NEW DELHI: Former chief executive officer (CEO) of Prasar Bharati, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, was appointed Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MI&B), his appointment is for three years from the date he assumes charge.
Vempati will succeed noted lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who has recently been appointed Chairman of Prasar Bharati.
“Consequent upon the elevation of Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati, he has stepped down from the position of Chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), leading to the present appointment. Shashi Shekhar Vempati brings with him extensive experience in media, broadcasting and public communication. His appointment is expected to further strengthen the functioning of the CBFC,” read a statement issued by the Ministry.
An alumnus of IIT Bombay, Vempati is an author and co-founder of AI4India Org, which works towards democratising access to artificial intelligence technology.
He served as the CEO of Prasar Bharati, the country’s public broadcaster, for five years from 2017 to 2022. His LinkedIn profile states that he drove sweeping reforms at India’s largest public broadcaster, steering the modernisation of Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), and concurrently led Rajya Sabha TV from 2017 to 2019.
An IIT Bombay alumnus, Vempati was previously with Infosys Technologies from 1997 to 2012.
“His visionary reforms have significantly influenced national policy on media governance, television ratings guidelines and educational media infrastructure. He contributed to broadcasting by serving on the boards of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), as well as the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). He is also the author of ‘Collective Spirit, Concrete Action – Mann Ki Baat and Its Influence on India’, which captures the transformative impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular radio series,” the profile also states.
He also led Niti Digital’s influential digital media platform as its Chief Digital Officer, playing a critical role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mission 272+ digital campaign during India’s 2014 elections, and later served as CEO of Niti Digital between 2014 and 2016.
