iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The CEO of an American based private investment firm, James Murdoch of Lupa Systems and President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, Uday Shankar, is set to begin a new venture to explore technology and media opportunities in upcoming markets.
The relationship between Murdoch and Shankar goes back to a time when they were working together at Star India. They were one key reason in building Star India into one of the region’s largest media company before it became a part of 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company.
“I’m very pleased to be renewing that partnership now. As connectivity continues to accelerate and expand across South Asia and the whole region, new opportunities for innovation, across consumer sectors, will multiply,” said Murdoch.
“James and I enjoyed a great partnership at Star and I am enormously excited to be in partnership with him again. Digital Technology promises to transform the lives of many millions of people in this part of the world and I have every confidence that we can harness technology, enterprise, and tremendous talent to create a great business that is also great for society,” said Uday Shakar.
Lupa Systems was established in 2019 by Murdoch, and today it has offices in New York and Mumbai. The business focuses on companies within the technology and media industries, impact-driven companies focused on environmental sustainability, and emerging markets, particularly within the Indo-Pacific region.
Nitin Kukreja, Managing Director of Lupa Systems India, said, “Lupa Systems set up its India presence less than two years ago and has already created a promising portfolio of technology investments. Partnering with Uday, to build ambitiously for the long term, will take us to another level.”
Shankar left Disney on December 31, 2020, and announced that he will be moving to an entrepreneurial career where, with funding from global investors, he would support founders to create transformational solutions.
A journalist by training, Shankar led and transformed television: he took over as CEO of Star India in 2007 and transformed the company’s broadcast operations, and made Star India one of the biggest media and entertainment companies in Asia. He currently serves as the President of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
Murdoch is an investor and philanthropist. He is a Director of Tesla, the Dia Art Foundation, and a member of many boards, including CNAS. He and his wife, Kathryn Murdoch, are founders of Quadrivium, a foundation that invests in democracy reform, technology and society, scientific awareness, and climate and ocean health issues.
