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Category: People

  • Wavemaker India names Vishal Jacob as chief transformation officer

    Wavemaker India names Vishal Jacob as chief transformation officer

    Mumbai: GroupM’s media agency Wavemaker India on Tuesday announced Vishal Jacob as the chief transformation officer. Vishal will take on the additional responsibility in addition to his existing role as chief digital officer.

    In this extended role, Vishal will work with office heads and business leaders to structure and create diverse skill sets within business teams to manage current and future business requirements. He will also work along with practice leads to break silos and create more cross-functional teams to deliver unified solutions to clients, one of Wavemaker’s key focus areas. Vishal will also work on strengthening existing capabilities beyond digital and incubating new ones that will make Wavemaker’s future ready for the challenges.

    Wavemaker South Asia CEO Ajay Gupte said, “The environment around us is rapidly changing, and we need to continuously upskill ourselves to lead this change so that we continue to provide unique and innovative solutions for our clients. With Vishal taking over the additional responsibility of transformation, we will be better placed to craft customised strategic initiatives, particularly related to digitalization and driving company culture.”

    Speaking on this new role, Vishal Jacob said, “Consumer behaviour and the media landscape are forever evolving. Embracing these changes through a culture of agility becomes critical for success. Driving this transformation at an organisational level is highly challenging yet very exciting, and I am looking forward to it.”

    Vishal started his digital journey with GroupM in 2005. He has led and assisted clients across industries (auto, FMCG, telco, media, and retail) in their digital transformation journey, hinging it on creating a connected ecosystem of paid, owned, and earned properties. Vishal has also authored a book called “Connecting with Yourself: Why we Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do.” He is a certified coach from ICF with further specialisation in transactional analysis and NLP, and he continues to nurture and coach talent to prepare them for leadership roles.

  • Cashify appoints Subodh Garg as its first chief financial officer

    Cashify appoints Subodh Garg as its first chief financial officer

    Mumbai: Homegrown re-commerce marketplace, Cashify has appointed Subodh Garg as its first chief financial officer. The appointment of the new CFO would be a step toward preparing for the company’s continued focus on sustainable growth, it said in a statement.

    In his new role as CFO, Subodh will lead the company’s long-term profitable growth and strategy and ensure financial readiness. With Cashify working aggressively, the appointment of Subodh to the team will strengthen the growth story and further assist in expanding into new, untouched territories.

    With more than two decades of experience in the financial sector, Subodh Garg joins Cashify as a veteran with strong business acumen. Prior to this, he held the position of CFO at Pickrr and other leadership positions with startups such as Bulbul and Healthkart. Before venturing into the world of startups, Subodh garnered a rich, diversified experience of 20 years in various industries such as insurance, BPO, service, and manufacturing.

    Speaking about the appointment, Cashify co-founder & CEO Mandeep Manocha said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Subodh into the Cashify family. His proven expertise in leadership and commercial judgement is crucial for us at this juncture. The extensive experience and knowledge that he brings in after working with various industries will definitely help Cashify flourish sustainably in the current scenario.”

    “I’m extremely delighted to be a part of the Cashify team. The current growth trajectory of Cashify is pretty exciting, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the team and contributing towards strengthening Cashify as a sustainable and profitable business model, ” said Subodh Garg.

  • Mindshare onboards Mausami Prasad as national head of strategy & insights

    Mindshare onboards Mausami Prasad as national head of strategy & insights

    Mumbai: Mindshare India, the flagship agency from GroupM, announced the appointment of Mausami Prasad as national head – strategy & insights. Mausami will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Mindshare South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani.

    With over 22 years of experience in crafting strategy, Mausami has been passionate about knowing consumers, their behaviour, concerns, aspirations, and everything in between to help craft growth strategies for brands. Mausami has worked on both sides of the table – getting sharp insights at Colgate and Future Retail and doing cutting-edge work at Indica and Kantar. In her last stint at Kantar, she was leading the Unilever relationship for India and was a SPOC for South Asia.

    Mindshare South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani said, “We are glad to have someone as experienced as Mausami on our team. Today, our clients are focusing on integrated strategies to grow their businesses. The expertise Mausami brings to Mindshare will allow us to continue to support clients by crafting insight-driven approaches. I am certain that Mausami will play a pivotal role in the brand transformation journey for our clients.”

     “I believe in earning the leadership that I have been entrusted with and would love to create winning journeys with my team,” said Mausami Prasad. “I am excited to join Mindshare, an industry leader in shaping creative strategies for its brands and clients to help them achieve their goals. I am thrilled about this opportunity, and I would like to thank the team for believing in me. I look forward to contributing to Mindshare’s ‘good growth’ journey by creating exclusive strategies for our clients,” she added further.

  • Niva Bupa signs Leo Burnett as its advertising agency

    Niva Bupa signs Leo Burnett as its advertising agency

    New Delhi: Niva Bupa Health Insurance, formerly known as Max Bupa Health Insurance, has signed Leo Burnett as its advertising agency partner. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

    Niva Bupa is on a mission to democratise health insurance to make quality healthcare accessible for the masses. The company intends to bring a fresh perspective to the health insurance category by enabling consumers to live a carefree life, without worrying about the financial constraints related to hospitalisation. This partnership with Leo Burnett will aid the brand in fulfilling its vision of creating ground-breaking work to give people more control over their health and well-being.

    Speaking of this collaboration, Niva Bupa Health Insurance senior vice president and head of marketing Nimish Agrawal said, “At Niva Bupa, we are evangelizing insurance for freedom and not constraints and the brand philosophy around claiming life captures the brand mission. There is a massive need to simplify the category and lift the category narrative to be more positive and empowering. During our interaction, we found the approach of Leo Burnett to be bold yet extremely intuitive and in line with our vision for the brand and are delighted to partner with them.”

    BBH India chairman and Leo Burnett South Asia chief executive officer Dheeraj Sinha said, “Health insurance category has come into sharp focus owing to the pandemic. Niva Bupa being one of the leaders in this segment offers some of the most comprehensive products making health insurance more accessible to all. We look forward to partnering with them to enhance consumer understanding about the benefits of health insurance using data, technology and creativity; encouraging everyone to take a health-first approach.”

    Adding further, Leo Burnett head of North Samir Gangahar said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to create a conversation around a category that has immense growth potential. The brand needs a strong communication plan that addresses its business problems backed by new age thinking and creative solutions. We are looking forward to working together with the team.”

  • Partha Sinha re-elected as The Advertising Club president

    Partha Sinha re-elected as The Advertising Club president

    Mumbai: The advertising, marketing and media industry’s apex body – The Advertising Club has announced the managing committee for the current fiscal at its 68th annual general meeting. Bennett, Coleman & Co., president – response Partha Sinha has been re-elected to lead the body.   

    “I am honoured to be re-elected as the president of The Advertising Club,” said The Advertising Club president Partha Sinha, speaking about the appointment. “In spite of being extraordinarily challenging, the last 24 months of the pandemic allowed us to innovate and deliver some of the most impactful engagement initiatives.”

    “From the first-ever online edition of the Effie awards that created a new benchmark for virtual events and the in-person emvies that was attended by 1,000 media enthusiasts, to raising the bar on Abby’s awards by associating with the One Show and collaborating with the United Nations on Unstereotype Alliance – the team exemplified excellence with each activity. I am thankful to the team we’ve worked with and look forward to working closely with them again to take The Advertising Club to newer heights,” he further added.

    The office bearers of The Advertising Club for 2022-2023 are president, Partha Sinha, vice president Rana Barua, secretary Shashi Sinha, joint secretary Mitrajit Bhattacharya and treasurer Dr Bhaskar Das.

    Managing committee members include Prasanth Kumar, Vikram Sakhuja, Ajay Kakar, Debabrata Mukherjee, Rahul Johri, Aditya Swamy and Manasi Narasimhan. In addition, the co-opted industry professionals include: Punitha Arumugam, Sonia Huria, and Pradeep Dwivedi

    The list of leaders who will continue to bring value to TAC through their expertise and deep understanding of the respective industry segments include Avinash Pant, Raj Nayak, Ajay Chandwani, Sapangeet Rajwant, Namrata Tata, Rathi Gangappa, Sidharth Rao, Alok Lall, Vikas Khanchandani and Malcolm Raphael. Partho Dasgupta will continue as a member of the managing committee as the immediate past president for the ensuing year, it added.

  • FoxyMoron elevates Keerthi Kumar as business head – South

    FoxyMoron elevates Keerthi Kumar as business head – South

    Mumbai: Zoo Media Network’s FoxyMoron has elevated Keerthi Kumar as business head – south. He will be responsible for leading business operations and fostering business development across the region, contributing to the overall growth of the Zoo Media conglomerate.

    Keerthi will continue to report to FoxyMoron national head of client partnerships Prachi Bali.

    In the last 16 months since joining FoxyMoron as group account director, Keerthi has grown the business by 2x while onboarding clients across sectors with multinational corporations, startups, and Indian-owned businesses alike. His current clients include AO Smith, the OTT giants Aha Tamil and Aha Telugu, new NFT brand Fancraze, Bestseller India-JDY, ProduKt & i.scenery, Wrangler, TVS Motor Company and projects with brands such as Zebronics, Arrow & Maharaja Trophy.

    Over the months, under Keerthi’s leadership, the team size has grown considerably, with key senior appointments across art, strategy, and copy being made over the past year.

    Speaking on the development, Bali said, “Keerthi has championed every curveball thrown his way, with hard work and the ability to lead a team effectively. His stellar contribution in growing the business in the market while also maintaining existing client relationships has been a big win for us. Furthermore, what we value most, being a people-first organisation, is that Keerthi leads with empathy.”

    Commenting on his new role, Keerthi added, “I am thrilled to take up the new mantle at FoxyMoron! The South is booming with legacy industries and unicorn companies alike, giving us ample scope to scale our business in the region as a network with the promise of integrated solutions. While I am looking forward to this wonderful new endeavour with FoxyMoron and Zoo Media, I am positive about nurturing a tribe of individuals whose work will define them.”

  • Publicis Groupe announces Creative Council for South Asia; onboards Rajdeepak Das as chairman

    Publicis Groupe announces Creative Council for South Asia; onboards Rajdeepak Das as chairman

    Mumbai: Publicis Groupe on Tuesday announced the appointment of Rajdeepak Das as the chairman of the Groupe’s newly launched Creative Council for South Asia.

    Leo Burnett South Asia CEO and CCO Rajdeepak Das in addition to his current role will add depth and dimension to the Groupe’s creative products. As part of the additional role, he will lead the overall creative direction, product, and thinking for the Groupe and will champion narratives that truly empower and define the next stage of Indian creativity.

    The newly launched Creative Council for South Asia will further strengthen the Groupe’s inspiring, truly remarkable creativity that transforms brands and businesses. Publicis Groupe has a rich culture and legacy of transforming brands through progressive, purposeful creativity. The council will channelise capabilities across creative, data, media, and technology to create progressive, modern, purposeful work with Publicis Groupe’s unique power of one strength.

    Publicis Groupe South Asia CEO Anupriya Acharya said, “At Publicis Groupe,  we have a tremendous roster of brands, scaled capabilities across design, experience, data and technology, the finest talent pool and the ‘Power of One.’ There is no better time than now to bring all these together and partner our clients in building truly epic work and epic brands. Rajdeepak who apart from being a dynamic and gifted creative leader, has been the force behind many famous, iconic campaigns for leading brands and has pivoted Leo Burnett India to top position among creative agencies in the country today;  he was but a natural choice for this role.”

    Speaking on his appointment, Das said, “It is an honour to lead The Creative Council for Publicis Groupe South Asia. The council will use the power of brand purpose and new-age creativity to bring a positive impact to people’s lives. The council will help pedigreed brands collaborate closely with the world-class talent of the Groupe. I can’t wait to get started and look forward to leading a power-packed council that is going to create next-generation solutions.”

    Das is an outstanding creative leader, with over 20 years of experience in building successful brands. He is a great believer in the power of modern creativity to transform human lives. From saving India’s biggest national treasure, the INS Vikrant warship, with the help of Bajaj, to being part of “Roads That Honk,” the world’s first anti-collusion road management system for Hindustan Petroleum, to developing India’s first micro-finance system, his work speaks for itself and is centred on human values.

    His movement for Whisper “Touch The Pickle” won Procter & Gamble the inaugural Cannes Glass Lions Grand Prix for breaking the menstrual taboo. More recently, Das’s work for Whisper “Keep Girls In School” won Leo Burnett India and P&G a Cannes Lions Grand Prix in sustainable development goals. The agency also won the title of ‘Creative Agency Of The Year’ at The One Show Abby Awards, Goafest ’22.

    Das has more than 100 international awards to his name, such as The One Show, D&AD, and Spikes. He was the only creative head featured in the popular Netflix series The Creative Indians Season 4.

    In his words, Das’s biggest creation till date is Apollo 11, a specialised division of Leo Burnett India or what he refers to as “The Mutant Creatives.” This is a team of hugely talented young people in their 20’s with backgrounds such as aerospace engineers, product designers, data analytics and environmental scientists, who solve brand and human problems with him. His focus is on new-age brand solutions, and he believes “Only way to predict the future is to build it yourself.”

  • Prabha Narasimhan takes over as managing director of Colgate-Palmolive India

    Prabha Narasimhan takes over as managing director of Colgate-Palmolive India

    Mumbai: After a stint of over two decades at Hindustan Unilever, Prabha Narasimhan has joined Colgate-Palmolive India as managing director. Previously, she served as an executive director at the FMCG major before moving on from the company earlier this year in May 2022. Narasimhan takes over the reins of the oral care major from Ram Raghavan, who has moved to a global role.

    Narasimhan confirmed the development through a post on LinkedIn: “Everyone deserves a future they can smile about is the core philosophy of the Colgate brand. Today, as I start my new journey with Colgate, this definitely made me smile. Over the last three months, I have had the opportunity to travel across 6 different countries and 7 offices to meet and understand this business and its people, and it has been an amazing experience. I am now excited and eager to work with the Colgate Palmolive team in India on brands that I have grown up with and a business that is an absolute powerhouse,” she wrote.

    “No post of starting would be complete however without a look back at my time with Unilever. I consider myself extremely privileged to have worked for over 2 decades in such a fabulous organisation and more importantly work with such amazing colleagues – many of whom are lifelong friends. I will continue to watch & cheer their progress. Thank you to everyone, far too many to name here, who have helped me get to this position and thanks in advance to my new Colgate colleagues who I am excited to get to know more,” she further added.

    Narasimhan joined Hindustan Unilever as a regional marketing manager in 2006. She worked her way up to become the vice president of the personal care category in 2015, before going on to become the vice president of the skin care category. In 2020, she was promoted to the position of executive director.

    In the past, she has also served a stint with the Aditya Birla Group as general manager – Strategy at Madura Garments.

  • AVOW onboards Sandeep Negi as associate director of sales, India

    AVOW onboards Sandeep Negi as associate director of sales, India

    MUMBAI: Mobile OEM user acquisition specialist, AVOW has appointed Sandeep Negi as its new associate director of sales, India. Negi will lead all of AVOW’s business development initiatives in the country as part of the company’s domestic expansion plans while positioning AVOW as a household name in the mobile OEM marketing ecosystem in the region. He will operate out of AVOW’s branch office in Bengaluru, and become its fifth member in this local office.

    Negi joins the company with 10-plus years of experience cutting across the agency, mobile, and online advertising arenas, with an extensive focus on international business development and global growth strategies. Prior to this, Negi had successful stints across some of India’s leading media companies, including Bennett Coleman and Co. (Times Group), Star TV Network (now part of Disney), and 9X Media. In his previous roles, Negi has played a pivotal role in assisting some of India’s most prominent players in the mobile app industry to access new markets & significantly scale their revenues.

    Speaking on the new appointment, AVOW co-founder Ashwin Shekhar said, “We are pleased to have Sandeep on board in the senior management team. AVOW is on a hyper-growth path in the mobile OEM marketing space. Within a short period of two years since entering the Indian market, AVOW has serviced many leading industry players such as Amazon Prime, Navi, upGrad, Byju’s, Matrimony.com, MPL, and WazirX, among many others, offering incremental user growth and engagement for their mobile apps.”

    “In line with our growth plans, we needed an experienced top management muscle to drive our expansion plans aggressively in India. Sandeep’s in-depth industry experience in business development, strategy, and strong expertise in driving growth are great value additions to AVOW and our team. He will play an important role in our efforts to educate mobile marketers and app developers about the benefits of mobile OEMs when integrated into their mobile marketing mix,” he added.

    In his new role at AVOW, Negi said, “AVOW’s one-stop solution for mobile OEM aggregation is steadily growing its presence in the mobile app ecosystem in India. Strengthening the company’s status as the most viable and lucrative advertising alternative to traditional play stores will be on top of my agenda. We are witnessing an increased interest from players within the financial, health, edutech, gaming, and m-commerce sectors in this market.”

    “Our aim will be to provide mobile app companies with a unique opportunity to access untapped mobile advertising inventory at scale and deliver a powerful consulting service by advising on how mobile marketers and app developers can best invest their marketing mix across alternative advertising channels for incremental user growth and engagement. I am delighted to be a part of AVOW’s growth trajectory in India and to be able to contribute to its mission,” he further said.

  • Bizongo names Deepanjan Chattopadhyay as vice president of Product

    Bizongo names Deepanjan Chattopadhyay as vice president of Product

    Mumbai: The tech-enabled B2B platform, Bizongo, has announced the appointment of former Freshworks director, Deepanjan Chattopadhyay as the vice president of Product. The announcement follows a series of acquisitions, including Clean Slate and Hexa, to enhance Bizongo’s tech stack.

    Deepanjan’s appointment will help bolster Bizongo’s efforts to deliver an integrated experience to its customers, enhance product offerings to digitally transform the entire supply chain for MSMEs, and drive improved business performance, said the company in a statement. In his new role, Deepanjan will oversee the product strategy and implementation with a keen emphasis on managing market-focused product development and driving innovation across Bizongo’s product roadmap.

    An accomplished veteran, Deepanjan has nearly two decades of experience in product management, development, and strategy. In his most recent role as the Product leader for Freshworks’s flagship product, Freshdesk, he leveraged his extensive knowledge of customer experience and business insights to scale the solution’s reach to thousands of businesses across the globe.

    Bizongo co-founder and chief technology and people officer Ankit Tomar said, “With his strategic leadership skills and practical, hands-on experience in product development, business management, and operations across a variety of industries, Deepanjan is a good fit for our current clientele and target markets. Bizongo has assisted Indian businesses in automating their supply chains, gaining access to working capital, and growing their customer base. As we continue to offer comparable advantages to manufacturers throughout Southeast Asia, Deepanjan will contribute to the company’s further growth with his extensive knowledge.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Deepanjan Chattopadhyay said,” I am very excited to be a part of Bizongo. I believe the company has a great business model and a talented team that positions it uniquely to capitalise on the ever-changing e-commerce space. I am hopeful that my diverse experience in envisioning, developing, and scaling products will benefit Bizongo.”

    Previously, Deepanjan has also been associated with fintech leader Highradius and supply chain software major e2open, apart from others.