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Category: People

  • iCubesWire strengthens sales leadership team with key appointments

    iCubesWire strengthens sales leadership team with key appointments

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    NEW DELHI : iCubesWire,  a leading digital marketing company in India offering 360-degree  integrated marketing solutions, recently appointed Priyanka Iyer as group head – south at its Bengaluru office, and Abhronil Roy as group head – east at the Kolkata office.     

    Iyer, backed with a professional experience of over eleven years in mainstream and digital media Sales, has a flair for introducing lucrative sales structures into business models to enhance business acquisition. Roy, having dedicated over sixteen years to media sales & brand solutions, has shown extraordinary prowess at identifying growth potential and setting up revenue-driven strategies across organisations. 

    iCubesWire CEO and founder Sahil Chopra says, “With Priyanka taking the lead for business development across South India, we aim at enhancing our overall growth and keeping up key customer relationships. It’s good to have Abhronil on-board, to get us an opportunity for increasing our business capacity and venture across new markets in the East region. There couldn’t have been a better start to 2020 than by welcoming two seasoned professionals, each one, adept at their work. We are delighted to have them as part of the iCubesWire family and look forward to scaling new heights.”

    Iyer will be at the forefront for iCubeswire in the South region, driving regional markets for business development and delivering branding solutions. Her core responsibilities will be to amplify sales operations, initiate and execute strategic plans, and escalate revenue generation. Before joining iCubeswire, she was leading the entire South market as the Territory sales Head at Zee Entertainment Media Ltd., and has also been associated with organizations such as YOptima and TeraReach. 

    Iyer says, “I’m extremely excited to head the business for iCubesWire in the South region and to work with a dedicated and dynamic team. I’m certain my association will be instrumental in strengthening the bonds with the clients in the region and together, we will aim at sustaining the numbers and continue building on along with expanding into new markets.”

    Roy will be on the front lines for iCubeswire in the East region, curating strategies across media platforms along with providing integrated solutions for brands. His key responsibility areas will be to cultivate business opportunities, and venture into new markets aligned with revenue generation. Prior to joining iCubeswire, he was responsible for managing revenue generation for all B2B Exhibitions & Digital Sales PAN India at UBM India Pvt Ltd and has also served terms with organisations such as ABP LIVE – Digital  – ( ABP News Network Pvt. Ltd.) and India.com – Zee Digital. 

    Roy says, “iCubesWire has been an established brand in digital for over 10 years, and I feel privileged to be at the helm of steering the brand into the East market. It’ll be an exciting experience to build and implement sales strategies to take on new markets and further capture an increased revenue count."

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  • Scarecrow M&C Saatchi’s Raghu Bhatt and his passion for travelling

    Scarecrow M&C Saatchi’s Raghu Bhatt and his passion for travelling

    NEW DELHI: Weekends are fun but as the weekdays have been turned into weekends for the last three months, it has become a routine. Lockdown locked us in our homes and gave time to spend with family. In the last three months, there have been no outing with friends or no late-night dinners. People are now trying new things and binge-watching series apart from working at home. In today’s chat, Indiantelevision.com got candid with Scarecrow M&C Saatchi founder Raghu Bhatt to know about what keeps him going during the lockdown time, his favourite shows and more.

    During the lockdown, how are you keeping yourself optimistic?

    The kind of person I am, staying optimistic doesn't require any special effort like seeing Art of Living videos or reading 'Think Positive' FB posts put up by my friends with such unfailing regularity. Apart from work, I always had hobbies that kept me engaged. So, I have not felt the need to pick up a new hobby. I am a voracious reader of Indian and Roman history. I follow the stock markets & football. I look after the garden. I am curious to know what kind of content ranks on Google. 

    Tell us about your favourite coffee moment.

    I drink chai. So, I'll replace this with a tea story. I like to have tea with tulsi and lemon-grass in the morning. One day, it was raining heavily. So, I told my younger kid to take a pair of scissors, cut a small lemongrass stalk growing in the garden and put it in the teapot. Somehow the tea was lacking in flavour that day. Later I realised that I was having tulsi and bamboo leaf tea!   

    What are you binge-watching on OTT?

    I miss travelling. I see shows that help me see new places. Shows like Restaurants on the Edge that feature a mountain restaurant in Slovenia or Ekant on Amazon Prime Video that feature places that I want to visit but can't, like Asirgarh or Datia or Tranquebar. 

    Whenever the lockdown gets over, where do you want to go for a vacation?

    When I read a book, I feel like travelling to the place where it happened. Just finished the book "The Conqueror" by Aditya Iyengar based on the life of Rajendra Chola. So right now, have a raging desire to visit his capital, Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil Nadu.

  • Ad Break | Youngsters lose their idea of creativity when they get into workplace: Bharat Dabholkar

    Ad Break | Youngsters lose their idea of creativity when they get into workplace: Bharat Dabholkar

    NEW DELHI: Bringing the concept of “Hinglish” language to advertising and pioneering, with a few others, the art of including satire and humour in brand-selling, ad-guru Bharat Dabholkar is one of the finest ad-men our industry has. 

    Opening the first season of Indiantelevision.com Ad Break, an initiative to outline the creative nooks of the ad-world, Dabholkar opened up on his idea of creativity, his journey in the industry, and the idea of humour in the modern marketing. 

    The versatile playwright and actor shares that out of the many roles he has played in his professional career, spanning over four decades, advertising has been the most difficult and challenging one. “In theatre, or in films even, you are aware of who your consumer is.  When I do a play, I know who is watching my play. If I find that something is not working, I can change it before the next show. If I don’t feel like writing a play, I don’t have to write a play for the next two years. If I don’t want to write a film, I don’t have to write a film for the next 10 years. Nobody bothers. But advertising is ‘creativity on demand.’ Advertising means that day-in, day-out all these years, you have to keep coming up with great creative ideas on a daily basis.”

    He adds that currently, the advertising industry is facing a dearth of good writers because the younger generation, which is more creative and aware, isn’t interested in being a part of the mainline agencies. Dabholkar adds, “Youngsters have a fantastic idea of how things can be created, which I think they lose when they get into a workplace because then they are told what to do. I think people kill their creativity.” 

    Dabholkar notes that in today’s time, people must stay away from three things while writing; religion, communalism and sexism. “These things work with stand-up comedians because they are not selling anything. Their audience will come, have a drink and are of a similar kind mindset. They laugh and if they don’t like you they will curse you and go away. If we are talking about hard selling of products, then you have to be careful.” 

    Listen to more interesting anecdotes on creativity powered by Dabholkar’s personal experiences in first break of Ad Break. 

  • Uber appoints Prabhjeet Singh as president of India, south Asia

    Uber appoints Prabhjeet Singh as president of India, south Asia

    NEW DELHI: Ride-hailing platform Uber on Thursday said it has elevated Prabhjeet Singh as president of India and south Asia operations. In his new role, Singh will oversee the next phase of growth in the company's mobility business and ensure safety of riders  and drivers across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, a statement said.

    Singh was previously serving as director operations (India and south Asia) and head of cities. "I'm delighted to announce that Prabh is replacing me as Uber's new president for India and south Asia, one of our fastest growing and most strategic markets. Prabh is a passionate and innovative leader and has been instrumental in helping build Uber from the ground up and established our category leadership in the ride-sharing market," Uber regional general manager for Asia Pacific Pradeep Parameswaran said.

    Singh said, “I’m thrilled to have been given the responsibility of leading Uber in India and south Asia, and look forward to collaborating with exceptional teams and gifted colleagues across the Uber family to strengthen our services and product offerings. Uber is an integral part of the fabric of our cities and as they start moving again, we have prioritised the highest standards of safety, sustainability, and service that our riders and drivers expect of us.’’  

    Recently, other key south Asian leaders have also been elevated to wider, regional roles. Former India SA president Pradeep Parameswaran is now the regional general manager APAC.

    Singh, an IIT-Kharagpur and IIM-A alum, joined Uber in August 2015 from McKinsey and Co where he was an associate partner. He will be supported in his new role by a seasoned regional leadership team.

  • Enormous Brands brings Soumitra Patnekar on board to lead planning vertical

    Enormous Brands brings Soumitra Patnekar on board to lead planning vertical

    NEW DELHI: Enormous Brands, an independent creative agency, has roped in former BBH director of strategy Soumitra Patnekar as the head of its planning vertical. In this role, Patnekar  will be based out of the company’s Mumbai office and will develop brand strategies, communications strategies, and conduct market researches for the company’s clients. 

    Enormous Brands managing partner- Ashish Khazanchi said, “I'm delighted to bring Soumitra on board as a part of the management team in Enormous. His experience in personal care and in automobiles is extremely rich and we're looking forward to building on that. Apart from advertising, he's spent a fair amount of time in consulting and in studying the length and breadth of the country's consuming audiences His insights and experiences from there are invaluable as are his perspectives on building businesses.”

    Patnekar said, "I am excited to lead the strategy function at Enormous Brands along with Ashish and Ajay. Today, more than ever, I feel that brands need to have a distinctive voice and a consistent footprint across the media and tech landscape. My aim is to help build real, authentic brands rooted in our ethos thereby helping clients achieve/get the right value for their products and services.”

    Patnekar brings with him 15 years of brand planning & consulting experience across agencies (BBH, Grey, Contract) and consulting firms (Future brands & Sideways). He has led the strategy on Global Brands Like Audi, Axe, ABnBev & DPA (Diamond Producers association) & Indian majors like Marico & Ferrero India. His work on Axe, & Fiat Punto has won multiple effectiveness awards in International forums like APAC Effies & IAA (International Advertising Association).

  • Bobby Soni elevated as president of Hitachi Vantara

    Bobby Soni elevated as president of Hitachi Vantara

    NEW DELHI: The digital infrastructure and solutions subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, Hitachi Vantara has elevated Bobby Soni as the new president of its Digital Infrastructure Business Unit (DIBU), as reported by People Matters. He will resume his role form 3 August 2020, succeeding Brian Householder, who will be leaving Hitachi after 17 years. 

    Soni has been holding the position of COO for DIBU for one year. Previously, he was the chief solutions and services officer, and senior vice president of cloud, global services and emerging solutions. 

    Prior to joining Hitachi, Soni had worked as a VP at IBM, CSO at Webify Solutions (acquired by IBM), and as a chief technology officer at KPMG. 

  • Deepak Bhatnagar joins Fruzzanté as director and part of senior management

    Deepak Bhatnagar joins Fruzzanté as director and part of senior management

    NEW DELHI: Taking its expansion plans further, Fruzzanté, a part of Hill Zill Winery and a family-owned brand founded by Priyanka Save and Nagesh Pai in 2016, has brought on board Deepak Bhatnagar, as one of the directors of the company. 

    With more than 30 years of accomplished career history, DB (as he is fondly known) recently retired as the director – sales and marketing at Sula Vineyards. While he still continues his contribution at Sula as an advisor, he has joined hands with his long-time family friend Shrikant Save at Hill Zill Wines. At Fruzzanté, he will focus on product visibility and brand awareness. 

    DB is a senior sales and marketing management executive and well-known in the industry for delivering revenue and profits within highly competitive markets. A dedicated and reliable leader, he possesses exceptional negotiation skills and problem-solving abilities. In his career span, DB has worked with some well-known brands including Lowenbrau Buttenheim Pvt Ltd, Som Distilleries, Forbes and Cambell, etc. 

    Fruzzanté co-founder Priyanka Save said, “It is heartening to have DB sir on board as a part of our senior management. He comes with years of extensive experience in the industry and is someone I have also known ina personal capacity for a long time. Our focus for the last few months, ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, has been on a complete overhaul of our offerings in a better and bigger way. From rebranding to Fruzzanté – Sparkling Alcoholic Beverage to extensively using a digital marketing approach, we are leaving no stone unturned. With DB sir on board, we will be able to take this a step ahead.”

    Adding further, Deepak Bhatnagar said, “Fruzzanté is a brand to reckon with already in its domain and I am happy to join the team. We have already made some changes to the marketing strategy. The idea is to make use of various marketing and distribution channels for better product visibility as well as brand awareness.” 

  • Airbnb appoints Amanpreet Bajaj as GM for India, SEA, HK and Taiwan

    Airbnb appoints Amanpreet Bajaj as GM for India, SEA, HK and Taiwan

    NEW DELHI: Airbnb has announced the appointment of Amanpreet Bajaj as general manager for India, southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

    Bajaj brings a wealth of experience from playing a key role in the growth of Airbnb in India as country manager since 2015. In his expanded role overseeing southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan along with India, Amanpreet will be responsible for driving Airbnb’s strategy and long-term growth in some of Airbnb’s fastest-growing destinations in Asia-Pacific, which have grown on average almost 40 per cent YoY as of 2019.

    A business leader and web entrepreneur with a proven track record of building and scaling teams, Amanpreet brings with him years of rich experience in the digital space. Before joining Airbnb, he co-founded Letsbuy.com in 2010, which was acquired by Flipkart.com in 2012.

    “After a truly enriching five years at Airbnb, I am thrilled to take on an expanded challenge to ensure the long-term growth of Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan — some of the world’s most popular travel destinations,” said Bajaj. “I am looking forward to applying my learnings and experience to further engage and grow our communities of hosts and guests across this region, working hand in hand towards tourism’s much-needed recovery.”

    Bajaj assumes this new role as Mike Orgill, the former general manager for southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, returns to his former role as Airbnb’s regional policy director for Asia-Pacific. He will start his new role immediately and continue to report to Kum Hong Siew, Airbnb’s regional director for Asia-Pacific and chief operating officer of Airbnb China.

    “We are delighted to have Amanpreet take on an expanded role to lead Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan in addition to managing operations for India,” said Hong Siew. “Amanpreet has been instrumental in driving the growth of India as a key geography for Airbnb, and we are looking forward to partnering with him in this new chapter of his career, helping this region reach new heights.

  • Pee Safe appoints actor and influencer Jacqueline Fernandez as the brand ambassador for Raho Safe products

    Pee Safe appoints actor and influencer Jacqueline Fernandez as the brand ambassador for Raho Safe products

    NEW DELHI: Pee Safe, hygiene and wellness brand has signed on leading actor, influencer, and entrepreneur Jacqueline Fernandez, as the brand ambassador for their Raho Safe range of products. The popular actor will represent the extensive Raho Safe range that is not only high on quality but also affordable. 

    Jacqueline is an aspiration for every millennial and the modern-day woman and has over 42 million followers on Instagram alone. As the brand ambassador for the Raho Safe range, Pee Safe aims to leverage her popularity across various segments. The range includes an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, surface disinfectant, surface protectants, face masks, face shield, and other hygiene products. All Raho Safe products have seen increased demand during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic given the focus on hygiene. 

    Pee Safe founder Vikas Bagaria said, “We are delighted to have Jacqueline on board as our brand ambassador for the Raho Safe range. She brings a lot of youthful energy and is a huge influence on the millennial generation. With her on board, we will be able to connect with every segment of the population, be it in the metros or the Tier 2 and 3 cities. The personal hygiene market is expected to reach $15 billion by 2023 in India, more so after the pandemic. We launched the Raho Safe range just before the Coronavirus outbreak with an aim to improve access to better hygiene and wellness products that are also affordable. With Jacqueline, we also aim to strengthen our messaging around the importance of feminine hygiene.”

    Fernandez said, “At the outset, I wish to commend Raho Safe for their efforts towards ensuring hygiene and wellness for everyone. I resonate with the brand’s ideology of access to good hygiene and sanitation being a universal right and I am thrilled to come on board as their brand ambassador. All the products under the Raho Safe range, from the hand sanitizer to the face masks and surface disinfectants, are more important than ever in today's scenario. And the best part is that they are also affordable. I truly believe that staying hygienic is not an option or a habit, but a way of life. I hope that we can together change people’s mindset and help educate the masses on the importance of hygiene both during and after the pandemic.”

    Pee Safe has been advocating the cause of personal hygiene since 2013. Over the years, the brand has created market leadership in various product segments and has developed goodwill and trust amongst its consumer base. Pee Safe had already been registering impressive year-on-year growth before the pandemic. There is now a further increase in demand and growth from the overall market perspective.

    Pee Safe and Raho Safe products are currently also available in modern trade, general stores, airports, and organized stores across 70+ cities and online at www.peesafe.com and across leading e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Myntra, Nykaa, and Flipkart.

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  • SARVA makes top-level appointments

    SARVA makes top-level appointments

    NEW DELHI: SARVA, India’s fastest growing yoga-based wellness ecosystem, has brought onboard experts from various domains onto their global advisory board. The advisory team now includes Jen Yu, ex-head of product @Masterclass; Jeniffer Chang, ex digital media, Disney and Mayur Gupta, a marketing maverick, Ex Spotify, Freshly, Kimberly – Clark. Each of these domain experts will bring their unique skill sets to the table in helping the brand grow.

    With over 10 years working on technology design, user journeys and media, Jen Yu brings an immense pool of knowledge, experience and customer study to whatever she does. Her previous stints include director of product design at Masterclass, director of design at Emerald Cloud Club and she currently runs The Cusp, which she co-founded.

    Chang is a start-up veteran who has contributed to the success of over 20 early-stage start-ups. She founded TechSparks, a networking group and consultancy for early-stage companies and has also served as the head of operations for a start-up called FanBread where she worked with a lot of Hollywood celebrities and influencers. Some other brands that she helped establish were Perfect Market(Idealab), Haven & NEXT Trucking to name a few. She also co-founded two digital media brands Digital Media Management & SocialVision. A maverick at all things start-up related, Jeniffer gained a lot from her previous professional associations with best in class companies such as Apple, Disney & KPMG.   

    Gupta was the chief marketing officer at Freshly where he was leading a team of marketers to make Freshly an iconic brand and drive breakthrough growth; inspiring every household in America to bring a positive change in their lives by eating healthier each week. At Spotify, Mayur was responsible for growing the free and subscribed user base for the company with growth hacking and data-driven, always-on experiences; among other things. He has also been profiled by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) and the Economist as the model Chief Marketing Technologist in 2014 and was named the top 50 Marketers by Forbes in 2019.  

    SARVA co-founder Sarvesh Shashi said, “We’re at a stage in SARVA where quality growth is of utmost importance. Jen You, Jeniffer Chang and Mayur Gupta, each bring years of expertise, knowledge and growth-mindsets and are themselves powerhouses of talent. They each will be mentoring teams across different functions, all of which are pivotal to SARVA’s business. We believe their inputs and experience will not just help the team at Sarva amplify their efforts but also fuel it in the right direction.”    

    As a homegrown brand, SARVA has been going all-out to bring the benefits of yoga to everyone from Hollywood to Haridwar – in an all-new avatar. While the brand has already been instrumental in making yoga and mindfulness fun, it pivoted to newer heights with its initiatives recently. It is one of the only brands to have garnered global investor interest and support. SARVA is backed by global celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and well-known investors Mark Mastrov and Alex Rodriguez to celebrities, influencers, and experts like Malaika Arora, Aishwaryaa Dhanush, Shikhar Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor, etc.

    Adding further, Jen Yu, said, “I am excited to be part of a young and growing brand like SARVA which has emerged as a frontrunner in making yoga popular among millennials. Their initiatives in the wake of the pandemic and lockdown to offer live online classes are highly commendable. It is always a pleasure to work with brands that focus their work around customer pain points and come up with appropriate solutions. I hope to utilize my experience and help the brand catapult further.”

    "During a crucial time in human history, SARVA rose to the challenge and cemented its role in the post-Pandemic world as a leading provider of health and wellness. I decided to join SARVA – as a member as well as a business advisor – because I recognize the immense potential of this unique brand to deliver the benefits of yoga and mindfulness to a global audience," said Chang. 

    Gupta commented, “Driving growth for brands and improving experiences are two things that have always excited me. While SARVA is already a hugely successful brand in what it has been doing, I hope to help them take yoga and the resultant experience to every household pan India and globally. Their mindfulness and meditation services are also another area where I would focus on. I am happy to be a part of the team.”

    SARVA recently launched its digital offering, currently divided into 2 categories: Body and Mind. The 3rd category to be launched soon is called Nourish. SARVA’s offerings address millennial fitness needs and the brand is working towards connecting 7 billion breaths. Its recent cool and fun campaign called Yoga+ showcases yoga as a seamless part of various lifestyles, individuals, and professionals.

    Through its powerful network of influencers, SARVA has been instrumental in engaging people virtually through various interactive sessions and immunity booster modules in 25 countries including the US, UK, and Italy. SARVA and its women-centric arm DIVA Yoga have a global digital reach of over 200 million. The brands have set out to help people across different countries connect with this holistic practice and achieve the associated benefits.