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Category: People

  • Mayank Jain joins CarDekho Group as CEO – new auto business

    Mayank Jain joins CarDekho Group as CEO – new auto business

    MUMBAI: Auto-tech company CarDekho has further fortified its leadership team by appointing Mayank Jain as CEO of its new auto business. He will be responsible for strengthening the organisation’s new auto offering, and deepening engagement with OEMs, dealer network and other enterprise partners. He will operate out of the company’s Gurugram office and report to CarDekho CEO & co-founder Amit Jain.

    Mayank brings in rich experience of over 18 years working in technology, media and telecom sectors in India and Internationally. Prior to this, he was the CEO of the Hindi news cluster at Network18, where he managed a cluster of seven news channels. He has held leadership roles in sales, marketing, product management and strategy in companies such as Disney Star, British Telecom, Samsung, and HT Media.

    CarDekho Group CEO & co-founder Amit Jain said, “I am delighted to welcome Mayank Jain to the CarDekho family. Mayank is a highly reputed professional in the media world and has an impressive track record of scaling businesses across varied industries. His deep customer understanding, and expertise will enable us to design and provide the best auto-tech solutions to our partner customers.”

    Mayank Jain said, “I am delighted to join the CarDekho group and have the opportunity to work with one of the best teams in the auto-tech space. Our market leading portfolio of auto portals & platforms help customers buy cars, bikes, commercial vehicles and other products and services, whilst our suite of innovative solutions & technology enables auto manufacturers and dealers to build their brands and sell more.”

    Over the years, Mayank has made an enormous contribution across different industries. In the year 2019, he received the IMPACT 40 under 40 award for achievement in Media, Marketing and Advertising industry. He is a Computer Engineer and an MBA from INSEAD, and also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from MDI Gurgaon.

  • Mercedes-Benz elevates Pradeep Srinivas as marketing head

    Mercedes-Benz elevates Pradeep Srinivas as marketing head

    MUMBAI: German premium carmaker Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday rejigged its sales and marketing unit and brought in Pradeep Srinivas as head of the marketing and customer services, replacing Amit Thete.

    Srinivas will be taking the responsibility of marketing and customer journey from 17 May, Mercedes-Benz India said in a statement.

    He was earlier helming the company’s e-commerce, data management and system functions. In his new position, he will be responsible for managing Mercedes-Benz India’s vehicle preparation centre (VPC), outbound logistics and dealer stock management, it said.

    Thete will be moving to head the sales operations, the luxury carmaker said, adding that the new role of sales operations will be a significant catalyst for Mercedes-Benz’s future growth and customer centricity.

  • Shiprocket hires Amit Bhatia as vice president – marketing

    Shiprocket hires Amit Bhatia as vice president – marketing

    NEW DELHI: Logistics start-up Shiprocket has brought on Amit Bhatia as vice president of its marketing division. He moves from BannerBuzz, where he was head of marketing.  

    Bhatia’s mandate is to increase the customer base, improve brand awareness and scale performance marketing to achieve growth.   

    In a career spanning 15 years, he has also worked with Droom, Times Internet and Interactive Avenues.   

    Shiprocket CEO and co-founder Saahil Goel said, “Shiprocket is fiercely expanding its leadership team as more businesses in India continue to join the digital bandwagon. To scale our services and drive innovation as India’s leading post-order fulfilment platform, we are pleased to welcome Amit Bhatia as our new vice president for marketing. A young, motivated professional with rich experience in marketing and a proven track record, we are confident that his analytical and strategic style of working will elevate Shiprocket towards greater heights.”  

    Bhatia said, “I am thrilled to be a part of a distinguished platform such as Shiprocket in the next phase of my career. My plans for Shiprocket a few years down the line include scaling 5X, making it a default choice for e-commerce shipping for any d2c brand, and making it the most popular and used independent shipping platform. I look forward to working closely with the team to jointly achieve these goals.”   

  • ASCI secretary-general Manisha Kapoor named VP, ICAS executive committee

    ASCI secretary-general Manisha Kapoor named VP, ICAS executive committee

    Mumbai: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) general secretary Manisha Kapoor has been appointed to the executive committee of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS). She will be one of the four vice-presidents on the executive committee. Set up by the European Advertising Standards Alliance in 2008, ICAS is a global platform of self-regulatory organisations (SROs).

    Until April this year, ASCI served on the executive committee as a member for a two-year term. Now, Kapoor will play a leadership role  on the committee till 2023.

    In her role as part of the ICAS leadership team, she will take forward the agenda of self-regulation globally. Some priority areas of ICAS for the next couple of years are:

    ●        To promote advertising self-regulation as an optimal mechanism for consumer protection

    ●        To strengthen ICAS as a global alliance

    ●        To facilitate knowledge sharing among SROs to establish best practices

    ●        To support emerging SROs across the globe

    ●        To monitor global trends in the advertising ecosystem that impact self-regulation

    ●        Work closely with established and emerging digital platforms to make the online space more transparent and fairer for consumers

    Kapoor said, “This appointment is  a recognition of ASCI’s growing global standing  and influence in the narrative of responsible advertising, as well as the importance of Indian advertising industry itself at a global level. This offers us a chance to  exchange learnings and best practices. With the Indian advertising industry evolving fast and  digitalisation boosting growth, ASCI’s leadership of  the ICAS executive committee will add  new perspectives to the agenda of responsible advertising.”

    ICAS is a globally established organisation with members comprising national and regional SROs, associations and international industry associations representing advertisers, the media and creative agencies, all working to ensure that advertising and marketing communication is legal, honest and decent.

    The three other vice-presidents are one each from Canada, the USA and the World Federation of Advertisers. The ICAS president is from the United Kingdom.

  • HUL’s Sudhir Sitapati joins Godrej Consumer Products as MD & CEO

    HUL’s Sudhir Sitapati joins Godrej Consumer Products as MD & CEO

    Mumbai: Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) today announced changes to its leadership team, effective 18 October 18 2021. Sudhir Sitapati will join GCPL as managing director and chief executive officer. Nisaba Godrej, currently the chairperson and MD of the company, will continue to serve as executive chairperson. Sitapati’s appointment will enable GCPL to leverage his significant experience in building sustainable and profitable businesses to guide the growth strategy going forward.

    During his 22 years at Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Sitapati led teams across categories and functions in India, Europe, South East Asia and Africa to create significant value for the business. He was appointed to the HUL management committee as an executive director in 2016, making him one of its youngest ever members. Under his leadership, HUL built up its foods and refreshments business as one of the largest in India. This included the $5 billion merger and integration of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare with HUL, the largest deal of its kind in the FMCG sector in India.

    Sitapati is currently the co-chair of the CII National Committee of Food Processing and is a past co-chair of the FMCG Committee. He has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a BSc in maths with economics honours from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

    Nisaba Godrej said, “I am delighted to be welcoming Sudhir to Godrej. His significant experience and passion for building sustainable and profitable brands and businesses aligns very strongly with our purpose at GCPL. Sudhir’s values-based leadership style also makes him a great fit with the Godrej culture. I look forward to his partnership in unlocking the amazing potential of our company and leading its next phase of growth.”

    Sitapati added, “I am very inspired by the legacy of the Godrej Group, and GCPL’s purpose of bringing the goodness of health and beauty to consumers across emerging markets. I am excited about working closely with the talented GCPL team to build on the incredible work they are doing and create sustainable, long-term value for our company.” 

    In his previous roles, Sitapati was instrumental in creating a world-class tea business for HUL in India and leading HUL’s Soaps business in the country. A passionate marketer, he has worked closely on internationally acclaimed purpose-led marketing campaigns for some of HUL’s most iconic brands, including Surf Excel’s ‘Dirt is Good’, Lifebuoy’s ‘Have you washed your hands with Lifebuoy?’ and Brooke Bond’s ‘Taste of Togetherness’.

  • Starcom onboards Niti Kumar as chief operating officer

    Starcom onboards Niti Kumar as chief operating officer

    NEW DELHI: Media agency Starcom has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Niti Kumar as chief operating officer. She will be responsible for client deliverables, revenue growth, and new business development across the agency’s offices.

    Kumar will report to Starcom India CEO Rathi Gangappa, and will work closely with the senior leadership at Publicis Media to consolidate businesses and drive integrated solutions.

    During her 20 years in the media and marketing industry, she has dabbled in media planning, marketing, digital communications, and media investment management, and has worked across a variety of categories like publishing, FMCG, telecom, automobiles, garments, and BFSI.

    Gangappa said, “I believe that there is immense growth potential in the market today, especially considering the shifts we are likely to see in consumer and workplace habits in a post- pandemic era. This is the right time for Starcom to recruit the right talent, drive future-focused capabilities and to grow the agency’s business through innovative and organic streams.”

    Before joining Starcom, Kumar was the senior vice president at Penguin Random House India, where she spearheaded marketing along with the digital and data initiatives of the organisation. A graduate from MICA, she has held leadership roles at GroupM (managing partner north & east at Mediacom) and Mudra Communications (office head, media, Delhi & Kolkata).

    A TEDx speaker, Kumar has closely led and managed media investments and strategy for global and local businesses like Mars Wrigley, Shell Plc, Makemytrip.com, Gillette, Amway and Reckitt Benckiser, to name a few.

     “I’ve always believed in the power of communications to influence a brand’s business impact and their relationship with consumers,” said Kumar. “Starcom has a diverse and interesting portfolio of clients, and I’m looking forward to working with them to drive more value, innovation and effectiveness for their media investments while also using the agency’s unique offerings to grow and strengthen the teams and the business.”

  • Sudhir Sitapati moves on from HUL, to be replaced by Srinandan Sundaram

    Sudhir Sitapati moves on from HUL, to be replaced by Srinandan Sundaram

    NEW DELHI: Hindustan Unilever (HUL) executive director foods and refreshment Sudhir Sitapati is moving on from the FMCG major. He will be replaced by Srinandan Sundaram, currently executive director – customer development. The appointment will be effective 1 July 2021.

    Sitapati is leaving the organisation to pursue an external opportunity.

    He joined HUL as a management trainee in 1999 and has successfully managed roles across sales and marketing. As executive director – foods and refreshment, he led the transformation of the brand’s Tea portfolio into a purpose-led category that regained market leadership and gained shares for the last three years.

    During his tenure, he also led the merger of Adityaa Milk and more recently, GSK Consumer Healthcare business into HUL, bringing iconic brands like Horlicks and Boost into the Unilever family. The Unilever Food Solutions business was also rewired and transformed into a growth engine.

    Sundaram joined HUL as a management trainee in 1999 and over the last 22 years, has had a strong track record in both customer development and marketing. In his current role, Srinandan has been at the forefront of bringing in leading-edge technology and transforming the company’s CD organisation into a high tech – high touch team. The Shikhar app, launched under his leadership, has lent a competitive edge to the business, especially during the pandemic and is the largest eb2b app in India today.

    HUL chairman & MD Sanjiv Mehta said, “I would like to thank Sudhir for his immense contributions to the company over the last two decades. We cherish iconic ad campaigns like Daag Acche Hain and Swad Apnepan Ka that were created under his leadership. He played a pivotal role in the merger of GSK CH into HUL. I wish him the very best as he embarks on a new chapter in his career. I am delighted with the appointment of Srinandan as head of foods and refreshment and I’m certain that he will take the business to the next level of performance.”

  • Ogilvy India ECD Syed Mohammed Talha Nazim passes away

    Ogilvy India ECD Syed Mohammed Talha Nazim passes away

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy India’s executive creative director Syed Mohammed Talha Nazim has succumbed to Covid2019. The news of his demise was shared by Ogilvy’s group creative director Divya Bhatia and others on professional networking platform LinkedIn.

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/divya-bhatia-1427a7146_i-lost-my-dearest-boss-this-morning-he-activity-6797379299788910592-urgD

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yash-marwah-he-him-117805b7_rest-in-peace-syed-mohammed-talha-nazim-activity-6797380608151695360-gcLi

    Nazim joined Ogilvy India in March 2020. Prior to that had a brief stint as an entrepreneur and was also the creative head at Innocean Worldwide.

    In a career spanning 21 years at Leo Burnett, Bates, McCann and Ogilvy and having worked in Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai, Nazim has been responsible for some amazing work on brands such as McDonald’s, Dutch Lady, Siemens, JSW, Exide, General Motors, Fiat, Asian Paints, Reebok, Penguin, Coca Cola and Philips, among others.

    This has resulted in over 180 metals and nominations in international and domestic award shows such as Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, Clio, LIA, Andys, Adfest, Spikes, NY Festivals, Kyoorius and Abbys.

    The Gunn Report listed his work as one of the most-awarded pieces in 2004 and 2013. In 2014, The One Show ranked him No.2 as a creative director and No.6 as a writer. His Penguin Author Audiobook campaign that he did with his ex-art partner Rohit Devgun is India’s most-awarded campaign internationally.

  • Nykaa onboards Vikas Gupta as CEO – B2B Business

    Nykaa onboards Vikas Gupta as CEO – B2B Business

    MUMBAI: Flipkart’s head of customer, marketing and digital business Vikas Gupta has joined online beauty & personal care products marketplace Nykaa as CEO of its b2b business.

    The e-commerce portal posted the development on its LinkedIn page.

    “We are delighted to welcome on board, Vikas Gupta, the new CEO of our B2B business at Nykaa. Having held leadership roles for over two decades, Vikas is an expert at building business for digital-first enterprises that are data driven and fast-evolving. We are excited to have him on the team to drive a new wave of growth at Nykaa,” read the post.

    Gupta has over two decades of leadership experience at companies such as Unilever and more recently, Flipkart, where he was the head of customer and marketing function, the company said. 

    His work over the years has won him several recognitions including 14 effectiveness awards (Effies and AMEs), 27 innovation and creative awards (16 Cannes Lions) and 10 top Unilever awards.  

    Gupta shared the news of his appointment on LinkedIn saying, “Incredibly excited to start this new journey at Nykaa. Big Thank you to the wonderful people at #Flipkart for the lasting learnings and friendships and an everlasting gratitude to my family at #Unilever #hindustanunilever as I begin this new chapter of my life.”

    At Nykaa, Gupta will be setting up the e-distribution arm that aims to become the one-stop shop for retailers across the country to source beauty and personal care products, the company said.

  • L’Oréal elevates Asmita Dubey as group chief digital officer

    L’Oréal elevates Asmita Dubey as group chief digital officer

    NEW DELHI: Beauty brand L’Oréal has elevated Asmita Dubey as chief digital officer and member of the group’s executive committee. Dubey succeeds Lubomira Rochet, who is moving on from the global cosmetics giant.

    Dubey was chief media officer for the group and chief digital officer for L’Oréal’s consumer products division. She is entrusted with the responsibility of driving the second phase of the brand’s digital transformation.

    With a background in both statistics and economics, Dubey started her career in the Indian advertising industry. Later in China, she activated campaigns for some of the world’s biggest FMCG companies. As part of the group, she laid the foundations for L’Oréal’s e-commerce acceleration in China. She built L’Oréal’s first joint-business partnerships with Alibaba and Tencent and established a broader start-up ecosystem. As chief marketing officer for China and Asia Pacific for L’Oréal, she strengthened L’Oréal’s digital footprint in the region.

    L’Oréal deputy chief executive officer – divisions Nicolas Hieronimus remarked, “Asmita is a real expert in her field and is a true strategic thinker, with a unique ability to simplify within complexity. With her long-term experience in digital marketing, trend-spotting and consumer centricity, she is the perfect choice to build the next big phase of our digital transformation.”