The Board of Directors of Dish TV India Limited proposed Manoj Dobhal, the Company’s current Chief Operating Officer (COO), as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)-Designate and advised the management to seek prior approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) by the Uplinking Guidelines.

The proposed succession is the result of Anil Dua’s request to be relieved of his current responsibilities as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, a position he has held since May 2017.

After a successful 6-year tenure, Anil Dua, CEO of Dish TV India Limited, Yesterday submitted his resignation request to the company’s Board of Directors.

Dua joined the company in May 2017, at the nexus of the Dish TV and d2h merger, and has been instrumental in navigating the company through the complex merger and post-merger processes.

Under Dua’s leadership, the company embarked on several new initiatives, including the upgrade of its technology backbone. The key ones are headend optimization and modernization, the introduction of smart devices, the unveiling of the Android box, and the launch of OTT aggregation services.

Dua would be at the helm for 3 more months to ensure a smooth transition for Dobhal who would be the CEO-Designate till the requisite regulatory approval from MIB, for his appointment as CEO is received.

Speaking on his decision to move on, Anil Dua, said, “It was a tough decision for me considering the new and exciting phase that the Company is in, the efforts put in by the whole Company behind a string of new initiatives and a few tasks yet to be taken to their envisioned completion. However, I am confident that my exceptionally determined team will work with the same passion and commitment that they have always displayed and will, along with Manoj, take Dish TV India to new highs of success. Over the next three months, Manoj and I would be working closely to ensure a smooth and seamless leadership transition.”

“I would like to thank the Board for their understanding and accepting my decision to move on. My sincere gratitude to the entire team at Dish TV India Limited and to all our stakeholders for exhibiting trust in me and for standing by the Company and its leadership through thick and thin,” Dua added.

Manoj Dobhal has spent the last 24 years working in various operational and strategic roles across India for brands such as Colgate, Dabur, Reliance Communication, Tata Play, and IndiaCast Media.

Dobhal holds an MBA (PGDBM) from Apeejay Institute of Management in Delhi and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Electronics from the University of Delhi.

Dobhal’s current role as the company’s COO entails providing operational leadership in sales, distribution, marketing, field service, and customer engagement and retention.

Rajeev Dalmia, Chief Financial Officer, of Dish TV India Limited, said, “Mr. Dua’s calm and focused demeanor added strength to his passion for operational performance and brand building. It would not be a hyperbole to say that perhaps one out of our two key brands would not have been as popular had it not been for Mr. Dua. As seen typically, mergers often sound the death knell for one of the two merging brands. Mr. Dua, however, not only ensured equal growth and top-of-the-mind recall for both Dish TV and d2h brands but has also strengthened the Company with a new, strong brand in the form of Watcho.

“As a CFO, I have always been supported by Mr. Dua’s equally strong commitment towards making the Company debt free and his emphasis on running a tight ship, both of which have helped us in the current extremely competitive operating environment. I wish him the best for his future endeavors,” Dalmia said.

Manoj Dobhal, CEO-Designate, Dish TV India Limited, said, “Dish TV India Limited is at the cusp of the transition from a pure linear distribution company to an all-round distributor of television and streaming content with an ocean of opportunity ahead. I look forward to making the organization even more agile and coming out with compelling & leading-edge products to cater to today’s integrated technology, media, and telecom customers.”