upGrad ropes in ex-JioStar leader Ferzad Palia to head D2C foray

New Delhi: upGrad has appointed Ferzad Palia to set up and head its new Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) initiative. 

upGrad is now entering its next phase of growth through on-demand skilling, catering to India’s next-gen learners seeking flexible, always-on learning. 

Palia will lead the charge at upGrad to build a digital-first ecosystem powered by micro-learning formats, AI-driven personalisation, and scalable access.

"It strengthens our mission to own the entire learning journey and turns skilling into a household habit, not just a job-switch trigger. Ferzad’s deep expertise in building high-scale, high-engagement content-driven platforms will help us unlock a wider segment, combined with tech that appeals to their fast-learning patterns”, said Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder & Chairperson, upGrad.

Palia has over 25 years of experience across Consumer Tech, Media & Advertising. 

Most recently, he served as Senior EVP at JioStar (earlier Viacom18), where he was instrumental in setting up and scaling JioCinema, one of India’s largest streaming platforms. 

Prior, he set up and led key businesses for Viacom18, including Direct-to-Consumer, International distribution and the Youth, Music & English portfolio. 

Palia started his career at J Walter Thompson, where he managed Unilever’s Personal Care brands. He also served at CNBC-TV18. 

Commenting on the new role, Palia added, “The opportunity to transform India’s upskilling and learning landscape at scale, is an exciting mandate. upGrad’s solid foundation and commitment to outcome-led learning provides the perfect springboard”.