ITV

Category: People

  • Oplifi appoints Pranjal Sharma as head- business development

    Oplifi appoints Pranjal Sharma as head- business development

    Mumbai: The digital media company Oplifi has appointed Pranjal Sharma as head of business development of the company. Sharma will be based out of Oplifi’s Gurgaon office.

    Sharma has a decade of experience and has worked with companies like mCanvas, The Quint, Pocket FM. His last stint was with Statiq, where he was heading the entire media business operations and client partnerships for DOOH and Digital offerings. He is an MBA postgraduate from Chitkara university and holds the Executive Business strategy degree from IIM Kozhikode. He started his career as an Audio engineer which has ingrained creativity and a sense for detail in his business development modus operandi.

    Speaking on the appointment, Oplifi co-founder Anup Kumar said, “We are thrilled to welcome Pranjal Sharma, who brings a unique blend of digital media sales expertise and a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit. This hire reflects Oplifi’s commitment to pioneering innovation and harnessing the power of entrepreneurial minds. With our new leader on board, we’re excited to drive growth and create new opportunities for our clients and partners, further solidifying our presence in the Indian market.”

    Commenting on his new role, Pranjal says, “This role is exciting, where we are building new relationships and always coming up with innovative solutions to solve business problems. Oplifi is on a rapid growth trajectory, and I am happy to be a part of this journey.”

  • Ogilvy India CCO Kainaz Karmakar to judge the One Club’s Next Creative Leaders 2023

    Ogilvy India CCO Kainaz Karmakar to judge the One Club’s Next Creative Leaders 2023

    Mumbai: The One Club for Creativity, in partnership with The 3% Movement, announced that Kainaz Karmakar, CCO at Ogilvy India in Mumbai, is among the 70 creatives from 27 countries to serve on the jury for Next Creative Leaders 2023, a free global competition recognizing women and non-binary creatives on the rise.

    Now in its ninth year, Next Creative Leaders is a free portfolio competition that identifies, celebrates, and provides a global platform to talented women and non-binary creatives who are making their mark on the world with both their work and unique points of view on creative leadership that’s changing the industry for the better.  

    The complete list of 2023 jurors can be viewed here.

    Eligible participants for NCL are those stepping into leadership roles, including copywriters, art directors, designers, ACDs, newly promoted creative and design directors with less than one year in the role, and creative teams who are doing game-changing work.

    Entries highlighting a candidate’s creativity, leadership, and unique point of view must be submitted by the December 1, 2023 deadline.  To make Next Creative Leaders as open and accessible as possible, there is no fee to enter, with a strong push for candidates to self-nominate.  Winners will be announced in February 2024.

    Along with naming global winners based on the highest jury scores, the competition also recognizes regional winners in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/Africa, and North America.  An archive of previous NCL winners, sorted by year, can be viewed here.

    Each NCL winner receives a one-year complimentary individual membership with The One Club, with opportunities to participate in future One Club awards juries, and complimentary tickets to a One Club professional development conference ($1,000+ value), panels, and mentorship events.

    Winners have their work showcased on The One Club website, promotion on both The 3% Movement and The One Club social channels, and potential opportunities to speak on the annual Next Creative Leaders panel.  The global winners also get a dedicated profile article on The One Club website.

    Branding for Next Creative Leaders 2023 was designed by Selina Kehuan Wu, an MFA candidate at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, and a Type Directors Club TDC69 competition winner.

  • Parag Milk Foods appoints Rahul Kumar Srivastava as COO

    Parag Milk Foods appoints Rahul Kumar Srivastava as COO

    Mumbai: Parag Milk Foods Ltd, a leading manufacturer and marketer of dairy-FMCG products in India proudly announces the appointment of Rahul Kumar Srivastava as the chief operating officer of the organisation. He served as the managing director of Lactalis India, a division of the world’s largest dairy conglomerate, for over a decade. Additionally, he held the position of managing director at Amul for more than ten years. With over three decades of dairy experience, he is a well-known industry veteran who has made substantial contributions to the business.

    With extensive expertise in managing significant procurement operations and a deep understanding of innovative approaches to enhance yields through close collaboration with farmers, while ensuring sustained quality, Srivastava stands as an industry leader. His presence is poised to be instrumental in Parag Milk Foods’ journey toward a new era of leadership and growth. Having been a pioneering force in establishing and maintaining organised brands within a sector primarily dominated by regional and unorganized entities, he is well-positioned to unlock the vast potential of the organized Indian market demand for Parag Milk Foods.

    In his previous roles, Srivastava has left a prominent mark with his unwavering commitment, strategic acumen, and innovative thinking. His keen insight and vast knowledge have consistently driven efficiency improvements, fortified brand sustainability, and elevated the consumer experience.

    On this development, Parag Milk Foods Ltd chairman Devendra Shah said, “Mr. Rahul Kumar’s exceptional expertise and unparalleled proficiency in the Dairy realm align perfectly with Parag Milk Foods’s vision.  His ability for blending traditional strategies with contemporary innovations is exactly what we need in these ever-evolving times. He will help in leading our strategy for profitable growth and also pursue the market opportunities associated with the dairy- FMCG sector and growing global nutrition demand. We are confident that with his leadership, the company will continue to deliver sustainable higher business growth.”

    Srivastava’s educational background is equally impressive, having earned his engineering degree from the esteemed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee. He continued his academic career after completing postgraduate studies at the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA).

  • Soch Apparels appoints Deepak Mahnot as the CMO

    Soch Apparels appoints Deepak Mahnot as the CMO

    Mumbai: Soch Apparels, the largest evening-occasion women’s ethnic wear brand, announces the appointment of Deepak Mahnot as its chief marketing officer (CMO). In his new capacity at Soch, Deepak will spearhead the brand marketing, CRM, visual merchandising, PR, and customer experience initiatives, firmly establishing Soch as a leader in the women’s ethnic wear segment in India.

    As a marketing veteran with over two decades of experience, Deepak has an impressive track record in elevating brands across diverse industries. He has played a pivotal role in bringing various path-breaking campaigns to life, some of which won top honors, including the Cannes and Effie. He is known for leveraging data analytics and insights to drive complex transformative projects and initiatives in all his previous roles in India and Dubai. Before joining Soch, Deepak served as the marketing director for Vision Express India Operations for over four years. Throughout his career, he held key leadership positions at notable organizations like Reliance Infocomm, The Mobile Store, VLCC, and Babyshop (Landmark Group, Dubai).

    “I am excited to be joining Soch at such a crucial period, as the brand gears for the next phase of exponential growth. Soch has built a fantastic legacy and is among the most loved brands, constantly evolving with the women in India today. I look forward to helping Soch take the next step forward.” shared Mahnot.

    Soch MD and CEO Vinay Chatlani said, “Deepak is a passionate marketer with diverse industry experience across various industries in retail, as well as a keen understanding of how to activate and drive the business with a strategic lens. We welcome Deepak to the Soch family, he will play a critical role in helping to shape the next chapter of Soch”

    With over 160 stores in over 60 cities across India, Soch continues to evolve and expand its presence in the ethnic wear market in India, as it has done in the past 17 years. Deepak’s leadership is anticipated to bring fresh perspectives and transformative strategies to implement initiatives that drive the growth that Soch aims to achieve in the coming years.

  • Omnicom names DDB’s Aditya Kanthy CEO of Omnicom Advertising Services in India

    Omnicom names DDB’s Aditya Kanthy CEO of Omnicom Advertising Services in India

    Mumbai: Omnicom chairman and CEO John Wren has named Aditya Kanthy as CEO of the newly formed Omnicom Advertising Services group in India. Kanthy will oversee Omnicom’s creative agencies in the region, focusing on talent, cross-agency collaboration, and innovation to drive growth in one of the company’s fastest-growing markets. The respective creative agencies within the group – DDB, BBDO and TBWA – will maintain their current branding in the Indian market.

    Omnicom Advertising Services will bring together the power of Omnicom to provide exceptional integrated solutions to meet the needs of clients in India. The group will capitalize on the top talent housed within its leading networks and work in partnership with other Omnicom agencies, such as Omnicom Media Group, to further strengthen Omnicom’s comprehensive offering in India. Omnicom recently announced the creation of large global capability centers with four campuses out of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Gurgaon.

    “This year India will become the most populous nation on the planet. It is an important growth engine for Omnicom. By centralizing the leadership of three creative powerhouses under Aditya, we will continue to build on our agencies’ strong foundations to deliver a wider breadth of capability and scale for our clients,” said Omnicom chairman and CEO John Wren. “Aditya brings deep experience to the newly created Omnicom Advertising Services, and our India operations is primed to thrive under his leadership.”

    Kanthy, currently CEO of DDB Mudra Group, began his career in Mudra in 2003 as a strategic planner, taking on various responsibilities over the years including Chief Strategy Officer, a role in which he helped shape India’s most successful independent advertising agency into an Omnicom-owned integrated marketing communications group. As the new leader of Omnicom Advertising Services India, he will further strengthen Omnicom’s presence and ensure all of our capabilities are extended to our top clients.

    Speaking about this development, Aditya Kanthy said, “Omnicom is the most creative global network in the world. Our agencies represent the enduring power of creativity to build brands and businesses. I look forward to bringing the might of the Omnicom network to clients in India and continue to attract the best creative talent in one of the most exciting markets in the world.”

  • Agrizy welcomes Karthik Sundararaman as head of growth and strategy

    Agrizy welcomes Karthik Sundararaman as head of growth and strategy

    Mumbai: Agrizy, a leading agri-tech company dedicated to revolutionizing the agri-food processing industry, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Karthik Sundararaman as its Head of Growth and Strategy. With a remarkable professional background and extensive experience in agri-food value chains, Sundararaman is set to play a pivotal role in driving Agrizy’s expansion and innovation efforts.

    Sundararaman brings a wealth of experience to his new role at Agrizy. Prior to joining the company, he held key positions at Bunge North America and Engelhart, where he demonstrated exemplary leadership and expertise. After his tenure in the United States, Sundararaman returned to India, where he joined Arya.ag as the head of strategy. He played a pivotal role in building Arya.ag’s supply chain platform from the ground up, Sundararaman is a distinguished alumnus of Dartmouth College and the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, showcasing his commitment to excellence in education and professional achievement.

    In his new role as the head of growth and strategy at Agrizy, Sundararaman will be instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic vision, fostering growth opportunities, and leveraging his extensive experience to drive innovation in the agtech sector.

    “We are delighted to welcome Karthik Sundararaman to the Agrizy team,” said Agrizy founder Vicky Dodani. “His outstanding track record and deep expertise in agri-food value chains and strategy development will be invaluable as we continue to transform the agri-food processing landscape and empower the SMEs functioning in the industry. We have no doubt that Karthik will play a pivotal role in our journey towards success.”

    Agrizy looks forward to the exciting possibilities that Sundararaman’s leadership will bring to the company.

     

  • Vivek Bhutyani joins Pocket FM as VP – content marketing

    Vivek Bhutyani joins Pocket FM as VP – content marketing

    Mumbai: Audio series platform Pocket FM has announced the appointment of Vivek Bhutyani as the VP of content marketing. With over 20 years of experience spanning across various industries, including media, telecom, retail, and edtech, Vivek brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to drive the company’s content marketing strategy and organic growth.

    Prior to Pocket FM, Vivek was as an integral part of the Vedantu leadership team. He was dedicated to driving organic growth for Vedantu, where he used to lead the entire YouTube strategy and growth, leading a diverse team of over 100 educators, master teachers, and content production teams and creators.

    Vivek Bhutyani’s entrepreneurial spirit and strong bias for action are well-evidenced by his impressive track record. He founded Lattukids, where he successfully created a unique and category-leading brand in one of the most challenging segments of the Indian Edtech industry.

    Vivek Bhutyani, in expressing his excitement and vision for his new role at Pocket FM, said, “I am truly exhilarated to join the Pocket FM team and especially excited for the 0 to 1 journey that we are undertaking on organic content marketing. I see immense potential in the serialised audio streaming space, driven by audio series and believe that we can reshape the way audiences consume content in this segment globally. Pocket FM’s commitment towards pioneering a new category with audio series, along with fostering a vibrant creator community and delivering outstanding content, aligns perfectly with my ambition to create a solid foundation for the organic growth funnels via our own content and IPs. Exciting times ahead!”

    His remarkable career journey has been characterised by his ability to build products and teams from the ground up, delivering exceptional results in terms of P&L, sales, go-to-market (GTM) strategies, digital marketing, content marketing, and content creation and distribution at a global scale.

    At Pocket FM, Vivek will work closely with co-founder & CEO Rohan Nayak and VP – International growth Lalit Gangwar to drive the international growth charter.

    Commenting on his appointment, Lalit Gangwar said, “Vivek’s experience and vision are expected to be instrumental in elevating Pocket FM’s position in the audio entertainment space. His passion for results, inclination to challenge the status quo, and proven ability to lead high-performing teams will be driving forces that align perfectly with Pocket FM’s mission to deliver high-quality, engaging audio content to audiences worldwide.”

    His educational foundation has equipped him with a strong understanding of business, marketing, and strategy. Vivek Bhutyani’s educational background includes an MBA  from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, with specialisations in Marketing, Strategy, Consumer Behavior, and Corporate Finance. He also holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) in Electronics and Communications from Nirma Institute of Technology.

  • Bobble AI appoints Ravi Shharma as its chief business officer

    Bobble AI appoints Ravi Shharma as its chief business officer

    Mumbai: Bobble AI on Friday announced the appointment of Ravi Shharma as its new chief business officer. In his capacity as chief business officer, Shharma will be responsible for driving B2B business growth for existing revenue streams – A&M (Advertising & Marketing), DaaS (Data as a Service), and  TaaS (Technology as a Service) and future streams, overseeing sales and revenue generation strategies, and exploring new market opportunities to scale revenue. He will work closely with the executive team to steer Bobble AI towards continued success and growth and report to founder & CEO Ankit Prasad.

    “We are excited to welcome Ravi to our team. His extensive work experience of around 25 years, proven track record as a sales leader with quite a few Fortune 500 companies, deeper understanding of media sales, ability & vision to scale businesses in a rapidly changing digital landscape and commitment to delivering results will undoubtedly be a great asset to our business going forward. Bobble AI has been roping in industry stalwarts to accelerate the growth and expansion plans and we are confident that Ravi’s integration into the team will strengthen that process & help us achieve new milestones,” said Prasad.

    Shharma comes with a solid reputation as a veteran sales leader with a rich and diverse background coupled with exceptional revenue growth skills while working as sales/ revenue head for many global & Indian media companies like CNN, Turner Broadcasting, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros, HBO, Gaana & Saavn in his previous stint. In his more than two decades of experience, he has contributed to an array of activities spanning evolving business strategy and value proposition, creating a multi-year business plan along with the creation of multi-geography business ecosystems.

    Having a strong understanding of the entire media landscape – from Print to TV to Digital as an industry stalwart, at Bobble AI he will be instrumental in envisioning, designing and executing impactful business development strategies aligning the company’s expansion plans, its industry vision and the impactful approach backed by exclusive consumer intelligence and artificial intelligence to bring a paradigm shift in the mobile marketing & advertising landscape.

    Shharma said, “In the last few years Bobble AI has emerged as the most impactful deep tech solution company in India by re-imagining the keyboard utility as a holistic conversation media platform that has empowered brands to engage with their millions of potential customers in a creative and non-intrusive way. Despite having worked with many global media companies for over two decades, it’s probably the first time I felt moved by the unparalleled disruptions in the mobile marketing & advertising space that Bobble AI is driving and challenging the incumbents. I am quite excited to be part of a visionary team of innovators and look forward to achieving our collective goals and driving the company’s growth.”

  • Nikunj Garg quits Times Group

    Nikunj Garg quits Times Group

    Mumbai: Nikunj Garg, who held the positions of managing editor at Mirror Now and executive editor at Times Now, has left the Times Group, and is expected to assume a senior role at NDTV.

    Garg assumed the role of editor at Mirror NOW in October 2021 and has been an integral part of the Times Network for over a decade. His specialisation includes comprehensive coverage of national and international political events.

  • RPG Group appoints Anant Goenka as vice chairman

    RPG Group appoints Anant Goenka as vice chairman

    Mumbai: RPG Group, one of India’s leading business conglomerates, announced the appointment of Anant Goenka to the position of vice chairman of the diversified group.

    In addition to his new role, Anant Goenka will continue to serve as the vice chairman of CEAT and Zensar Technologies. This move strengthens the leadership at the group headed by Harsh Goenka, ensuring stability and continuity in the long term for the group, which is acclaimed for its corporate governance and people friendly value system.

    RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka said, “Anant’s extensive experience, driving CEAT towards performance excellence over the past decade, will play a pivotal role in shaping the next wave of growth for the RPG Group. This era is defined by rapidly evolving technology and I believe Anant has the requisite skills and business instincts to herald change and make a difference in the way we adapt to technologies, markets and consumers.”

    A highly accomplished professional, Anant brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Prior to being the Vice Chairman of CEAT and Zensar technologies, Anant led CEAT as managing director & CEO through a highly transformative ten-year period.

    Under his leadership, the market capitalization of the company grew significantly by over 20 times.

    A graduate from the Wharton School and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Anant began his career in Unilever and RPG group company KEC International before joining CEAT. His leadership played a pivotal role in CEAT’s historic achievement of winning the prestigious deming grand prize making it the first tyre brand in the world to receive this coveted accolade of business excellence.

    Anant Goenka’s remarkable achievements have earned him recognition as “India’s Under 40 Business Leader” by CEO Forum in 2020, “GQ: 50 Most Influential Young Indians” in 2018, and “Next Generation Business Leader of the Year” by Forbes in 2017. He was also named among “India’s 40 under 40 Business Leaders” by the Economic Times-Spencer Stuart. He has also served as the chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA).

    Speaking on the announcement, Anant Goenka said, “It is an honour and a responsibility that I will cherish and I hope to contribute towards the growth and competitiveness of our diverse businesses. Our fundamental value system, our governance standards and our quest for happiness will remain the guardrails within which we will continue to operate.”