Canela Media launches Innovation Lab

Canela Media announced the appointment of global product leader Dr. Shampa Banerjee as its first ever Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO). Prior to joining Canela Media, Banerjee served as an Executive Vice President at ViacomCBS and the Chief Product Officer for Pluto TV. The announcement was made today by Isabel Rafferty, Canela Media founder and CEO, to whom Banerjee will report.

Banerjee, whose deep, diverse set of experiences lend themselves to the evolution of Canela’s product roadmap and the technology enhancements planned for its rapidly-growing portfolio, will be based in Silicon Valley. The physicist turned technologist will lead Canela Media’s new groundbreaking Innovation Lab created to reinvent production, distribution and revenue models for the entertainment industry. With the tech-savvy Latino community in mind, Banerjee will build a cross functional leadership team across Product Management, UX and Engineering, aligning underlying technology with Canela’s business priorities and growth strategy, and ensuring products exceed expectations when it comes to entertaining and engaging users.

“Consumers are discerning — they know what they want and they know where to find it,” said Banerjee. “I am energized by Canela’s deliberate commitment to redefine digital media experiences for the Hispanic community — our strategy, to challenge our team to create products and services that meet and ultimately exceed the needs of this rapidly-growing, sophisticated audience is the opportunity of a lifetime.” She added: “By allowing brands to advertise with trust and creators to collaborate directly with their fans, all Canela’s stakeholders will gain a real sense of ownership and belonging. This is just the beginning for Canela.TV, Canela Music and beyond and I’m thrilled to be on this ride with Isabel and her brilliant and passionate team.”

Banerjee has vast experience as a senior executive and global technology leader driving innovation and growth at the intersection of media, entertainment and technology. Her extensive background in strategy and execution in digital media, consumer products as well as large-scale SaaS platforms drove hyper-growth in businesses from tens of millions to billion dollars in revenue.

“If Shampa had a middle name, it would most certainly be visionary,” Rafferty said. “Her wealth of knowledge and success in bringing game-changing products to market makes her the perfect fit to take Canela Media to the next level.” She added: “As innovation remains our primary focus, we look to Shampa’s deep experience at the intersection of technology and media to transform our business and our industry, and we are thrilled to have her lead our exceptionally talented team as we enter this next chapter.”