MUMBAI: UTV Software Communications has made an addition of three senior executives to its core team.

Preneet Malhotra has been appointed as the CEO of UTV Interactive, Roma Patel as group director – finance and strategy, and Heather Saville as group human resources head.

The trio will report to UTV Group CEO Ronnie Screwvala.

Malhotra has over 20 years of experience with global corporations in the United States, and the last seven years in Asia. As CEO UTV Interactive, she will lead the gaming and animation business worldwide, which includes UTV Toons and UK based console developer Ignition. She has worked with brands like PepsiCo, KFC, GAP, Hutchison’s Watson’s Group (HK). Her most recent assignment was as COO for Electronic Arts- Asia based out of Hong Kong.

Patel will be responsibile for strategy, finance, legal and business development for the UTV Group. She has over 15 years of corporate finance, strategic financial management and change experience in the UK and internationally for entrepreneurial and global organisations. Roma has undertaken advisory, corporate development and CFO roles within PriceWaterhouseCoopers, NatWest Group Plc, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, VT Group Plc and most recently at Skanska. She will be moving from the UK to Mumbai for her role at UTV.

Saville joins as group human resources head. Having spent her initial years with P&G and then almost a decade in advertising with McCann Erickson, JWT, and Lowe; her last post is as VP- HR at Lintas (Lowe) India.

Commenting on the appointments Screwvala said, “As the media industry continues to change dramatically, we need to ensure that UTV is positioned to leverage its scale and strengthen its functional capabilities. We need leaders who excel in strategy as well as execution and who thrive on implementing change swiftly and successfully. Preneet, Roma, Heather have each met those needs throughout their careers.”