Ashok Hegde

Dynamic and strategic account leader with 18+ years in Media, Entertainment & Digital Content Operations | Client Servicing | Program Management | Account Growth. Extensive experience managing large-scale digital content operations, high-value client relationships, cross-functional teams, and delivery of multi-platform metadata, content & product workflows. Proven track record of scaling accounts, improving margins, driving operational excellence, and influencing stakeholders across product, engineering, content, and leadership teams.

Recognized for driving execution excellence, building strong partnerships, understanding client business deeply, and delivering high-quality outcomes within timelines, budgets, and SLAs — while leading teams to perform at the highest standards.

Senior Manager – Metadata & PMO at ZEEL (Zee5) (2019-03 – 2025-11)

Lead account-level delivery, stakeholder relationships, and metadata/content operations for ZEE5's global platforms, ensuring high-quality output across markets.

• Acted as strategic liaison between content teams, product, and clients (Jio, VuClip, global syndication partners), ensuring seamless delivery and proactive issue resolution
• Developed strong, ongoing relationships with key client stakeholders; maintained consistent communication and positioned as a strategic partner
• Created and implemented SOPs for ZEE5's Global Metadata Program, enabling scale and improving efficiency
• Drove execution excellence, monitored SLAs, delivery health, cultural relevance, and quality metrics
• Led automation initiatives that reduced manual effort and turnaround time, improving margins and delivery speed
• Managed multiple workflows simultaneously (metadata, video ops, publishing) with full accountability for timelines and quality
• Delivered comprehensive MIS, insights, and performance dashboards for leadership to support strategic decisions
• Mentored team members across content ops and PMO functions, driving productivity, capability building, and process adherence

Content Delivery Manager at Gracenote (A Nielsen Company) (2017-10 – 2019-03)

Managed high-value media accounts (Tata Sky, YuppTV, HOOQ, iFlix), ensuring exceptional delivery of metadata, EPG, VOD, and digital content services.

• Served as primary point of contact for multiple strategic clients, managing expectations, delivering insights, and building long-term relationships
• Drove custom solutions by collaborating with product teams to align platform requirements and improve metadata accuracy
• Successfully executed POCs and onboarding for marquee clients, contributing to account expansion
• Developed post-launch summaries, performance insights, and strategic recommendations for clients and internal leadership
• Led PMO-driven projects, ensuring timely delivery across concurrent workstreams
• Created and managed documentation for client asks, delivery summaries, feedback loops, and process enhancements

Senior Project Manager at EduBridge Learning Pvt. Ltd. (2016-11 – 2017-10)

Directed end-to-end project delivery for flagship clients (Reliance Foundation, Godrej Properties), ensuring adherence to budgets, training delivery timelines, stakeholder satisfaction, and compliance.

Operations Manager at Dedicated Healthcare Services (TPA) (2015-08 – 2015-12)

Managed cashless claims operations, stakeholder relationships, service delivery metrics, audits, and MIS reporting for insurers.

Senior Project Leader (Quality Lead → QA Executive → Content Exec) at V2 Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (2005-01 – 2014-09)

Led delivery of large-scale digital content programs for global entertainment and media clients including Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Gracenote, Amazon, and Hungama, with deep involvement in music and lyrics metadata operations alongside video and digital content workflows.

• Managed end-to-end music and lyrics content operations for large catalogues, including ingestion, metadata enrichment, validation, quality control, and final delivery for global platforms
• Oversaw lyrics metadata covering composers, lyricists, performers, publishers, timestamps, and versioning, ensuring accuracy
• Worked extensively on music metadata normalization, including genre classification, sub-genre tagging, mood, instrumentation indicators, and regional/cultural relevance
• Coordinated with client stakeholders to align music metadata standards with platform requirements and downstream consumption use cases
• Implemented structured QC frameworks for music and lyrics content to reduce errors related to formatting, attribution, duplication, and incorrect associations
• Supported music catalogue expansion and onboarding by stabilizing processes, documentation, and delivery templates for new content batches
• Maintained version control and audit trails for music and lyrics updates to support corrections, re-ingestion, and client escalations
• Led cross-functional teams of up to 40 members, balancing delivery, quality, and productivity across concurrent music, lyrics, and digital content projects
• Designed operational templates, SOPs, and reporting dashboards to standardize delivery and improve turnaround times
• Introduced automation and semi-automation (macros, validation rules, standardized templates) to reduce manual effort and improve consistency
• Conducted quality audits aligned with ISO processes and ensured compliance across music and content workflows
• Mentored team members, built second-line leadership, and drove continuous improvement through training and performance reviews
• Delivered multiple high-volume music and lyrics catalogues within strict SLAs for global clients
• Improved accuracy, scalability, and delivery predictability across music metadata programs
• Established strong credibility with US-based entertainment clients through consistent quality and operational reliability

Executive MBA in Operations – Institute of Technology & Management

B.Com. – Mumbai University