Ralph Simon and Niloufer Dundh join Hungama Digital Media

While Simon joins the board of directors of the company, Dundh has been appointed as the head of integrated media

The chairman of Emeritus and founder of the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) Americas, Ralph Simon has joined the board of directors at Hungama Digital Media Entertainment. Simon is regarded as a veteran in the digital entertainment space. He has also been named as one of the top 50 mobile entertainment executives in the world, for two years in a row.

In another development, Niloufer Dundh has been appointed as head of integrated media -- a newly created position at the company. Dundh will be responsible for monetising revenue across all Hungama businesses and properties and will report to Siddhartha Roy, chief executive officer, Hungama Digital Media. Prior to this, she held the position of chief sales officer at OOH Media.

Ralph Simon and Niloufer Dundh join Hungama Digital Media

Neeraj Roy, managing director and chief executive officer of Hungama Digital Media speaks to afaqs! on the developments. "Simon has been a friend and an advisor to me, since the day we interacted first about four years ago. This is just a formal culmination of the numerous talks we've had on the mobile and entertainment industry. With his knowledge and understanding of the industry and different markets, we look forward to build on our success so far."

"Dundh will be principally looking after our media properties. For long, we haven't had a sales orientation to our business. With Dundh coming on-board, we look towards rectifying that. She will work across all our media properties, essentially enhancing consumer touch-points," he adds.

Simon, in an official communiqué, said, "It gives me great pleasure to work with Neeraj Roy and Hungama as a member on their board. In a short period, Hungama has created a benchmark in the Indian mobile entertainment and is a strong global entity with regard to Bollywood and Indian content. Together, we hope to do many great innovations in digital entertainment and bring creativity and expansion in the South Asian mobile entertainment industry."

Simon is currently the CEO of Mobilium, the international strategic advisory group with business in Asia, India, the USA, Europe and Africa.

Dundh speaks to afaqs! on her appointment: "This is an exciting field to work in, given the fact that one in 20 people below the age of 25 is Indian, who are quite active in this media. Looking at the trends, Web gaming and mobile will be the new wave in the media buying and advertising space."

Dundh, having worked in varied platforms, observes that selling is the same across all platforms and her varied experience will stand her in good stead. She also shares, "All through my experience, I have mostly worked with start-ups. Hungama is going to be a change, since the company is well-established. I am looking forward to this new learning experience."

With over 15 years' experience in media sales, Dundh has been exposed to industries such as radio, television, outdoor and digital. Her profile has allowed her to gain experience in India as well as the Middle East.

Among the companies she has been part of are UTV's Hungama TV as the national sales head, and Radio Mirchi as part of the corporate sales team.

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