PVR appoints former Bharti Airtel India chief Sanjay Kapoor as independent director

By Bhawna Gupta

  • 04 Feb 2014

India's largest cinema exhibition company PVR Ltd has appointed Sanjay Kapoor as an independent director on the board of the company.

Kapoor, who has nearly three decades of corporate experience, was till early last year CEO of Bharti Airtel’s India operations. He had resigned after serving nearly 14 years at the company but held some leadership positions in the Bharti Group till mid-2013.

"His brand expertise, experience in building large service businesses, digital penchant and consumer insights will be invaluable as we continue to expand our business of exhibiting quality cinema in the country. Our board is looking forward to the perspective Sanjay will provide to our strategy and operations as we continue to focus to give the best to our audience," Ajay Bijli, chairman and MD of PVR, said.

Prior to joining the Bharti Group, Kapoor worked with Xerox India as director - operations support. Presently, he is also a board member of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, where he joined in October 2013.

Kapoor holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management (UK) and is a graduate of The Wharton Advanced Management Program. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Delhi University.

His appointment at PVR comes at a time when another independent director Manish Chandra, co-founder and director of boutique advisory firm Bridge Capital Advisors, stepped down from the board.

PVR, which counts L Capital and Multiples PE as shareholders, currently operates a cinema circuit comprising 408 screens in 95 cinemas spread across 39 cities in India. Last month, the firm announced that it will operate a 15-screen multiplex or superplex in an upcoming location in Noida, making it the biggest multiplex in the country.

(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)