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Category: People

  • WebEngage appoints Ankur Gattani as VP, growth and marketing

    WebEngage appoints Ankur Gattani as VP, growth and marketing

    Mumbai: Full-stack marketing automation and customer data platform WebEngage on Tuesday announced the appointment of Ankur Gattani as VP, growth and marketing.

    Gattani has over 13 years of experience including as a customer, mentor, and advisor to WebEngage in his previous roles. In this role, he will be taking charge of the entire growth marketing function at Webengage to sharpen the company’s positioning as a thought leader in retention marketing and a champion of building enduring businesses, said the statement.

    “As a customer-first company, our primary focus has always been in investing towards the growth of our customers and building success for them in their journey,” said WebEngage co-founder and CEO Avlesh Singh. “Ankur’s expertise in customer success and data-driven marketing efforts along with his valuable insights is crucial for the growth of the brand. We look forward to him playing a key role in WebEngage’s next phase of growth.”

    An IITB/IIM Cal graduate, Gattani’s stint at Foodpanda Global to drive CRM efforts led to the transformation of one message-per-country regimen to 1:1 personalised messages on multiple channels across 45 countries, 20+ timezones and languages. The speed of roll-out earned his team accolades and a speaker invite from Salesforce to share the story at Dreamforce – a flagship event by Salesforce.

    He has dabbled in ideas in e-commerce and created a consumer FMCG brand as well, is a big believer in driving stories and analogies to help customers understand the brand proposition better.

    “Our company’s vision is to drive and create strategic business value for WebEngage and its customers and enable them to have a successful journey with their users,” said Gattani. “I am glad to have this opportunity and join the team to accelerate the growth with marquee brands and build user engagement with successful campaigns.”

  • dentsu International names Narayan Devanathan as chief client officer for India

    dentsu International names Narayan Devanathan as chief client officer for India

    Mumbai: dentsu international has announced the creation of a new market leadership role of chief client officer (CCO) and elevated Narayan Devanathan to this position for India. Most recently, Devanathan was dentsu Solutions CEO, dentsu India president of strategy & integration, and dentsu Creative APAC lead for strategy & consulting.

    The development is seen as a key part of the dentsu India 2.0 transformation agenda. While a CEO for dentsu India is being recruited, Devanathan will report into global CEO media and global clients and interim co-CEO for India Peter Huijboom.

    “India is a key part of the global dentsu story, and Narayan, in turn, is a key member of the India leadership team,” said Hujiboom. “As we embark on the next leg of the dentsu India 2.0 journey, he will be focusing his energy, expertise and experience in helping bring together the capabilities of 3200+ dentsu talents seamlessly to make dentsu our clients’ partner of choice. With this appointment as CCO for India, Narayan will be moving away from his other roles in India and APAC with immediate effect.”

    Devanathan will be responsible for driving a renewed focus on client-centric solutions and will partner Amit Wadhwa (Creative Service Line CEO), Divya Karani (Media Service Line CEO) and Anubhav Sonthalia (CXM Service Line CEO) to deliver the best of dentsu’s solutions across the spectrum of business challenges that clients face in an ever-changing world while making our business easier to navigate for our clients.

    “Through relentless customer-centricity, outcome-driving solutions and next practice consulting, our aim for dentsu India 2.0 is not just to transform ourselves but to transform our clients’ business – sustainably, for good,” stated Devanathan. “To this end, we will deploy the power of creativity, a consummate understanding of people and data, and keep our eye on the only prize that matters: meaningful progress for our clients, their customers, and society.”

  • Brillon appoints Lodestar UM as media AOR

    Brillon appoints Lodestar UM as media AOR

    MUMBAI: Brillon Consumer Products Ltd, formerly SC Johnson Pvt Ltd, a manufacturer of household consumer products has appointed IPG Mediabrands owned Lodestar UM as its media agency on record in India.

    The decision comes on the heels of a multi-agency, multi-phased pitch process. The account will be managed out of the agency’s Gurugram office.

    Brillon Consumer Products is the joint venture in India between SC Johnson Pvt Ltd and Bansk Group, a private equity firm, to manage the business operations in the country. The company owns pest control products – All Out and Baygon, Mr Muscle range of cleaning products, Dranex Drain Cleaner, Kiwi Shoe Polish, Glade Air Freshener among others.

    The task includes both offline and online media mandates, including e-commerce.

    Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias said, “Over the years, Lodestar UM has emerged as the most trusted agency partner for its clients, creating customised media solutions that are backed by industry’s most sophisticated media solutions, research and, tools. Despite the pandemic and the market condition, we have been driving the best business solutions for our clients. The trust, that Brillon has bestowed upon us is a testimony that we are on the right path.”

    Lodestar UM COO Hema Malik added, “Our primary task is to scale up the iconic brands of Brillon and find newer markets for the lesser-known brands. We are delighted to add Brillon to our portfolio of clients and looking forward to offering the most sophisticated, strategic, technology-led media solutions for them.”

  • Srinivasan K Swamy inducted as trustee in STACA Trust

    Srinivasan K Swamy inducted as trustee in STACA Trust

    Mumbai: RK Swamy Hansa Group chairman and a leader in the marcom industry,  Srinivasan K Swamy was inducted as trustee in the Standing Committee on Advertising (STACA) Trust meeting held recently. STACA is the apex body whose operating arm is the Advertising Council of India (ACI).

    ACI is well-known in the advertising world as the organisation which had organised AdAsia in Jaipur 2003 and in New Delhi in 2011. It also sponsors young industry professionals for self-development in the widely acclaimed ‘fast-track’ program of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    “Srinivasan Swamy is a well-known advertising leader who had been associated with various prestigious industry associations globally – world president of the New York-based International Advertising Association (the first Indian to hold this position), President of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), President of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), Chairman of Advertising Standards Council of India, Vice Chairman of Asian Federation of Advertising Agencies, to mention a few,” said STACA Trust chairman Ramesh Narayan. “Mr Swamy’s grasp of industry matters and his enthusiasm for exploring new frontiers will go a long way in promoting the cause of the marcom space through STACA Trust and ACI.”

    STACA Trust was set up in 1981 as a public charitable trust. Its main objective is to impart education in advertising, marketing, and allied subjects. Besides, the trust organises various activities to promote growth & development of advertising and marketing and to promote better understanding amongst all the constituents in the field of advertising.

    “It’s an honour for me to be inducted as STACA trustee. I will do my best for this position and match the stature of some of the earlier trustees – Pradeep Guha, Gautam Rakshit, Dr Ram Tarneja, etc, and guide to upgrade the skills of advertising professionals so that our young people match the best in the world and bring laurels to our industry as well as the country,” Swamy stated. “My main emphasis will be on public service communication, which is the need of the hour and I look forward to supporting from media houses for these societal issues. It is important to activate ACI as the platform for all major industry bodies, which it is.”

  • Kaizzen onboards Rakschit Bhardwaj as digital head

    Kaizzen onboards Rakschit Bhardwaj as digital head

    Mumbai: Independent integrated communication and marketing agency Kaizzen has strengthened its digital operations and brought on board Rakschit Bhardwaj as head of digital. 

    He will lead full-service digital offerings and help the new and existing clients transform their digital processes, integrated strategies, brand building, and ROI-driven marketing, MarTech, and experiential services, said the company in a statement.

    “We are happy to have someone of Rakschit’s caliber joining us. His rich experience in handling digital and creative services for leading brands will help strengthen our services and team,” said Kaizzen CEO Vineet Handa. “For Kaizzen, digital is a sunrise market, and we see this as a great opportunity to provide best-in-class services.”

    Bhardwaj comes with a rich and vast experience of over 18 years in driving digital transformation for brands and creative strategies across the region. His expertise in handling technology, startup, FMCG, and telecom will play a key role in growing operations. He also comes with a girth of experience in leading specific market operations roles and building teams.  

    “I am excited to join Kaizzen, a fast-growing, award-winning integrated communication and marketing firm to build the digital footprint across India and the international market. My sincere thanks to Vineet for believing in my capabilities and for having me as part of his team. I look forward to bringing in my learnings to help accelerate Kaizzen’s growth in India,” said Bhardwaj.

    Bhardwaj has been a part of the leadership and worked with mid and large advertising agencies and corporates including Rediffusion Y&R, DDB Mudra, McCann, Havas Media, TUI, Select Group, and more in the past. Currently based in New Delhi, he has vast experience in managing brands from India, the US, Germany, and Singapore.

  • Mahesh Kanchan takes charge as FieldFresh Foods CEO

    Mahesh Kanchan takes charge as FieldFresh Foods CEO

    Mumbai: FieldFresh Foods, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises & Del Monte Pacific Ltd, on Monday announced the elevation of Mahesh Kanchan to the role of chief executive officer (CEO), with effect from 1 October.  

    In his new role, Kanchan will be focusing on further strengthening the Del Monte brand, the product portfolio, and the distribution network to cater to the emerging needs of the consumer, said the company in a statement. 

    “On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to congratulate Mahesh on his elevation and wish him the very best for his new role. I am confident that under his leadership FieldFresh Foods will prosper into a leading next-generation consumer products company,” said Bharti Enterprises vice-chairman and FieldFresh Foods chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal.

    Kanchan, who previously served as chief commercial officer with FieldFresh Foods, takes over from Yogesh Bellani who has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the company.

    “I would like to thank Yogesh for his exceptional leadership over the past one decade and for building a strong foundation for the next phase of our growth journey. Most importantly, under his leadership, Del Monte has become a household name in India,” Mittal further said.

    Kanchan, who has over two decades of experience in the FMCG space, joined FieldFresh Foods in 2020. He has played a pivotal role in creating growth opportunities for the Del Monte brand in the B2C segment as well as navigating the business during the pandemic. 

  • AAAI re-elects Anupriya Acharya as president for second term

    AAAI re-elects Anupriya Acharya as president for second term

    Mumbai: Publicis Groupe CEO- South Asia Anupriya Acharya has been re-elected as president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for the year 2021-22 at the AAAI’s annual general body meeting held on 30 September.  

    Group M Media India CEO Prasanth Kumar was re-elected as vice-president of the association.

    Other elected members of the executive committee include Rana Barua (Havas Worldwide India), Mohit Joshi (Havas Media India), Kunal Lalani (Crayons Advertising), Rohan Mehta (Kinnect Media), Vivek Srivastava (Innocean Worldwide Communication).

    Immediate past president Ashish Bhasin will be the ex-officio member of the new AAAI executive committee, the association said in a statement.

    “It’s a privilege to be re-elected for another term as the president of AAAI and I thank all the AAAI members for placing their trust in me and for their strong support,” Acharya said. “This past one year, given the pandemic backdrop, our key priority has been to assist our members in navigating the challenging times. Our executive committee has been steadfast on this and despite virtual meetings, it made tremendous progress.”

    She shared that AAAI has also taken multiple initiatives to pivot to the new normal, make the association future-ready and drive inclusivity.

    “In fact, I am delighted to share that beyond creative and media, now digital agencies too are taking keen interest and are becoming full-fledged members of the Association. With the markets opening up, the EC and I look forward to driving these initiatives further,” Acharya further added.

    Formed in 1945, the AAAI is a not-for-profit industry-led and industry-managed trade association of advertising agencies. The association’s members include a large number of small, medium, and large-sized agencies, who together account for almost 80 per cent of the advertising business placed in the country.

  • BC Web Wise appoints Kimline D’Souza as creative director

    BC Web Wise appoints Kimline D’Souza as creative director

    Mumbai: Independent digital marketing agency BC Web Wise has appointed Kimline D’Souza as creative director. 

    She will be responsible for building the creative brand campaigns that are closely aligned to the new-age audiences across digital platforms for the digital-first agency, said the statement.

    “Kimline has a bubbly enthusiasm with a pulse on the ever-evolving & expansive opportunities in new, trending, and untapped digital formats,” said BC Web Wise founder and MD Chaaya Baradhwaaj. “With a very strong exposure to female communities in marketing as well, Kimline will add to our strengths as we take on the next phase of growth at BC Web Wise.”

    D’Souza has been part of the advertising world for the last 14 years. She began her career journey at RK Swamy BBDO then moved to Ogilvy after which she went to DDB Mudra and then joined IdeateLabs. She has worked with a gamut of brands across FMCG, healthcare, banking, travel and tourism including Johnson’s Baby, Clean and Clear, Stayfree, Bournivita Lil’ Champs, Phillips, Listerine, Aveeno Baby, Cordelia cruises, Hafele, Abbott, UTI Mutual Funds, Pfizer, and Wipro lighting.

    “I am happy to be the new fish in the pond and looking forward to creating work that sparks up meaningful conversations,” stated D’Souza. ‘This year has been all about creating positive vibes for the brand through stories that connect. The digital audience is highly self-aware and is hungry for brands who understand their journey and life choices.”

    “Kimline is the new-age creative director who understands the mix of platform and craft to build insightful campaigns. Having her on board will strengthen our creative capabilities, excite our teams to take on new challenges, and will drive innovative and integrated solutions to our clients,” said BC Web Wise chief creative officer Dinesh Swamy.

  • Impresario appoints Roshni Kavinam as national creative head

    Impresario appoints Roshni Kavinam as national creative head

    Mumbai: Impresario Handmade Restaurants (IHR) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Roshni Kavina as its national creative head.

    In this role, She will oversee all daily communications and engagements along with launches and will work closely with the respective teams in developing and streamlining all brands further across Impresario towards further consumer love and growth, said the company in a statement.

    She will be responsible for leading creative brand development and brand building across Impresario brands including Social, Smoke House Deli, Salt Water Cafe, Souffle S’il Vous Plait, and several cloud kitchen brands like Boss Burger, Hung-Li, Lucknowee, and Goodness To Go, it added.

    “A new-age creative thinker equally adept at traditional and non-traditional media, Roshni is just the talent to lead the creative teams at Impresario,” said IHR CEO and MD Riyaaz Amlani. “We are confident that she will use her expertise in design and storytelling in driving growth across the brand and deepening Impresario’s connection with its customers.”

    In a career spanning over 16 years in advertising, Kavina has been instrumental in building effective brands across categories and has extensively worked on creating film, online, print, and on-ground assets; from strategic stages to final executions.

    Prior to this appointment, Kavina was associated with Publicis Ambience as executive creative director wherein in a span of six years she created a team that specialised in design. She has also been an integral part of developing and co-designing the new Publicis Mumbai office by partnering with the team of architects assigned for the job. She has also been associated with BBH India and Saatchi & Saatchi in past stints. Her work has gotten her many accolades such as Cannes, One Show, Adfest, Abby, Goa Fest, Outdoor Awards, Effie.

    “The moment I spoke to Riyaaz I knew Impresario was the right fit for me. I wanted to focus on engagement ideas lead by great design and Impresario gives me the opportunity to do just that and a lot more,” said Kavina. “Being a total foodie – Social, Smoke House Deli, Salt Water Cafe, Mocha among others have been a part of my life pretty much since their launch, and it is an absolute pleasure getting to know what goes on behind-the-scenes of these iconic brands and teaming up to help them reach their absolute pinnacle of success.”

  • Mindshare appoints Gopa Menon as digital head, South Asia

    Mindshare appoints Gopa Menon as digital head, South Asia

    Mumbai: GroupM’s flagship agency Mindshare India on Tuesday announced the appointment of Gopa Menon as digital head, South Asia. 

    In this role, Menon will be responsible for managing the agency’s full-service digital offerings and help existing and new clients transform their digital processes, digital marketing strategies, brand building, and ROI-driven marketing outcomes, said the statement.

    He will be based out of Gurgaon and will report to Mindshare South Asia chief operating officer Amin Lakhani, it added.

    “Gopa brings with him in-depth knowledge and diverse digital expertise,” said Lakhani, welcoming Menon on board. “We are confident that Gopa will play a pivotal role as we accompany our clients in elevating business outcomes through our unique addressable media stack.”

    Menon comes with a rich and vast experience of close to 18 years in driving digital transformation for brands across the region.

    “With the digital growth and evolution today, there are a lot of opportunities in store for brands to explore and accordingly revamp their digital tactics,” said Menon on his new role. “I am incredibly thrilled & happy to be part of the Mindshare & the purple family, it’s sort of home coming for me.”