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AP Parigi joins Eros International as group CEO
After stepping down as MD, Entertainment Network India Limited, Parigi joins Eros for a stint in the entertainment category
Eros International has appointed AP Parigi as group chief executive officer for its India operations. Parigi recently stepped down as ENIL's (Radio Mirchi) managing director. He is scheduled to complete his tenure by September 30. However, he will continue to be with the organisation as a non-executive director.
Kishore Lulla, chairperson and CEO, Eros International, says in an official communiqué, "I am delighted to welcome Parigi to the leadership team at Eros. We at the Eros group are keen to further strengthen our leadership. The entertainment industry in India is in the middle of radical changes.
Parigi joined the Times of India Group in 2000 and lead managed the Times Group's forays into radio, OOH media and event management.
On his decision to join Eros, Parigi says, "India is an entertainment starved economy. Having spent several years in the telecommunication and media domain, I'm keen to explore the challenges of developing global delivery platforms that meet the ever changing needs of the audience."
He adds that for a country like India, probably after a measure such as gross domestic product (GDP), what is needed is a measure of gross domestic contentment, especially when one is talking about the entertainment sector.
Parigi has more than 35 years of experience spanning across several sectors, including telecommunications and media and entertainment. He has held a number of key positions including that of CEO, BPL Mobile Communications (a joint venture with France Telecom) Mumbai. He is a member of the board of directors of Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, the publishers of The Times of India and The Economic Times.
He is credited with having lead managed the acquisition of the UK radio business franchise of the SMG group – the first overseas acquisition by any Indian media group. More recently, he was awarded the 2009 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Severino Centre of the Lally School of Management, New York. He is the first non-American to receive the award.
For the record, Eros International is a global player in the rapidly expanding Indian media and entertainment arena. Eros not only produces and commissions film projects but also distributes and exploits films across all formats globally, including cinemas, home entertainment, television syndication and new digital media.
Established in 1977, Eros has more than three decades of market leadership in creating a global platform for Indian cinema. The company has a distribution network that spans across 50 countries and has offices in India, Dubai, Australia, Fiji, Isle of Man, Singapore and the USA and UK.
Eros was the first Indian entertainment company to be listed on AIM's London Stock Exchange in 2006. Its recent releases include Kambakht Ishq and Love Aaj Kal.