Zee shareholders approve R Gopalan’s appointment as non-executive director

Mumbai: Shareholders of Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) have approved the appointment of R Gopalan as a Non-Executive, Non-Independent Director through a postal ballot conducted via remote e-voting on Friday.

The e-voting window, conducted on the NSDL platform, opened on October 30 and closed on November 28, 2025.

On the cut-off date of October 24, 2025, the company had 6,63,674 shareholders eligible to vote.

According to the scrutiniser’s report submitted by Vinita Nair of Vinod Kothari & Company, 4,45,12,361 valid votes were cast in favour of the resolution. Of these, 23,66,57,454 votes (53.17%) were in favour, and 20,84,66,187 votes (46.83%) were against, and the ordinary resolution was declared passed with the requisite majority.

ZEEL approached shareholders with a special resolution for Gopalan’s continuation on the board, pending his attainment of the age of 75 in April 2027.

Gopalan will receive remuneration in the form of sitting fees, profit-linked commission, and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under the Companies Act, 2013.

Gopalan, who has been serving as an Independent Director on the company’s board since November 25, 2019, has also chaired the board for the past six years. His previous term as Independent Director expired on November 24, 2025. The latest appointment marks his transition from an independent to a non-independent role within the board.

An officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with a career spanning over four decades, Gopalan has held several key positions in the Government of India, including Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs; Secretary, Department of Financial Services; and Member, Public Enterprises Selection Board. 
He also served as CMD of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited, Tidel Parks Limited, and Tamil Nadu Agro Industries Corporation Limited.

He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Management from Harvard University, an MA in Economics from Boston University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Madras.

He has experience in economic policy, financial institutions management, infrastructure financing, and international trade negotiations, having represented India at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).