Network18 has announced the appointment of Byju’s Sunil Sharma as Chief Product & Technology Officer. He will report to Network18’s MD Rahul Joshi.
In his new role, Sharma will lead the group’s convergence and digital technology initiatives, including tech architecture, content, data and monetisation management tools, software and product engineering for all general and business news brands under the group’s umbrella.
The group stated that he will focus on disruptive technologies such as generative AI to improve processes, develop audiences, localise stories and distribute content efficiently.
Sharma brings with him over two decades of ‘Big Tech’ experience in software product development across sectors such as telecom, retail, media streaming and EdTech businesses. Prior to joining Network18, Sunil was Vice President of Engineering at Byju’s, where he spearheaded customer experience and customer support technology initiatives. Before that, he served at Amazon for over seven years, making notable contributions in retail, logistics, and Prime Video.
Rajat Nigam will continue to lead as the Group CTO, spearheading overall broadcast tech efforts, including broadcast IT/infrastructure, technology operations, cyber security, enterprise IT and cloud & infra operations. He will also mentor and guide Sunil.
With some recent appointments, Network18 has marked a departure from regular practices of recruiting talent from the same Industry. The group is building its tech strength by roping in resources from diverse sectors such as big tech, startups etc.
In the last few months, the group has made a significant progress in unifying its digital and broadcast teams across editorial, business and operations.
As part of this process, the group’s broadcast and digital news operations are being converged, keeping technology at the core of it.
From story planning to content consumption on any and every device, the company’s goal is to deliver a top-class experience and conceptualise solutions that will enrich the story-telling experience, paint a picture of audiences in granular detail and help customers to attain maximum value.
