People Move · September 2026
Sony Pictures Networks India appoints Amit Mehta as Chief Human Resources Officer
Amit Mehta will join Sony Pictures Networks India as Chief Human Resources Officer effective October 1, 2026, succeeding Manu Wadhwa and joining the company’s Senior Management Team.
Amit Mehta to join SPNI as CHRO
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has appointed Amit Mehta as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), strengthening its senior leadership team as the media and entertainment company continues to evolve its organisation and people strategy.
Mehta will formally assume the role on October 1, 2026, succeeding Manu Wadhwa, the company’s current Chief HR Officer. As part of the transition, Mehta will also become a member of SPNI’s Senior Management Team.
The appointment brings an experienced HR leader into one of India’s major media and entertainment networks at a time when the sector is navigating changing consumer behaviour, digital transformation, new skill requirements and increasing convergence between television and streaming.
HR leadership experience across upGrad and HUL
Mehta brings more than 16 years of experience across human resources, with expertise spanning business partnering, talent acquisition, organisational effectiveness, leadership development, employer branding and people strategy.
Before the SPNI appointment, Mehta has been serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at upGrad, where he was responsible for the company’s global people strategy, including organisational effectiveness, talent development and performance management.
Prior to joining upGrad in 2024, Mehta held several HR leadership positions at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). His responsibilities included leading HR for HUL’s Home Care division and serving as Talent and Organisation Director for Unilever’s South Asia markets.
His experience at Unilever also covered HR business partnering across sales and marketing, employer branding, talent acquisition and strategic advisory responsibilities linked to the organisation’s people agenda.
Mehta holds an MBA in Human Resources from XLRI Jamshedpur and a BTech in Information Technology from VJTI Mumbai.
Leadership transition and people priorities at SPNI
Mehta takes over the CHRO mandate from Manu Wadhwa, who is currently listed as Chief HR Officer on SPNI’s leadership team.
The transition comes as SPNI continues to strengthen its leadership structure and adapt its organisation around an increasingly integrated television and digital entertainment ecosystem.
Sony Pictures Networks India operates 29 premium channels, along with digital entertainment platform Sony LIV, and reaches more than 700 million viewers in India. Its network is available across more than 150 countries, giving the organisation a sizeable and diverse workforce and business environment to support.
For the incoming CHRO, areas such as leadership capability, talent development, organisation design, employee experience and future-ready skills are likely to become increasingly important as the media industry becomes more technology-led and platform-agnostic.
The appointment also adds to a series of senior people leadership movements across corporate India. Hire Route recently reported on Sanjeev Prasad’s appointment as Chief Human Resources Officer at Trianz and Manish Singh’s appointment as CHRO at Uniparts India, reflecting continued demand for experienced HR executives capable of linking talent strategy with business transformation.
Hire Route Take
Amit Mehta’s move to Sony Pictures Networks India represents an important cross-sector transition from edtech into media and entertainment.
His experience at both HUL and upGrad gives him exposure to two very different workforce environments — a large consumer enterprise and a fast-evolving learning and technology business. That combination could prove particularly relevant for SPNI as media companies rethink organisational models, digital skills, leadership capabilities and the relationship between technology and creative talent.
The fact that Mehta will also join SPNI’s Senior Management Team is significant. It reinforces the expanding role of the CHRO beyond traditional HR operations, with people leaders increasingly participating directly in decisions around organisational transformation, workforce capability, leadership succession and long-term business strategy.
For SPNI, Mehta’s appointment puts people and organisational capability firmly within its broader transformation agenda.
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