ITV

Category: People

  • Efficacy Worldwide onboards Ravindra Singh as GM, North

    Efficacy Worldwide onboards Ravindra Singh as GM, North

    Mumbai: Integrated marketing communication agency Efficacy Worldwide has brought Ravindra Singh on board as general manager, North.

    In his new role, Singh will be responsible for new business development and client servicing across clients in the North region, said the company in a statement.

    Singh has a rich work experience of more than 14 years in building brands, brand strategy, client servicing, and business development. He has worked with leading media agencies including Havas Media Group, Madison Media. Before joining Efficacy, he was the business director – audience planning at Havas Media.

    “I am extremely excited to have Ravindra on board,” stated Efficacy Worldwide CEO Vishnu Sharma. “He brings with him the expertise of managing 360-degree media and his ability to drive innovations in new media. With him on board, we are looking forward to stupendous growth in our business.”

    During his career span, Singh handled media marketing for various brands across categories and has been instrumental in accelerating the business growth of clients. His experience of working on diverse clients like Reckitt and Benckiser, Britannia, Airtel, Hyundai, VLCC, Kohler, Patanjali, LG, Michelin Tyres, Sleepwell Mattress, DS Group, FMC India, Daawat Basmati Rice, Halonix Lighting, Swarovski, Tinder, OkCupid, Seedworks, Lal Path Lab, Schneider Electric, among others gives him an edge in business development.

    “I am delighted to be part of the Efficacy Team and leading the business development and client servicing. We are looking to forge new alliances and relationships across categories and segments,” said Ravindra Singh. “Today brands are looking for 360-degree media planning spanning across external and internal platforms. We are best suited to provide the brands niche as well as large scale marketing solutions.”

  • Vishal Nicholas to lead strategy for Dentsu Impact

    Vishal Nicholas to lead strategy for Dentsu Impact

    Mumbai: dentsuMB (formerly Dentsu India) planning and strategy head Vishal Nicholas will now also lead strategy for Dentsu Impact, a dentsuMB company.  Under this expanded mandate, Nicholas will manage planning & strategy – South, Mumbai, and Delhi for both the agencies. He will continue to report to dentsuMB Group CEO Sidharth Rao.

    Armed with 16 years of experience, Nicholas has had stints at Lowe Lintas and McCann where he worked on Flipkart, Tata Tea’s JaagoRe platform, Myntra, TVS Motors, ITC Aashirvaad, and Britannia. He is a multiple EFFIE award winner across the India and APAC regions, said the agency on Monday.

    Speaking on the elevation, Sidharth Rao said, “As we continue to strengthen and reshape our creative offering in the Indian market, we needed a planning leader who has experience with both traditional and new-age businesses; and Vishal was the obvious choice to steer the strategy product for both dentsuMB and Dentsu Impact.”

    Vishal Nicholas added, “Ever since I joined dentsu, I’ve always been excited about the Eastern approach to building brands with simplicity and second-order thinking at its core. With dentsuMB, the combination of the East and West make it even more compelling. And with Dentsu Impact’s fantastic roster of clients, I look forward to achieving greater business outcomes for them.”

    For the record, Dentsu Impact and dentsuMB are part of the dentsuMB Group in India that also houses the agencies Dentsu Webchutney, Dentsu One, and Taproot Dentsu.

  • Madhav Sheth named president of int’l business group at realme

    Madhav Sheth named president of int’l business group at realme

    Mumbai: Technology brand realme has elevated realme VP and realme India, Europe and Latin America CEO Madhav Sheth to the position of VP of the international business unit. With this promotion, Sheth’s new designation would now be realme India CEO, realme VP and realme international business group VP.

    Sheth will be fully responsible for realme’s overseas business operation, reporting directly to realme founder ad CEO Sky Li. Helmed by his strategic vision and keen market acumen, realme will bring leap-forward technology and trendsetting design to the consumers in global regions. He will be fully responsible for realme’s business operations in Africa, Asia Pacific (excluding mainland China), Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and Western Europe, said the brand in a statement.

    “Madhav has made tremendous contributions to the development of realme’s overseas business in the past,” said Sky Li. “We fully believe that in the future, Madhav will lead realme to make new breakthroughs and bring realme’s products with leap-forward technologies and trend-setting designs to more young people around the world.”

    realme was co-founded in 2018 by Madhav Sheth and Sky Li. A brand born in India, realme is spread to 61 markets worldwide. During his tenure as CEO of realme India and Europe, Sheth has led the team to continually increase realme’s presence in the Indian and European markets. The elevation marks a significant milestone with Sheth emerging as the first Indian Global CEO in the smartphone industry, hailing from India to the world, said the statement.

  • Madison Media wins media mandate for Obeetee

    Madison Media wins media mandate for Obeetee

    MUMBAI: Madison Media has been appointed as the Media AOR for the online carpet store, Obeetee. The Agency will manage the entire media gambit for the client including TV, print, radio, OOH, digital, and cinema. The account will be handled by Madison Media Alpha based out of Mumbai.

    Founded in 1920, Obeetee claims to be the largest handmade rug maker in India. The company is a leading producer and exporter of exquisite hand-knotted, hand-tufted, and flatwoven carpets.

    Obeetee CEO Angelique Dhama said, “Carpets as a category is not so well established in India. At Obeetee, our aim is to become synonymous with the category itself. With our 100-year-old legacy and top-notch products, we are confident of being an integral part of Indian homes in the days to come. I am very pleased to have Madison Media backing our aspirations and walking the path to success with us.”

    “Carpet/rugs category intent has gone up 120 per cent due to the pandemic as people are spending more time at home. This is the right time for Obeetee to make a consumer buying journey seamless across online and offline touchpoints. We are confident that our digital-first and outcome-driven omnichannel approach will help Obeetee surpass industry growth,” said Madison Digital & Madison Media Alpha CEO Vishal Chinchankar.

  • Web Werks appoints Durgesh Pandey as chief finance officer

    Web Werks appoints Durgesh Pandey as chief finance officer

    Mumbai: Data center provider Web Werks has announced the appointment of Durgesh Pandey as chief finance officer (CFO).

    In his new role, Pandey will be responsible for the management of all financial processes in India for all the legal entities, partnering in the formulation of the overall organisation strategy & facilitating business growth. He will be a pivotal member of the senior management team, said the company in a statement.

    “I believe that his flawless credentials, extensive skill and proven track record will help drive our vision,” stated Web Werks India founder and CEOikhil Rathi. “I strongly believe that under Durgesh’s leadership, we will be able to extend our services to a wider range of customers.”

    With 18 years of enriched work experience in financial and business strategy planning, Pandey has been previously associated with Nxtra Data Ltd (data center arm of Bharti Airtel Ltd) over the past three years. His expertise in performance analysis of actual with target, preparation of long-range plan including annual operating plan will drive business heads in various business-sensitive and strategic projects.

    “I am both honoured and excited with the prospect of joining Web Werks,” said Pandey. “I look forward to furthering Web Werks’ mission of contributing to the digital economy by cultivating a seamlessly interconnected ecosystem of the world’s leading businesses.”

  • Wunderman Thompson South Asia elevates Tarun Rai to ED, strategic initiatives, APAC

    Wunderman Thompson South Asia elevates Tarun Rai to ED, strategic initiatives, APAC

    Mumbai: After an illustrious 25 years in advertising in India, Wunderman Thompson South Asia chairman and group CEO Tarun Rai will move into a new role as executive director (ED) – strategic initiatives, APAC, effective 1 January 2022.

    Rai will report directly to Wunderman Thompson international CEO Ewen Sturgeon. Details on Rai’s successor will be announced shortly, said the agency.

    In the seven years as chairman and CEO, Rai has successfully steered the company through significant changes at an organisational and cultural level – most recently leading the successful and seamless transition to Wunderman Thompson.

    “We would like to thank Tarun for his leadership and efforts as group CEO of South Asia, and are pleased that Tarun will continue his strategic guidance and support for the agency as he moves on to serve as our APAC executive director of strategic initiatives,” said Ewen Sturgeon.

    Previously with JWT, Rai returned to the agency in 2015 after a long stint in media, and quickly put the company back on an aggressive growth path, diversifying the organisation’s capabilities to better serve clients, many of whom have been partners for a long time and remain so. He built an excellent leadership team and has fostered a culture of collaboration across the various group companies. Throughout the pandemic, he has led the organisation with sensitivity and empathy without compromising on the quality of the work, said the cocompany

    “The last seven years have been very exciting and rewarding. The unprecedented changes in these years required nimble leadership,” said Rai. “I also had the opportunity to lead the transition to our new company, Wunderman Thompson, which has a powerful mix of creativity and technology. I am extremely proud of our people and of our leadership team for their fantastic work through these years. We partner with some of the best clients in the industry and I value their friendship and support. I now look forward to stepping into my new role in an expanded geography.”

  • Navnit Nakra to spearhead OnePlus India operations

    Navnit Nakra to spearhead OnePlus India operations

    Mumbai: Global technology brand OnePlus has elevated its vice president, chief strategy officer, and head of sales in India, Navnit Nakra, to the role of OnePlus India CEO and head of the brand for India region.

    As part of this new senior leadership role, Nakra will spearhead the company’s business operations and overall strategy for the India region, said the statement.

    “Navnit has successfully led the strategy and sales operations at OnePlus India, and our team has gained immense growth under his leadership,” stated Oppo chief product officer and OnePlus founder Pete Lau. “India continues to be an important market for OnePlus, and we continue to focus on our India community’s needs as we work towards building a newer, more innovative ecosystem of products and services. Therefore, I am confident that Navnit will play a pivotal role in leading the future business operations effectively in the region.”

    Nakra’s journey with OnePlus India began in February 2020 as the vice president and chief strategy officer, wherein he drove the corporate strategy plans as well as key strategic partnerships that are vital to the India business. He went on to also oversee the sales operations of the company in the region, taking on the additional role of head of India sales over the past year.

    “Over the last eight years, OnePlus emerged as a leading technology brand for industry-first innovations. These efforts have been led by our talented and committed India workforce that embody our ‘Never Settle’ spirit towards our business in India,” said Nakra. “With the next phase of growth, I am excited for the opportunity to further drive the growth of OnePlus, as we continue to deliver the best of our flagship technology and build our affordable premium ecosystem portfolio to bring cutting-edge products to our community in India.”

  • Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal joins Unacademy’s board of directors

    Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal joins Unacademy’s board of directors

    Mumbai: Homegrown learning platform Unacademy on Thursday announced the appointment of Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal on the company’s board of directors.

    “Deepinder has been an advisor for several years and it was only a matter of time before that association transformed into a formal partnership,” stated Unacademy Group co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal. “His experience with building and scaling a successful consumer technology company will help us tremendously as we build the country’s largest learning platform.”

    Goyal is an investor in Unacademy and participated in the company’s series H fundraise in August. “I am thrilled to join the Unacademy board. I think it’s one of the best product companies being made in India, and I am looking forward to learning from Gaurav and the team,” he said.

  • Phanimohan Kalagara named new CTO at Pine Labs

    Phanimohan Kalagara named new CTO at Pine Labs

    Mumbai: Merchant commerce platform Pine Labs on Wednesday announced the appointment of Phanimohan Kalagara as its new CTO.

    Kalagara is an MS in computer science from Utah State University and has over two decades of experience working with companies in the United States and India. He has extensive experience in the field of technology having worked in e-commerce, financial technology, and the CAD/CAM industries. He also brings expertise in emerging technologies like virtual reality.

    “We have made several new appointments in the past one year to bolster our technology capabilities. I am delighted to welcome Phanimohan as the new CTO,” stated Pine Labs CEO B Amrish Rau. “Phani comes with a wealth of experience in product and engineering and is the right man to lead our technology team during this exciting phase of growth for the company. I would also like to acknowledge the role of his predecessor Sanjeev Kumar who will now move into a new role within the company and head the R&D vertical.”

    Prior to joining Pine Labs, Kalagara was with e-commerce company Flipkart where he was the SVP of product and engineering. He has also spent 12 years with global fintech company PayPal where he was leading product and engineering and spent nearly eight years in the United States working on several key assignments for the company.

    “It is not often that we get an opportunity to play a key role in a company that gets to shift the industry landscape. I have been blessed a couple of times earlier in my career to make a meaningful difference in such companies,” said Kalagara. “With Pine Labs, I see a massive opportunity to make a substantial difference to the future of merchant commerce in Asia. Looking forward to being part of this team that is set to shift the fintech landscape in Asia.”

  • Vedix ropes in Avika Gor for new digital campaign

    Vedix ropes in Avika Gor for new digital campaign

    Mumbai: Ayurvedic beauty brand Vedix has brought on board “Balika Vadhu” actor Avika Gor to launch a digital campaign for its haircare range. 

    The actor explains in the campaign film how her hectic schedule and long hours coupled with non-stop shooting schedules, ultimately impacted her hair growth. This led to a lot of hair fall problems for her because of the use of harmful chemicals. She then goes on to share how Vedix-designed customised hair care regime and ayurvedic solutions helped her get past those problems.

    “For the first time, I understood my dosha profile and the imbalances which were a result of using different hair products laden with chemicals. Since the time I have started to use Vedix hair oil, I just knew it was something special as it suited my hair & scalp perfectly,” said Gor.

    The campaign will be promoted across the customised Ayurvedic beauty & wellness brand’s social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms starting Monday.

    “With Vedix, we are bringing, trueness of 5,000 years old Ayurveda in a contemporary form,” stated Vedix business head Jatin Gujrati. “Ayurveda teaches us to customise as per individual needs. We have successfully helped lakhs of customers to break the constant trial and error cycle by providing them high efficacy products that work.”

    “Work stress, long working hours leave all of us with almost no time to care for our hair and skin. Vedix was born to help our upwardly mobile customers to arrest their hair and skin concerns without worrying about side effects which are often caused with the repeated use of chemical base cosmetics,” Gujrati further said.

    Vedix recently launched Gandusha/Kavala oil pulling oil oral detox and an all-new men’s skincare range further deepening its focus across three major categories – hair, face, and oral market segment.