MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company in India today announced the appointment of Abhishek Maheshwari as country head for India. Maheshwari, who joined Disney in 2012, will now be responsible for all of Disney’s businesses reporting to Mahesh Samat, executive vice president & managing director, Walt Disney International, South Asia.

“Disney brands continue to grow across platforms and consumer segments in India,” said Samat.  “Abhishek is an astute and transformative business leader. Since joining the company, he has championed and driven strategic changes that have positioned our businesses to achieve consistent significant growth.”

Maheshwari has held several leadership roles in corporate strategy & business development, consumer products and interactive and, most recently, as the head of Integrated Media Networks.   Prior to working for The Walt Disney Company, Maheshwari worked for Kubera and McKinsey & Company at its US and India offices.

“It is a privilege to lead Disney India and I am greatly encouraged by the talent, passion and commitment of our teams across the organization. Together, our team will focus on bringing the best of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars and our home grown brands of Hungama, Bindass and UTV to Indian audiences and provide great consumer experiences across all our businesses,” said Abhishek.

India recently was merged under a South Asian hub integrating Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam under the leadership of Mahesh Samat.