STAR appoints Sumantra Dutta as Country Head, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan

In this newly created position, Sumo will be responsible for spearheading STAR's business in these three markets.

Based in Dubai, Sumo will report to Laureen Ong, Chief Operating Officer of STAR and will officially take up his new post on July 1.

Commenting on the appointment, Ong said,

'Sumo has been in the News Corporation family for nearly 14 years, and at every level of his career, has proven himself a top performer. His track record of formulating corporate strategy and developing new revenue streams is unmatched, and we are thrilled to have him lead our operations in these three key markets.'

'I am excited to rejoin STAR and lead the company's operations in the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa,' said Sumo Dutta. 'We have a tremendous opportunity to grow our business and extend the STAR brand across these three markets, and I look forward to working with the team to ensure we reach our full potential.'

Sumo has extensive media, entertainment and advertising sales experience. He rejoins STAR from News Outdoor India, where he served as the company's Managing Director. Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer of STAR India's Radio Joint Venture, Radio City. Before he joined Radio City, Sumo led STAR India's Advertising Sales & Marketing teams as Executive Vice President, Ad Sales and Marketing and played an instrumental role in the successful launch of the all new Hindi STAR PLUS in 2000 and its flagship program, Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian version of the hit show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire).