Devraj Sanyal is Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group, India & South Asia; and SVP Strategy AMEA.
Based in Mumbai, he has been heading up the operational aspects of Universal Music India since 2011.
He was promoted to the Chairman and CEO role in 2023, previously serving as MD and CEO of Universal Music India and South Asia.
He has also took on the responsibility of SVP strategy for The AMEA region (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa).
Devraj Sanyal: early career
While at university, Devraj Sanyal started two ventures that would inform his career: an events company called Curtain Raisers and metal band Brahma, who have released two albums and seen national success.
After running Curtain Raisers for four years, in 1996 Sanyal joined Elle Magazine India as Marketing Manager, followed by a Brand Director role responsible for the fragrances & colour cosmetics business of Baccarose India.
In January 2004 he joined Percept, one of India’s leading entertainment, media and communications groups, as Chief Operating Officer of below-the-line company Percept D’Mark. By mid-2007, Sanyal had worked his way up to the position of CEO for Percept Sports & Entertainment, India’s largest experiential marketing agency.
With Percept, Sanyal co-founded Asian electronic music festival, Sunburn. He was also instrumental in the formation of Desi Hits, the global south Asian entertainment platform, serving as its CEO from 2009-2010.
Devraj Sanyal: CEO successes
After seven years with Percept, in 2011 Devraj Sanyal joined Universal Music. He moved to the Board of Percept as an independent Director as part of this role change.
In 2015, Universal Music Group re-launched EMI Records in India, in partnership with Bollywood film director Mohit Suri.
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