A seasoned television management professional, Mukund Cairae is the Chief Executive Officer – Middle East and Asia Pacific for Zee Network. Associated with Zee for over thirteen years in senior positions, he has expertise in broadcast media business, with complete responsibility of overseeing the P&Ls, and a proven track record in setting up businesses and driving profitability. Under Mukund’s leadership, over the last seven years, Zee has seen the highest levels of profitability since its inception, in addition to becoming one of the key genre creators in a saturated marketplace.
He was previously leading Africa for a year where he launched the Zee World channel for the local African audience which is now setting new records in viewership and revenues.
In his current position, Mukund heads a team of 142 professionals and has launched channels that are among the highest ranked in the Pan Arab region for Arabic audiences and in Asia Pacific for the local audiences. In just five years, Zee Aflam, the flagship channel of Zee’s Arabic business has become the third most watched movie channel, while Zee Alwan, ranks among the top 5 general entertainment channels in prime time viewing.
Prior to the leading the business in the Middle East, Mukund was handling the Asia Pacific region for Zee. He set up, developed, and expanded Zee’s business, while gaining an understanding of government regulations relating to foreign media and consumptive patterns of the general populace in these regions. He has also established strong business relationships through tie-ups with distribution networks, programme buyers, advertisers and government regulators.
An excellent negotiator, driven by an entrepreneurial mindset, his communication skills allows him to naturally create and foster relationships with clients, vendors, and colleagues.