Looking to further immerse international audiences in its brands, MTV Networks International’s emerging markets group has introduced an events division dubbed MTV Impact.

With Neil Sharma at the helm as senior director, the division covers the territories of Russia, CEE, the Middle East, Africa and India, and Sharma will handle overall management.

Sharma makes the move to London from New York, where he held the post of senior director, emerging markets and was responsible for the net’s emerging platforms business sales. With MTV Impact, Sharma and his team will be working with new and existing partners to develop and mount a range of events, with the first being a branded outdoor music festival in Gdansk, Poland this July.

The two-day Festival MTV – Gdansk Dźwiga Muzę will feature international and local artists, with an expected crowd of around 20,000 people.