JioStar appoints financial leader GR Arun Kumar as new CFO, amid push for accelerated decision-making

Mega streaming giant JioStar, a combination of JioCinema and Disney Hotstar, has appointed GR Arun Kumar as its new Chief Financial Officer, sources told Mint.

In an internal email shared by JioStar Vice President Uday Shankar to employees, shared by the source, staff were informed that Kumar will help maintain the company’s “financial agility and discipline” as it expands and “accelerates decision-making.”

JioStar appoints GR Arun Kumar as its new CFO

According to the email, Kumar has close to 30 years of experience in “various financial leadership” at major global organizations and large Indian conglomerates. “His addition will reinforce our focus on maintaining financial agility and discipline while growing our footprint and accelerating decision-making across markets,” he said.

The email also stated that Kumar’s appointment comes at a time when the company operates in a “rapidly evolving environment” and “where acting quickly, being responsive and forward-looking is critical.” He added that Kumar will play a key role in accelerating this change, ensuring the company has “the financial systems, insights and operational flexibility needed to move quickly while positioning JioStar as a digital-first organization while continuing to build scale and long-term value.”

The email also stated that Kumar “is prepared to play a key role in partnering with the Board of Directors, CEOs and business leaders to drive growth, profitability and financial resilience. He will lead our overall Finance and Commercial functions.”

Who is GR Arun Kumar?

The email stated that Kumar, who lives in Mumbai with his wife and two daughters, has leadership experience spanning finance, strategy, operations, stakeholder management and value creation.

Joins JioStar from Welspun Group; There, as Group CFO and Head of Strategy, he oversaw finance, planning, M&A, compliance and investor relations. Prior to this, he held leadership roles at Unilever, Vedanta, General Electric and OLA in India and international markets.