Rajesh Sethi named new Managing Director of NBA India

The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday, September 11 named Rajesh Sethi, an accomplished media and technology executive with more than 20 years of experience in leading and managing global brands, as Managing Director of NBA India. Sethi, who begins with the NBA on Sept. 12, will report to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.

Sethi succeeds Yannick Colaco as NBA India's MD, who stepped down from his position in March.

As MD, Sethi will oversee the league's basketball and business development initiatives in India and will be supported by the region's senior leadership team.

Most recently, Sethi was with the Essel Group, a leading business conglomerate in India, where he held various leadership roles with the group's entities, including SITI Networks, Zee Entertainment and Ten Sports. Since 2017, he has been the Chief Business Transformation Officer of SITI Networks, one of India's leading cable television systems operators, and he spearheaded the creation of multiple new offerings for SITI Networks' consumers. Prior to SITI Networks, Sethi was the CEO of Distribution and Sports Business at Zee Entertainment. Additionally, he was the CEO of Ten Sports, a subsidiary of Zee Entertainment, where he oversaw the global sports broadcasters' sports channels. Earlier in his career, Sethi was the CEO and Region Director for South East Asia of Allianz Global, a specialty insurance provider, and held executive roles with General Electric in India and Tata Motors.

"Rajesh's extensive experience in the media and broadcast industry combined with his leadership and management abilities make him the ideal person to lead our efforts in India," said Tatum. "We look forward to working with Rajesh to help take basketball and the NBA to new heights in India at a time when the game has never been more popular across the country."

Sethi joins NBA India at perhaps the most crucial time-frame in their short history. In less than a month, the league will host an NBA preseason game in Mumbai for the first time, landing the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers for two matchups in Mumbai on October 4-5. The game promises to bring unprecedented attention to basketball and the NBA's operations in India. With so much stake from the NBA's high demands of operations from abroad, Sethi and the rest of the organisation will have the responsibility of ensuring that the ball bounces the right way.

"I am thrilled to join the NBA at such an exciting time," said Sethi. "The league has done a wonderful job of growing its presence in India, and I look forward to working with all our partners and colleagues here as we explore new ways to increase basketball participation and engagement."