VICE India appoints leadership and brand partnerships in preparation for its launch in April

As it prepares to launch its full-scale operation in April, VICE India has announced the appointment of Chanpreet Arora as Chief Executive Officer (pictured left) and Samira Kanwar as Head of Content (right). Arora and Kanwar will lead the charge as VICE India officially goes live next month.

VICE India is a full-scale media company with content at its centre and a multi-platform distribution plan – producing scripted, film, news and culture content from India for television, SVOD, OTT and digital platforms.

VICE India also announced a partnership with PepsiCo brand Mountain Dew, a collaboration that will explore the journey of a real-life hero Arjun Vajpai as he attempts to climb Mt. Kangchenjunga – one of the most difficult summits to conquer.

VICE India has already assembled more than 40 of the best young journalists, editors, producers and creatives in India to focus on content production, editorial, creative services and content distribution. A local, young and experienced leadership team, deeply embedded in the culture of India, has been put in place to guide the operations in the country.

“We are committed to building a company that speaks to a generation that is defining today’s cultural conversation in India and that is based on values of empathy, equality and inclusion. All our decisions, including choice of partners, must reflect this core belief.” – says Chanpreet Arora, CEO for VICE India, based out of the VICE Delhi office.

In a country where 4.3X growth in online video consumption in the last year came from smaller cities that have a population of between 100,000 and one million, demand for video is very high, and VICE India’s planned local content will span conversations across topics like food, music, sex, identity, nightlife, arts, politics, literature, and comedy, showcasing the realities and diverse aspects of India without conforming to the boundaries set by multiple languages or cultures.

“Content sits at the centre of everything we do. We hope to create content and experiences that matter to India’s youth irrespective of the language or regions we come from. VICE India will be a platform for young people to speak up, be heard and also feel at home with about their own identities and ideas,” says Kanwar based out of the VICE Mumbai office.

VICE India will offer the full suite of creative offerings, including Virtue Worldwide, the creative agency born out of VICE. On the heels of work with partner PepsiCo, VICE India will seek out additional clients to bring its unique, authentic storytelling to the region.

“We are excited to be the first to work with VICE India, that aims to be the vehicle and voice for the Indian youth. This partnership represents the convergence of two brands coming together to tell an inspiring story of courage to millions of young consumers across the country,” says Naseeb Puri-Associate Director-Mountain Dew, PepsiCo India

“We are happy partnering with PepsiCo on one of our first content pieces in India so that the stories we want to tell reach out to the country with the help of one of India’s biggest and most recognisable brands,” says Arora.

Around the globe, VICE and Virtue Worldwide have provided creative content for several of the world’s leading brands, including ABInBev, Samsung, Uber, Airbnb and Google, among others.

The launch of VICE India also represents the culmination of cross-functional planning between VICE and The Times of India Group, both of which share in the VICE India joint venture.

Hosi Simon, CEO of VICE Asia Pacific added, “VICE India’s goal is to be deeply locally relevant for youth across all parts and cultures of India. We are very thankful for our partnership with The Times of India, led by Times Bridge. Together, we have architected as ambitious a launch as VICE has put together anywhere in the world.”

Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, the arm of The Times Group which invests in and provides strategic market enablement for big, global ideas committed to India – including the likes of Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, MUBI, Thrive and Uber – added, “The launch of VICE India’s digital platform is poised to delight millennial and Gen Z audiences across the country from Day 1; the stories and experiences produced by VICE India will engage youth culture here in a manner not previously seen. We’re proud of our team and look forward to a breakthrough 2018.”