio digital services provides newer areas of growth. RIL has a huge aspiration in the sports area. The opportunity to be engaged in integrating the entire sports portfolio and make Sports also an integral and important element in RIL’s growth will be an exciting journey”

Raman brings with him to Reliance a rich and unique experience of over two decades in understanding consumer insights and as a pioneer in the growth of sporting properties in India. Until November 3, 2015, Raman was COO of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a post from which he resigned. Raman was officially appointed as IPL COO after a decade in strategic media thinking business working for brands such as Unilever, PepsiCo, Motorola, Samsung and Amex through J. Walter Thomson and later as Managing Director of Mindshare.