Shankar, a outstanding media govt and co-founder of Bodhi Tree Programs alongside James Murdoch in 2020, has performed a key position in shaping the Indian media panorama. Bodhi Tree Programs focuses on scaling companies throughout media, schooling and different consumer-facing sectors within the Indian Ocean area, with a powerful emphasis on India.
By means of this platform, Shankar has led main strategic investments in JioStar, India's largest media and leisure firm, and ALLEN Profession Institute, a number one schooling providers supplier.
As Vice Chairman of JioStar, Shankar oversees the corporate's sports activities, streaming and broadcast divisions. He's additionally instrumental in shaping the imaginative and prescient for JioHotstar, one of many world's largest streaming platforms with over 200 million paying subscribers.
Creed assumed the position of CEO at Caterpillar on 1 Might 2025, having joined the worldwide equipment and gear producer in 1997. He's additionally a member of the corporate's board of administrators and leads a workforce of almost 113,000 staff throughout 63 international locations. In his management position, Creed is liable for driving Caterpillar's strategic progress, with a concentrate on operational excellence, sustainability, and the growth of providers.
Welcoming the brand new board members, USISPF Chairman John Chambers stated, “I'm honoured to welcome each Uday and Joe to the board. Our partnership with Caterpillar enters an thrilling new chapter below Joe's management, and it's a privilege to welcome Uday again on this new position. The energy of the US-India relationship is mirrored within the extraordinary expertise and world perspective these two leaders carry—one from the world of media and leisure, the opposite from engineering and equipment. What unites them is a shared dedication to innovation, excellence, and a deep perception within the energy of collaboration to drive progress throughout our two nice democracies.”
Dr Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of USISPF, added: “Uday has constructed a status for innovating on legacy media manufacturers with a watch for digital innovation and disruption, whereas serving some of the dynamic and difficult media markets—India. In all his endeavours, Uday has stored the Indian shopper at coronary heart.”
Shankar is broadly credited with remodeling the Indian media trade over the previous three many years. He was concerned within the launch of Aaj Tak, India's first 24-hour information channel, and pioneered the breaking information format in Indian tv.
Throughout his tenure as CEO of Star India, he led one of many sector's most important turnarounds, increasing the community's attain to over 700 million viewers by means of regional programming, socially related content material, and groundbreaking sports activities protection. He additionally oversaw the launch of Hotstar, a pioneering digital streaming platform.
Later, as President of twenty first Century Fox Asia and The Walt Disney Firm Asia Pacific, Shankar was liable for content material and distribution technique throughout some of the various media areas globally.
Commenting on his appointment, Shankar stated, “It offers me nice pleasure to increase my long-standing affiliation with USISPF. The India–US relationship has by no means been extra consequential, particularly because the world navigates a quickly evolving geopolitical and financial panorama. I stay up for partnering with USISPF and its companions to deepen collaboration between our two nations, notably within the areas of media, expertise, and schooling, the place shared values and innovation can unlock transformative alternatives.”
Creed brings almost three many years of expertise at Caterpillar, having held management positions throughout numerous segments of the enterprise. Earlier than changing into CEO, he served as Chief Working Officer, and earlier led the Power & Transportation phase as Chief Monetary Officer. He has additionally held senior vice chairman roles in Caterpillar Monetary Companies, the Oil & Gasoline and Marine division, and the Electrical Energy division. The corporate, which marks its centenary in 2025, sees Creed because the torchbearer for its future path.
Dr Aghi famous, “We've had an extended and profitable partnership with Caterpillar since our beginnings, and I'm excited to start a brand new part with Joe, who represents Caterpillar's world excellence and lengthy historical past of producing, infrastructure growth and cutting-edge expertise in India. I'm assured that below Joe, we'll proceed to fortify our mission of nurturing robust business bonds between the US and India.”
As Caterpillar begins its second century, Creed stays targeted on honouring the corporate's legacy whereas embracing rising applied sciences and investing in its workforce.
“I'm honoured to affix the Board of Administrators and proceed Caterpillar's long-term collaboration with the discussion board,” stated Creed. “I stay up for working with fellow leaders to help the success of the financial relationship between the US and India.”