Amita Maheshwari quits Disney Star

Amita Maheshwari, Head of HR for APAC and India, has decided to leave Disney Star after 13+ years of service and will be joining an organisation outside of media space. An internal memo was issued by K Madhvan, Country Manager of India and Luke Kang APAC Regional Head.

She joined Star India in 2009 as part of the core management team of Star, led by then CEO Mr. Uday Shankar, that led a strong business performance and YOY growth of more than 10x over 10 years. She diversified and upgraded Star’s talent pool across the organization, steadily ensuring her constant endeavour to drive organizational growth by defining the right HR and talent strategy, attracting the best and diverse talent, building strong HR systems, and creating innovative HR solutions with a perfect blend of technology with many of them being Industry first . Relentless in her commitment to Disney and Star, Amita has raised the standards of HR and talent in the company and industry.

Post 21st Century Fox’s acquisition by Disney in March 2019, she was elevated to HR Head of Disney across APAC and India and led the integration and transitions of Disney and Fox organisations across the region, effectively managing tremendous change, while keeping employees at the center.

During the past 13+ years with the Company, she built a strong HR team and transformed HR processes and policies across APAC and India. She was key to attracting critical senior talent and making Star a talent powerhouse it is today. She has also established very strong DE&I practices in the country. She also managed key transitions and acquisitions in India including Sports, Maa TV, MediaPro and Star CJ to name a few.

Amita successfully partnered with the business in key initiatives, including the launches of Disney+ Hotstar and Disney+ across APAC and India in multiple markets.

She was also awarded “The HR Leader of the year - 2021” by economic times.

With close to 28 years of experience, encompassing senior leadership positions across multiple industries, Amita has seamlessly and successfully managed multiple mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and transitions globally. Prior to Star, Amita has worked in diverse organizations such as Asian Paints, GE Capital, Genpact and MetLife India Insurance.

She is a very well respected leader in Disney Star and will be greatly missed.