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Category: People

  • Vidyuth Bhandary named studio head of Dice Media

    Vidyuth Bhandary named studio head of Dice Media

    Mumbai: Strengthening its key leadership team further, Pocket Aces, a homegrown digital media entertainment company has announced the elevation of Vidyuth Bhandary to the studio head, Dice Media.

    Bhandary joined Pocket Aces in 2020 as vice president, content production and design, where he spearheaded and scaled up the company’s in-house production and post-production capabilities. In his new capacity, he will lead the expansion of Dice Media, drive strategy, P&L and OTT relationships, said the company in a statement.

    The natural progression to this larger role is a credit to his strategic leadership, successfully scaling up Pocket Aces’ content production and post-production capabilities, it added.

    “We are scaling up Dice Media to become one of the most highly acclaimed long-form studios in the country. We are working on shows across OTT platforms, genres, languages and formats – you will see Hindi dramas, regional language shows, audio shows, and very soon – movies coming from us,” said Pocket Aces co-founder and CEO Aditi Srivastav. “I am excited to see Vidyuth take up the Studio Head role and work with our excellent team to spearhead Dice Media into this next phase of growth.”

    With over two decades of deep experience in media & entertainment, Bhandary has held key leadership roles with some of the largest media conglomerates like Star India, The Times Group, Fremantlemedia Asia, Turner International India, Reliance Entertainment, and MX Player.

    “Having successfully established ourselves in the young adult segment with differentiated & unique offerings, we at Dice Media are now focused on developing larger shows with leading OTT platforms, across genres, languages, formats and borders,” stated Vidyuth Bhandary. “In parallel, we will work closely with international content companies to deliver on our promise of solving boredom by bringing the most-watched content across the world to our viewers.

  • Rajendra Gupta joins Rediffusion as chief growth officer

    Rajendra Gupta joins Rediffusion as chief growth officer

    Mumbai: Rediffusion has announced the appointment of Rajendra Gupta as chief growth officer, based at its corporate office here.

    An engineer from BHU-IT and an MBA from FMS Delhi, Gupta has been in advertising, industrial solutioning and telecom for well over 35 years. This will be his second stint at Rediffusion. He earlier worked at Rediffusion Delhi and Mumbai from 1994 to 2002. “Rediffusion is my home. I have had some of my biggest professional successes and victories here. I hope that track record remains intact and unblemished in this innings too,” said Gupta.

    Gupta will be a group resource with growth and business development responsibilities across Rediffusion, Everest, Rediffusion Healthcare, Rediffusion Direct (recently rechristened Rediffusion FutureTech), Rediffusion SmartMedia, Mogae Media and the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB), said the agency in a statement.

    Gupta had worked at Dunlop and Wipro before joining Rediffusion in the mid-’90s. He was seconded to Bharti twice by Rediffusion – first to Airtel Delhi and then to Bharti Madhya Pradesh to work as an expert implant in then growing, new company. He has also worked in telecom with Reliance for over a decade.

    In his earlier tenure at Rediffusion, Gupta was instrumental in bringing the coveted Bharti group business to the agency. He was part of the team that launched Airtel in 1995. During his previous stint, Rajendra led successful pitches to bring in Casio, Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Atlas cycles, Singer sewing machines, BPL, and many more accounts to the agency, said the statement.

    “Rajendra is special. He is also Rediffusion’s lucky mascot for new business and new horizons. He combines the aggressiveness of a good salesman with a very good understanding of technology. And over the years he has become excellent advertising professional. Such a combination of virtues and talent is rare,” stated Rediffusion managing director Sandeep Goyal.

  • Duolingo appoints Karandeep Singh Kapany as India marketing manager

    Duolingo appoints Karandeep Singh Kapany as India marketing manager

    Mumbai: Language learning app Duolingo Inc has announced the appointment of Karandeep Singh Kapany as the company’s first official representative in India. In this role, Kapany will lead growth, marketing, and operations in the Indian market.

    Prior to joining Duolingo, Kapany led marketing efforts for brands such as Tanishq, HolidayIQ, and Verse (Dailyhunt and Josh).

    As a senior management executive with over 11 years of experience across multiple industries and geographies, Kapany has experience in running independent businesses, owning sales targets, bringing new product offerings to market, and leading large multi-disciplinary teams to drive execution excellence.

    “In a country as diverse as India which has 22 official languages, 121 spoken languages and countless regional dialects, language plays a crucial role in everyday life. To some, language learning may be a step towards the future and to others, it is a way to stay connected to their roots. Whatever the reason, we are thrilled to partner with Indians in their journey to master a new language,” stated Kapany. “I look forward to my role at Duolingo and believe the growth we have seen in India thus far is only the tip of the iceberg.”

  • dentsu International appoints Alex Hesz as global chief strategy officer

    dentsu International appoints Alex Hesz as global chief strategy officer

    Mumbai: London-based dentsu International has announced the appointment of Alex Hesz as global chief strategy officer. Partnering with global CEO Wendy Clark and the dentsu international executive team, Hesz will shape and define the strategy, priorities, and long-term direction of dentsu international, aligned to dentsu Group’s strategy.

    Hesz will spearhead dentsu International’s go-to-market strategy partnering across the business to define integrated, human-centric, world-class products, services and solutions to drive growth for clients. He will join the dentsu in 2022, the agency said.

    Hesz joins dentsu from DDB Worldwide where he has been global CSO since June 2020 and group CSO of adam&eveDDB. His clients included Google, Samsung, Unilever, Mars, Lloyds Banking Group, BlackRock, and Facebook (Meta).

    “Alex’s appointment is game-changing for dentsu. He is one of the foremost strategic leaders in the industry,” stated  dentsu International global CEO Wendy Clark. “On our journey to optimising from 160 to 6 global leadership brands, this role is critical to integrate our total offering across media, CXM and creative, delivering growth and creativity for clients at the speed and efficiency demanded by the marketplace.“

    “Alex is a massively talented, driven and proven leader who is wired to understand clients’ needs and aspirations. I couldn’t feel more confident that Alex joining at this critical juncture in our transformation will bolster our realisation of being the most integrated network in the world.”

    “dentsu is uniquely placed to provide enviable modern marketing offering to deliver the work that clients truly want in the way they truly want it to be delivered. The commitments to sustainability and diversity as drivers of that success are critical parts of that shared culture, and are values sincerely held and shared by everyone I’ve been lucky enough to meet,” said Alex Hesz.

    “I can’t wait to get going at DI, to help shape the offering that today’s largest and most progressive clients are asking for, and that DI is unique in its preparedness to deliver. These are exciting times,” he added.

  • Ankit Taparia joins Yulu as head of marketing

    Ankit Taparia joins Yulu as head of marketing

    Mumbai: Electric mobility brand Yulu has brought Ankit Taparia on board as the head of marketing.

    In this role, his primary responsibilities include making Yulu synonymous with sustainable mobility and a leader in the shared mobility space, said the brand in a statement.

    Taparia brings with him a deep understanding of mobility business and experience of branding, marketing, and business delivery. He also has launched and managed more Indian auto brands. In his last assignment as deputy general manager – marketing, Taparia was the head for Mahindra Bolero.

    “Ankit joins Yulu at a pivotal phase in our growth journey when our use case has expanded significantly from moving people to now moving goods too for the last mile,” stated Yulu co-founder Amit Gupta. “He resonates with our objective of building a new age brand Yulu as a category synonym and driving a strengthened narrative around the potential of electric mobility. I am looking forward to this phase of our journey, enriched by his domain knowledge, and attitude of innovation.”

    “Yulu has a deep market understanding, business agility, technology strength, and integrated operations ecosystem needed to respond to changing mobility needs and emerging new segments, at scale. I am very excited to join this fantastic team at Yulu that is leveraging innovation and technology to make a difference to the planet, one city at a time,” Taparia said on his new role.

  • AFAA elects Srinivasan Swamy as chairman

    AFAA elects Srinivasan Swamy as chairman

    Mumbai: The Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) has elected Srinivasan Swamy as its chairman for a term of four years, at its general body meeting held on Tuesday.

    Swamy, a doyen of advertising and the chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Group, has held leadership positions in many industry bodies at a national and global level. He has been International Advertising Association (IAA) chairman and world president, Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations (CAAAA) chairman, Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) president, IAA India Chapter, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) chairman, All India Management  Association (AIMA) president, to name a few.

    “This is a privilege not just for me but for the Indian marcomm community at large. The AFAA not just hosts the prestigious AdAsia conference, but is also connected with AdStars, and runs the widely acclaimed FastTrack program where young professionals are trained and transformed in a three-day program,” said Swamy. “I look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the communications industry in Asia, as well as seeing how AFAA can work along with other global industry Associations and further the cause of professionalism.”

    India gave AFAA two distinguished Chairmen in the past – Gautam Rakshit and Pradeep Guha.

    AFAA is represented in India by the Advertising Council of India (ACI) whose members are The Advertising Club, Advertising Agencies Association of India, the India Chapter of International Advertising Association, Indian Broadcasting and Digital Association, and the Indian Society of Advertisers.

  • Sociowash elevates Surbhi Allagh to business head, Mumbai

    Sociowash elevates Surbhi Allagh to business head, Mumbai

    Mumbai: Creative digital marketing agency Sociowash has named Surbhi Allagh as its new business head for Mumbai.

    With more than half a decade’s worth of experience in the advertising industry and close to four years in the organisation, Allagh has a clear understanding of the advertising industry and Sociowash’s culture that needs to be built in Mumbai, said the agency in a statement.

    Hired as a creative lead and soon promoted as the agency’s creative director, Allagh is also an instructor at the Sociowash and is currently helping build Sociowash Studios, a new venture that is soon to be launched by the organisation.

    With 200 brands and 120 team members across both of its offices, the agency is set to expand its Mumbai team. “Surbhi joined us in February 2018 as a creative lead. While working with a team of over 50 individuals, she has built a massive pipeline of future leaders,” said Sociowash co-founder Pranav Agarwal. “She then took the challenge to set up Sociowash in Mumbai, having acquired and created a strong brand portfolio comprising names like P&G, Viacom18, UpGrad, Voot, Starbucks, Big Bazaar, Nykaa, and more.”

    Allagh has worked in a plethora of profiles ranging from programming executive to brand stylist before joining Sociowash.

    “Over the last few years, we have established ourselves as one of the go-to creative digital agencies for brands across genres and the next few years would aim at setting up a strong team in place along with accelerated growth,” said Allagh. “While the pandemic years emphasised on the need to strengthen our teams and processes across the agency, the next years would aim at further scaling the business while continuing to add value.”

  • ZebPay appoints Tarun Jain as chief financial officer

    ZebPay appoints Tarun Jain as chief financial officer

    Mumbai: Homegrown crypto-asset exchange ZebPay has announced the appointment of Tarun Jain as its chief financial officer (CFO).

    In this role, Jain will shape the strategic and long-term financial direction of ZebPay’s business. He will work closely with the leadership team to scale the organisation and its systems for the next phase of growth, said the statement.

    Some of the key focus areas for Jain include planning, implementing, and managing all financial activities of the company. In addition to business planning, he will also be responsible for budgeting, forecasting, and leading strategic business negotiations, the company stated.

    “We welcome Tarun to the ZebPay Ohana (family). We have been working very hard to democratise crypto assets and with Tarun on board, we are spearheading the growth journey,” said ZebPay Co-CEO Avinash Shekhar. “Tarun’s varied experience in different sectors brings the resilience and acumen needed to help ZebPay reach the last mile of India and make crypto-assets a common name in the households. We are looking forward to this change.”

    With more than 17 years of experience as a chartered accountant with various startups and MNCs, Jain possesses strong expertise in financial management, investor relations, fundraising, strategic planning, commercial negotiation, and risk management, the company said. Before joining ZebPay, he was working with Lithium Urban Technologies as CFP, after having succeeded in several leadership positions in organisations such as Zoomcar, Herman Miller, and Warner Bros.

    “I am looking forward to supporting the development of ZebPay’s business and its suite of industry-first products for crypto investors in India,” said Tarun Jain on his new role. “ZebPay is on a path to becoming the foremost crypto player in India and I am glad to be leading the financial and strategic direction.”

  • Anand Gandhi’s brand film for Vicks wins big at Creative Circle Gong Awards, Singapore

    Anand Gandhi’s brand film for Vicks wins big at Creative Circle Gong Awards, Singapore

    Mumbai: After a hiatus in 2020, the Creative Circle returned with the annual Gong Awards to celebrate creative excellence in advertising. The event held on Sunday in Singapore had set this year’s theme as Create/Change. Celebrated Indian filmmaker Anand Gandhi (the maker of “Ship of Theseus” and “Tumbbad”) won silver for Best Direction for his work on the Vicks – Touch of Care Campaign. The film titled “Care Lives On” is a micro biopic of Dr Dnyaneshwar Bhosale who gave his life treating children with Covid-19.

    “Dr Dnyaneshwar Bhosale dreamed of building robust, empathetic systems of care and medicine. This film is a glimpse into the vision and commitment that he had for his community,” shared Gandhi. “It’s a call to togetherness, a reminder of the debt that we as a society owe to all those who’ve perished while saving our lives. I am grateful to the people at Vicks and Publicis Singapore for getting me on board to bring this story to life.”

    Gandhi has also directed several decorated, high-impact narrative brand films. His “One In a Million” film for Vicks had previously won four Cannes Lions in 2019, the most for a single campaign from India, including a Silver Lion and three Bronze Lions for Creative Strategy, Film Craft, and Film Healthcare. It also won three silvers at Spikes Asia for direction, script, and casting in the Filmcraft category. Gandhi’s Lifebuoy ‘Help a child reach 5’ campaign won Bronze Cannes Lion in 2017 for creative effectiveness, along with the ‘Grand Prix’ in PR, and ‘Silver’ in Healthcare at Spikes Asia 2016. He has also worked with Gillette, Google, and other brand partners.

     

  • MYBYK launches ‘Let’s Unlock’ campaign with comedian Manan Desai

    MYBYK launches ‘Let’s Unlock’ campaign with comedian Manan Desai

    Mumbai: Homegrown bicycle sharing service brand MYBYK is on a mission to make our cities liveable again by providing equitable and sustainable mobility to the masses. The startup has launched ‘Let’s Unlock’ campaign with comedian Manan Desai that aims to inspire people to take action for better health.

    “The idea behind the campaign is to help commuters realise the above value proposition, i.e., unlock – health, happiness and the convenience of commute with MYBYK. Desai has been roped in to introduce and explain MYBYK and its features and the campaign will also feature short films and influencer activity to build a strong brand recall,” said the brand in a statement.

    The startup has commissioned integrated marketing agency Zero Gravity Communications for this campaign. “MYBYK is encouraging individuals to use cycling for their different daily commute needs. Having worked with the brand since its inception, we have an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour,” stated  Zero Gravity Communications founder Khushboo Sharma. “The campaign communication is designed with the approach of Info-(enter)tainment.”  

    “We believe bicycles are a great way to move around for short commutes of up to 1-2 km. For long commutes, we have partnered with Smart City Ahmedabad to set up a network of Drop & Pick bicycle stations for seamless first and last-mile connectivity,” said MYBYK founder and CEO Arjit Soni. “In a nutshell, users can ride MYBYK and go directly from their home to their destination or drop the bike at any of the BRTS hubs in Ahmedabad and similarly pick another bike to ride to their destination,” he added.