Pocket Aces elevates Vinay Pillai as CEO

Pocket Aces has appointed Vinay Pillai as its new CEO, effective October 1, 2026, while co-founder Aditi Shrivastava will transition to a board role. Shrivastava co-founded Pocket Aces and has been involved in building its short-form content, web series, and creator management businesses. She said the move will allow her to focus on strategic initiatives. Speaking on the transition, Aditi Shrivastava said, "Building Pocket Aces has been the journey of a lifetime. We have had a significant role in shaping the short-form content, web series, and creator management landscape in India. Our partnership with Saregama has also created a playbook for M&A in the media industry. This is the perfect time for me to transition to a board capacity and focus on strategic initiatives. We have nurtured an elite bench of internal talent at Pocket Aces, and I am confident that with his keen operational eye and commercial acumen, Vinay will scale Pocket Aces to the next level." Speaking on his new role, Vinay Pillai said he would focus on expanding the company’s intellectual property across FilterCopy and Dice and scaling its Clout business. He said, "I am deeply honoured by the trust reposed in me by Aditi, Vikram, and the Board. Taking the reins of Pocket Aces at a time when we are at an operational high is a privilege. My focus will be on building upon our phenomenal foundation, accelerating IP creation across FilterCopy and Dice, and scaling our market dominance with Clout." Pillai joined Pocket Aces in 2020 and has held roles including Senior Vice President and Head of Clout, Head of Strategy and Chief Business Officer. Before Pocket Aces, he was Head of TVFPlay at The Viral Fever. He also co-founded dekkho and earlier worked as a Senior Consultant and Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton. His earlier stints include product roles at Central Business Solutions and Drama Fever, and a strategy consulting role at Axcess Capon.