November 28, 2023 – New York, NY – Artists, Writers & Artisans Inc. (AWA), the independent developer of bold and original stories from the world’s most outstanding artists, writers, and artisans, announced today the appointment of Diya Sagar as the company’s first Chief Financial Officer.
Diya Sagar is an experienced finance and investment professional with an international background. She has worked with businesses of all stages, including large-cap public companies, private equity-owned corporations, and venture-backed startups. Sagar joins AWA from its lead shareholder Lupa Systems, James Murdoch’s private investment firm, where she was an investor in media and technology companies. Previously, she led corporate development & strategy at Endemol Shine Group, the world’s largest independent TV production company at the time. She started her career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank in London, covering M&A and capital raises for technology, media and telecoms companies. In addition to her financial and operational acumen, she has a keen understanding of how new technologies and strategic partnerships can support creators’ work. She received her M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and B.A. in Economics from the University of Durham.
“AWA has grown and had stunning creative success during a year of challenges and dramatic change in both the direct market for comics and the film and TV landscape. Our North Star is publishing bold and original stories and developing them to their full potential,” said Matthew Anderson, Co-Chairman and President, AWA. “This is the ideal moment to expand our financial capabilities and we are thrilled to welcome Diya to the team as our first CFO. Diya’s role is ultimately to strengthen the unique ways we can support creators, fund bold projects and get films and TV shows made in today’s media world. Her wealth of experience will be an incredible asset to AWA and the creators we work with.”
In her new role, Sagar will work closely alongside AWA’s executive leadership team including Anderson, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman Jon Miller, Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, AWA Studios’ President Zach Studin, and General Counsel Bob Cohen. In addition to being responsible for the financial management of the company, Sagar will lead business strategy, corporate development, M&A, operations and emerging technology initiatives.
“After supporting Lupa Systems’ investment in AWA over recent years, I was energized by the opportunity to move into the company and continue building it from the inside,” says Sagar. “In a market that is undergoing significant upheaval, AWA’s mission to reward creators fairly for their work is not only acutely relevant, but critical if we are to achieve positive outcomes in these creative industries.”
AWA has been moving the needle within the graphic fiction and entertainment industries since 2018. In 2022, the company unveiled its Creative Council, a team of creative visionaries helping unleash the full potential of AWA creators’ characters and stories, providing a diversity of contemporary storytelling perspectives and putting projects in the best position to be scaled across the entertainment ecosystem. Earlier this year, AWA announced an investment from Fremantle, strengthening the creative partnership between the two companies.
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