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Dinesh Ratnam
Managing Director @ Warner Music Malaysia
Dinesh Ratnam is the newly appointed Managing Director of Warner Music Malaysia, a position he assumed on October 9, 2023. Based in Kuala Lumpur, he is tasked with overseeing the company's operations in Malaysia and driving strategic growth initiatives to enhance Warner Music's presence in the region.146
Professional Background
Ratnam has a diverse career that spans multiple sectors, including technology and media. Before joining Warner Music, he played a significant role at iQiyi, a leading video-on-demand service, serving as Senior Director in the International Business Department and Country Manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. His efforts were crucial in establishing iQiyi's footprint in Southeast Asia.12
Prior to his tenure at iQiyi, Ratnam held key positions at iflix, focusing on corporate development and business management. He also worked as a Director in the CEO's Office of Catcha Group, where he managed technology and media investments across Southeast Asia. His career began in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, where he specialized in the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors.15
Education
Dinesh Ratnam holds a Master of Engineering degree with Honours in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London.13
Vision and Goals
In his new role, Ratnam aims to leverage Warner Music's extensive resources to bolster the visibility and success of Malaysian artists on both local and global stages. He emphasizes the potential of Malaysian music talent to make a significant cultural impact beyond national borders.14
Highlights
Thank you BFM 89.9 - The Business Station for having me on a few weeks ago to talk about the evolution of music consumption, our goals at Warner Music Malaysia and how we are looking at the future of music here in Malaysia.
And thank you so much Keith Kam for making the interview super enjoyable! (after grilling me on KPIs initially 😁)
April marked the half year mark since I joined Warner Music Malaysia and began my foray into the music industry after spending the previous 5 years with video streaming platforms iQiyi and iflix.
I’ve been fortunate to have joined an amazing team and in just the last 6 months alone, been a part of accomplishing significant milestones : ✅ Securing 4 prestigious Spotify awards at the end of 2023, including accolades for the #1 and #3 top local artists for our acts Masdo and Luqman Podolski ✅ Our song SAH, in collaboration with local label MVM, hit #1 on our local Malaysian charts in March, and has also been the best performing Malaysian song on Spotify Indonesia in 2024 to date ✅ Securing our local act Bunga the opportunity to perform as the opening act for Coldplay in front of an 80,000 strong crowd ✅ Having our act Masdo participate in the finals of the prestigious local music award show Anugerah Juara Lagu ✅ Collaborating with local brand partners such as Maxis, Aeon Malaysia, Tropicana, Vivo Malaysia, Tealive and many others on bespoke campaigns with our artists
This momentum truly validates the 3 core beliefs that had anchored my transition to music: 🎵 The enduring and profound impact of music: Music is the heartbeat of modern media - it is one of the oldest forms of entertainment and has been touching our lives and emotions since the beginning of time, transcending borders, generations and formats. 🎵 The globalization of content and music: This is now the most exciting time for music. With digital platforms providing seamless global access and use of music, a hit song can come from anywhere in the world and physical borders are not a barrier to achieve regional and global success as an artist. We are seeing more cross border streams as ever for our artists. 🎵 The untapped potential of Malaysian talent: I truly believe that Malaysian artists are extremely talented and have the ability to make a regional and global impact. We’ve seen great successes already coming from Malaysians in the creative industry and I feel like there is more to come. Therefore I am super excited as we drive towards investing in the local music ecosystem and taking Malaysian music regional. Looking forward to the next 6 months and beyond!


