Uday Shankar is the Founder Director of Bodhi Tree Systems, a strategic investment platform focused on transforming consumer-facing sectors in emerging markets, and Vice-Chairman of JioStar, India’s largest media and entertainment company. Widely regarded as Asia’s preeminent media executive, Uday began his career as a journalist with The Times of India before rising to leadership roles at some of the region’s most influential media companies, including CEO of Star India (a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox) and President, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific.
Over a career spanning three decades, Uday has built a reputation for combining digital innovation and disruption at scale with operational excellence to unlock consumer value. This approach defines Bodhi Tree’s investment thesis. In 2022, Uday led its investment in Reliance’s Viacom18 and helped scale JioCinema into India’s go-to media destination. He later played a central role in the creation of JioStar, which brings together the entertainment assets of Disney Star and Viacom18 to create a unified, future-facing media powerhouse. Bodhi Tree has also invested in ALLEN Career Institute to reimagine education through a tech-first, student-centric approach.
In his previous roles, Uday revolutionised India’s media and entertainment landscape—launching Aaj Tak, the country’s first 24-hour news channel, modernising regional and sports broadcasting as CEO of Star India, and building Hotstar into the nation’s most successful streaming platform.
Uday has served as President of FICCI and sits on several corporate and advisory boards. His leadership has been recognised by Forbes India, Ernst & Young, and the Indian Express.
He holds a master’s degree in Philosophy from Jawaharlal Nehru University and lives in Mumbai.
