Star's Sumantra Dutta quits

He has ended his 20-year-long association with the company. Most recently, he was head of Star across the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa.

Sumantra Dutta, country head, Star - Middle East, Pakistan and Africa, has decided to move on from the company, ending his 20-year association with the media conglomerate. He held the post since October 2008.

Uday Shankar, CEO - Star India says, "Sumantra has had a long and fruitful career marked by strong performance across diverse portfolios at Star. His leadership has helped Star establish itself as a leading network in the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa. Sumantra has always demonstrated sound judgement and a willingness to take on risk in everything he did, and has contributed significantly to Star's success."

On his experience working with Star, Dutta comments, "I have spent most of my professional life so far at Star, and it has been a truly enriching and fulfilling experience. I am grateful to Uday and the great team at Star for the belief, passion and support, and I wish them all the very best. I shall always remain a brand ambassador of this great network."

Dutta joined Star India as ad sales manager in Kolkata in 1994, after which he moved to Delhi in 1996 and to Mumbai in 1999, where he grew to finally head ad sales and marketing as EVP in 2000.

A year later, as Radio City's COO, he was part of the team that launched the FM Network, which he went on to head as CEO in 2003. In October 2008, Dutta moved to Dubai to spearhead Star's expansion in the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa as country manager. Prior to joining Star India, he had also worked with brands like Nestle, Times of India and Mudra.

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