Independent publisher Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA) has appointed its first Chief Financial Officer, Diya Sagar. She will be responsible for the financial management of the company and will take a lead role in mapping out business strategy, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and new technology initiatives.

Sagar, who has an MBA from the Yale School of Management, was previously an Investment Professional with Lupa Systems, a private equity firm founded in 2018 by James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Lupa Systems and the television and production company Fremantle are AWA’s two lead investors (see “Fremantle Co-Leads New Investment Round for AWA”). Before she joined Lupa Systems in 2019, Sagar led corporate development and strategy at the TV producer Endemol Shine Group and was an associate in the technology, media, and telecom division of Deutsche Bank.

“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,” Sagar said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “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.”