Viacom18 appoints Sudhanshu Vats as group CEO

Vats will be responsible for growth of all Viacom18 brands/businesses, comprising Colors, Comedy Central, MTV, Nick, Sonic, Vh1 and Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

An HUL veteran, Vats is currently vice-president, laundry, South Asia and global brand Radiant (Rin in India). Vats has about 21 years of experience, of which 19 have been with Hindustan Unilever across sales, customer development, marketing and general management with P&L responsibility.

In his previous assignment, Vats was VP, soaps and detergents, HUL. He has worked across different categories (home & personal care and food) in FMCG.

Announcing the appointment, Raghav Bahl, founder, Network18 Group, says in an official communiqué, "Given Sudhanshu's rich experience, his ability to lead large businesses and his acute understanding of the Indian diaspora, he is well poised to lead Viacom18 into its next phase of growth. Sudhanshu also brings with him an intense and interesting perspective on the entertainment business and that is sure to add a new dimension to Viacom18."

Sai Kumar, group CEO, Network18 and TV18, says, "Given Sudhanshu's vast experience and an extremely successful track record with multi-brand portfolios, we're confident of him driving each of the Viacom18 brands to its deserved place in the category."

Before HUL, Vats was with Castrol for about two years, where he led the marketing function and was instrumental in the Castrol master brand re-launch.

Vats holds a B Tech degree and a PGDM from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.