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Optimystix appoints Louie Fernandes as COO
In a career of 19 years, Fernandes has built expertise in sales, marketing and business creation in India and the US, across yellow pages, print, TV and the Internet
Optimystix Entertainment, a television production company, has brought in Louie Fernandes as chief operations officer. His previous stint was at SevaSys Technologies, a network and network security company, as CEO and partner, where his role involved business development and streamlining of business processes – mainly marketing communication, HR, production processes, finance and customer support.
Sanjiv Sharma, CEO and executive chairman, Optimystix Entertainment, says, “Fernandes brings tremendous passion, experience and energy to the team here at Optimystix. Given that we aim to be a serious contender in the local and global creative IP format space, it helps us to have talent such as him on board. We look forward to embedding the Optimystix brand on the global creative content map with his contribution.”
Louie Fernandes |
Fernandes served as CEO of TV18, New York, USA, from 2003 to 2005. There, he was managing an acquired magazine, ‘Mantram’, while preparing the groundwork to launch ‘South Asia World’, the first 24-hour news & infotainment channel for South Asians in the US, on Dish Network (EchoStar). Prior to this, he was with ESPN STAR Sports for approximately one and a half years, responsible for strategic planning (programming) and innovation, ad trade marketing and research (media and consumer).
Fernandes, before moving to ESS, spent approximately one year with Microland Group, an integrated Indian IT company, and worked for the Internet media division of the group, which included media2india.net and indya.com, the group’s general interest portal, later acquired by News Corp. He was responsible for the ad network business in both the companies. From January 1996 to December 1999, he was account director, ad sales, where he managed and helped set up the entire ad sales process from planning, prospecting and execution to payment collection in all Indian markets.
In late 1991, he joined ‘Indian Express’, Mumbai. Spending four years there, he left the company as senior manager, space marketing. He started his career as a national accounts executive in 1987 in United Database India Pvt. Ltd (Yellow Pages), Mumbai.
Fernandes says, “I will be leveraging the international exposure that I possess and all that I have gained in 19 years of experience across nine assignments. My duty will be to keep a sharp focus on creative excellence.”