Our Leadership

Sharath Cherian is the Chief Executive Officer at Play MPE®, where he leads the Company’s strategy, growth initiatives, and continued evolution as a technology platform serving the global music industry. He is an entrepreneur and media executive with more than 25 years of experience spanning digital media, music, technology, and business development.

Sharath began his career as a founder and entrepreneur, building HipHopDX into a leading music media platform and growing its audience from 2.3 million to 5 million monthly users. Through his leadership, HipHopDX became a recognized destination for music fans and industry audiences before being acquired by Warner Music Group. He later continued to support digital media growth initiatives across Warner Music Group’s portfolio, including work with properties spanning multiple genres and entertainment categories.

Prior to becoming CEO, Sharath served as a Strategic Advisor to Play MPE, conducting a comprehensive assessment of the Company’s market position, competitive landscape, and growth opportunities while advising the CEO and Board on strategic priorities. His experience building and scaling businesses in the music ecosystem provides a unique perspective on the opportunities ahead for Play MPE and its customers.

Based in Los Angeles, Sharath focuses on accelerating growth, strengthening customer value, and building innovative solutions that connect creators, curators, and the broader music industry.

Assel Mendesh, CPA, CGA, FCCA, CIA is the Chief Financial Officer at Play MPE®, where she oversees the Company’s financial strategy, reporting, governance, and full cycle accounting and finance functions. With more than 15 years of experience across public accounting, corporate finance, and public company leadership, she specializes in building scalable finance organizations that support growth, transformation, and long-term value creation.

Assel has held senior finance leadership roles across public and private equity-backed organizations, leading complex financial reporting, capital markets activities, budgeting and forecasting, audit management, and post-acquisition integration initiatives. Prior to joining Play MPE®, she served as Director of Finance at Corza Medical and previously held leadership positions at Atlas Corp., Sunesis Consulting and PwC where she helped organizations strengthen financial operations and governance, implement new systems and controls, and navigate periods of significant change and expansion.

Known for combining technical expertise with strategic business partnership, Assel works closely with executive teams and Boards to drive operational efficiency, enhance financial performance, and support informed decision-making.

Based in Vancouver, she focuses on financial stewardship, continuous improvement, and building the processes and infrastructure that enable sustainable growth.

Sergei Berenson is the Chief Technology Officer at Play MPE®, where he leads the Company’s technology strategy and oversees the development and implementation of complex solutions across Play MPE’s suite of products. He is a technology leader with more than 23 years of experience spanning software engineering, platform architecture, artificial intelligence, and product development.

Sergei began his career as a software engineer, building consumer and enterprise applications while developing expertise in scalable systems and cloud technologies. Throughout his career, he has led engineering teams and technology initiatives across fintech, media, and emerging technology sectors, helping organizations build and scale products that serve global audiences.

Prior to becoming CTO, Sergei served as Director of Engineering at Play MPE and held leadership positions at KOHO and Plenty of Fish. He is also the Co-Founder of Geenees and Elevex Group, where he provides technology and operational leadership to growing companies.

Based in Vancouver, he focuses on leveraging AI, machine learning, and modern software architecture to solve complex problems, accelerate innovation, and build technology platforms for the future.

Andrea acts as Destiny Media Technologies’ General Manager and Play MPE’s Chief Operating Officer. Her impressive track record includes co-founding a thriving business as its CEO. Andrea brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, honed through years of hands-on experience. Her exceptional capabilities in driving organizational success and alignment across Marketing, Operations, and Business Development reflects her dedication to fostering growth and synergy within the organization. Andrea’s leadership will be instrumental in propelling Play MPE to new heights of excellence in the industry.

Peter Carruthers is the Operations Manager at Play MPE®, where he oversees the Lists and Customer Success teams and manages key Canadian and Australian accounts. He is a music industry professional with over 20 years of experience spanning operations, artist development, digital marketing, and distribution.

Peter began his career as an internationally touring musician, performing across North America, Europe, the UK, and Japan, and is a Juno Award recipient for his work with Said The Whale. He later transitioned to the business side of the industry, earning an M.Sc. in Media Management from The New School in New York, where he worked with Nettwerk Music Group and AWAL, gaining experience in digital distribution and rights management.

He went on to spend seven years at Arts & Crafts as Marketing and Digital Manager, leading global campaign strategy and overseeing media buying. Based in Vancouver, he focuses on the intersection of music, media, and technology.