5X Festival has appointed Ravi Krishnan as Chairman (Non-Executive), effective immediately.  

Krishnan is a visionary business leader with over 25 years of cross-border experience developing global brands within sport, fashion, media and entertainment. He is currently Founder and Chairman of global wellness brand, Stepathlon and has previously served in a leadership capacity at various event properties; holding positions such as: Chairman (Non-Executive) X1 Racing League, Vice Chairman Rajasthan Royals (2008 champions of the Indian Premier Cricket League), Managing Director South Asian/Senior VP IMG developing the Aircel Chennai Open, Lakme Fashion Week, and the Indian Premier League.  

Inspired by both SXSW and Afropunk, 5X Festival is the largest South Asian youth event in Canada, with a unique focus on empowering young creatives, providing them the momentum they need to crossover into mainstream platforms and create global impact.

According to 5X Festival’s Executive Director, Tarun Nayar, they are positioned for exponential growth in the coming years, with Krishnan being an ideal addition to the group, to help propel this evolution.  

“Ravi’s entry into 5X has truly come along at the right time. We are at a critical point in our trajectory and he has the right connections and experience to help us garner the high level support that we really need to elevate 5X into an international brand,” explained Nayar. “Having worked on multiple global properties from the Sahara Cup, to the cricket Indian Premier League to Lakme Fashion Week, he knows what it takes to take something from an idea to a high functioning global property. I am confident that our board will benefit from his breadth of experience, insights and global perspective as we continue our evolution into a global brand and online community that champions South Asian youth culture.”

Both Nayar and Krishnan agree that South Asian culture is ready to ‘cross over’ and have a much greater influence in what is perceived as ‘mainstream’. From their point of view, it is a question of when, rather than if. With his extensive experience at the market entry level of building brands and sport, media and entertainment properties, Krishnan feels he can be catalytic in making this jump happen.  

"Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in the 'process of pioneering’. It has given me a relevant blend of strategic, commercial and execution capabilities that I seek to leverage for the benefit of the promoters and projects with whom and which I collaborate. The opportunity for 5X Festival is substantial and timely. They have laid a solid foundation for an exciting future. However, to capitalize on this opportunity requires a new mindset from "origination to facilitation". That is what I seek to instil, by bringing my experience and network to the table. I have also had the privilege of working at the junction of creative and commerce throughout my career and that requires a certain understanding of the talent’s, whether it be athletes, artists, activists or actors’, ambitions, whilst making sure that the commercial goals are juxtaposed in a win-win manner."

Nayar himself has been involved with the festival in a creative capacity since its first iterations 10 years ago, and has had massive global success with his touring band Delhi 2 Dublin. In recent years he took over the festival, rebranded it and has bold ambitions for its future.  

The festival couldn’t be more excited about the introduction of Ravi to the team, stating that his unique perspectives on the global business environment will be a valuable asset as they chart the future together.

Learn more about Ravi Krishnan, 5X Festival Chairman (Non-Executive), click here