MUMBAI: Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), the controlling body of the Indian Super League (ISL) formed through a joint venture between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Star India and IMG, now has a renowned corporate leader at the helm of affairs.
Jalaj Dani, co-promoter of Asian Paints Limited and an additional director on the Reliance Foundation board (one among the many company board positions he holds), has taken charge of running the entire operation of FSDL, SportzPower can confirm.
Before taking up the running of FSDL, Dani’s link to sport has been more in an advisory capacity.
Dani is currently a board member on two government bodies – National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), as well as being a member of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushalya Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) steering committee.
As far as industry chambers are concerned, Dani is on the boards of Sportscom, National Council member (CII), co-chairman of National Committee on Sports (CII); National Executive Committee member (FICCI), and a member of the Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure Skills Council (SPEFLSC).
For the record, it is is his wife Vita (RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani’s cousin) who has had a more active association with sports thus far, as co-owner of ISL franchise Chennaiyin FC (CFC) and chairperson of sports management company 11Even Sports.
11Even Sports is best known as the organiser and commercial rights holder of the franchise based table tennis league Ultimate Table Tennis.
Coming to the management of FSDL, some context. It was in July 2015 that Devang Bhimjyani, who headed business development, sponsorship and marketing of Mumbai Indians, took over as interim CEO of FSDL and Indian Super League (ISL).
Later that year (in November) Sundar Raman, the erstwhile COO of the Indian Premier League, joined Reliance as CEO, sports business. Raman’s mandate was to consolidate and integrate RIL’s sports portfolio – which includes Mumbai Indians, FSDL, as well as the activities of Reliance Foundation in sports. In addition to the existing sports properties of RIL, Raman’s brief was to drive newer avenues of growth in this area.
As for Bhimjyani, he continued to operate as a point person between Raman and FSDL chairperson Nita Ambani.
SportzPower reached out to the corporate communications team at RIL seeking a clarification as to whether, in the light of these developments, Raman’s oversight would now be restricted to Mumbai Indians, but received no response till the time this report was uploaded.
