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Category: People

  • Fabindia appoints Aditya Ghosh to board of directors

    Fabindia appoints Aditya Ghosh to board of directors

    NEW DELHI: Fabindia Group has appointed Aditya Ghosh as a member of the company’s board of directors. Ghosh will be guiding the management teams with strategy and new initiatives.

    Ghosh said, "I am truly excited to come on board and get associated with a brand that I have been a loyal customer and fan of, for decades! I am looking forward to engaging with a sense of purpose where we continue to build on the tremendous trust that the Fabindia family of brands enjoy and create a socially conscious business that makes a deep positive impact towards a healthier and more equal planet."

    Fabindia believes that the post-Covid2019 period will bring about transformational change in consumer behaviour and brands with purpose, sustainability initiatives and earth-friendly commerce will become increasingly important.

    Ghosh is a seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience. Ghosh has had multiple roles as the CEO and Board member of large consumer-facing businesses with complex operations including IndiGo, India's largest and most profitable airline and also OYO Hotels & Homes. He also sits on the board of directors of Nani Palkhivala Arbitration Centre. He is one of the founders of The Ashoka University and Member Circle of Sponsors where he is actively involved in leading the service excellence aspect.

    Before his business role, he practised law at the prestigious corporate law firm, J Sagar Associates and then as the general counsel at InterGlobe Enterprises. Ghosh has a keen interest in creating social impact in diversity & inclusion, education, women-led entrepreneurship and leadership development.

  • India’s Samrat Chowdhery appointed as INNCO President

    India’s Samrat Chowdhery appointed as INNCO President

    NEW DELHI: India’s harm reduction advocate Samrat Chowdhery has been appointed as the president of the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO), a global body of 34 national advocacy groups which has been recognised with UN observer status.

    INNCO represents consumers of low-risk, alternative nicotine products and promotes tobacco harm reduction (THR) at the global stage. The organisation actively works on engaging consumers in the global THR discussions. In the process, it develops and strengthens member organisations of the community.

    Talking about his new responsibility, Chowdhery said, “While harm reduction is a well-accepted intervention strategy in many fields, from addiction treatment to pandemic response, it is finding uncharacteristic opposition in tobacco use, which kills 8 million people every year. Our goal is to ensure consumers have a say in the framing of global tobacco policies as they are affected the most by them.”

    Chowdhery, a former journalist, has been spearheading THR activities and campaigns in India as the founder of CHRA (Council for Harm Reduced Alternatives) and director of Association of Vapers India (AVI). CHRA and AVI have been advocating for risk reduction in tobacco use since 2016, stating that access to less harmful alternatives such as vaping, snus and heated tobacco can help mitigate the high tobacco burden in India.

    Chowdhery was honoured with the 'Advocate of the Year' award at the Global Forum for Nicotine (GFN) in Warsaw in June 2018. He has been invited to various international forums to speak on strategies to deal with the tobacco crisis. He was nominated to the governing board of INNCO two years ago.

    INNCO was formed in 2016 when consumer advocacy groups from across the world came together with the mission of representing the world’s 1.1 billion smokers and millions of users of lower-risk alternatives who often find themselves excluded from decisions that affect them severely. Since then, INNCO has made numerous representations at WHO and national levels, and has secured nearly a $1 million grant for 2020-21 for its advocacy work.

     The other appointments made by INNCO include Ángeles Muntadas-Prim Lafita of Spain as VP, Rob de Lange of Netherlands as secretary and Ingmar Kurg of Estonia as greasurer.

    Apart from the office bearers, Asa Saligupta from Thailand, Tomas O'Gorman from Mexico and Claude Bramberger from France have been added to the governing body.

  • Sudhir Goel appointed as Acer India CBO

    Sudhir Goel appointed as Acer India CBO

    MUMBAI: Acer India, the global PC brand, has appointed Sudhir Goel as its chief business officer. Goel has been associated with Acer India since 1999 handling various leadership roles spanning product engineering, manufacturing, support, supply chain and recently as the head of commercial business group. In his new role as CBO, Goel will be responsible for leading both the commercial and consumer business of the company in India and Bangladesh.

    With over 35 years of experience, Goel brings in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role in Acer India. He was instrumental in establishing Acer India’s manufacturing facility at Pondicherry. He later took on the portfolio of chief supply chain officer, handling complete supply chain – operations, procurement, material planning and manufacturing functions. In addition, he assisted sales and marketing in strategic calls on all large deals. Before this role, he was responsible for Acer India’s commercial business group handling PnL, product strategy, alliance relationships and establishing a leadership position in multiple categories. He was also in charge of the company’s product solution development in Asia Pacific countries.

    Acer India president and MD Harish Kohli said, “Under the leadership of Sudhir Goel, Acer India has successfully excelled in an intensely competitive environment and gained substantial impetus in Indian commercial PC market. Sudhir brings in excellent prerequisites to navigate Acer India in a challenging business situation and we are confident that his strategic thinking, experience, and ability to drive people will navigate the organisation to even greater success in the future.” 

    Sudhir Goel said, “I am honored to be appointed Chief Business Officer and excited to lead Acer's Commercial and Consumer business with support from our executive leadership team, as our company shapes the future of our industry. And now with the new normal where we are seeing a paradigm shift in consumer behaviour, it is times like these when being effective, innovative and intuitive really makes a difference and I am looking forward to successfully lead both the business groups."

    Before joining Acer India, Goel started his career in 1985 with DCM Data Products as a Design Engineer and later joined Compaq as national tech support manager for two years. He has done his engineering degree from BITS Pilani and did his MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. He is fond of reading both fiction and non-fiction and loves to watch movies in his spare time.

  • BasicFirst appoints Dr Akhilesh Kumar as CAO

    BasicFirst appoints Dr Akhilesh Kumar as CAO

    NEW DELHI: BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt Ltd – a personalised e-learning platform – today announced the appointment of Dr Akhilesh Kumar as chief academic officer for the US market. 

    Kumar possesses a valuable mix of corporate and academic exposure that can benefit the ed-tech platform. He holds a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan, USA where he also pursued an MBA. An alumnus of IIT Varanasi, Kumar has held top positions at leading multinational companies like N R Corporation USA, Intel Corp USA, British Telecom London and CEC Ltd and as a Professor at MIT for over 17 years.

    BasicFirst founder and chief mentor  Randhir Kumar said, “As we rapidly expand our overseas operations, it’s a pleasure to welcome the accomplished Dr Akhilesh Kumar. His visionary outlook and passion for education will enable us to capitalize on many upcoming opportunities. Moreover, Dr Kumar’s deep understanding of the US markets will help broad-base our overseas presence.”

    Kumar stated: “I am honoured to be offered the opportunity of leading BasicFirst’s US operations at such an important juncture in its development. I believe a four-step expansion model premised on Create-Grow-Generate-Innovate should ensure positive outcomes in addressing society’s educational needs. To stay ahead of the curve in the ed-tech space while leading the international market, it is imperative to continue innovating.”

    In a career spanning 36 years, Kumar has received various awards and accolades. Furthermore, he has worked as a junior research scholar with Peter Drucker, Father of Modern Management, on improving the US economy during Ronald Reagan’s tenure in the early 1980s. He has undertaken extensive research on ‘Higher Education: A Road Map’ for the Government of Rajasthan towards skills and employability. Dr Kumar has also been associated with Harvard Business School USA, MDI, XLRI Jamshedpur India, University of Stirling Scotland, the University of Huddersfield UK and the University of Connecticut USA.

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  • Scroll Mantra appoints Nikhil Sharda as EVP – creative & digital communications

    Scroll Mantra appoints Nikhil Sharda as EVP – creative & digital communications

    NEW DELHI: Scroll Mantra, one of India’s fastest-growing integrated marketing communications agency, today announced the appointment of Nikhil Sharda as executive vice president – creative and digital communications. With close to 17 years of experience, Sharda has been an ace story-teller and an artistic force behind various digital brand campaigns spread across a multitude of industries.

    In his role he will be spearheading the social, digital, design, and website divisions for the agency. His key responsibility areas will be analysing client requirements, creating and executing compelling strategies, generating new business opportunities, maximising the company’s operating performance and achieving financial goals in line with the business objectives of the organisation.

    Prior to joining Scroll Mantra, he served as the creative director at Frog Ideas – a digital marketing agency headquartered in Gurgaon. During his stint, he led and advised on go-to-market strategies for brands such as Comviva, Jim Beam, Terrapay, Twitter India Marketing, and more. Sharda has also had a long stint with AdGlobal360 where he spearheaded various campaigns for Rajasthan Tourism, Maruti Suzuki, Bureau of Indian Standards, BSB Edge, Delhivery, ministry of consumer affairs and European Union amongst others.

    Having developed a penchant towards storytelling from an early age, Sharda completed his schooling from St George's College (Mussoorie) and then went on to graduate from Huddersfield University (UK) with Film Studies as his major. Today, he is occupied writing new stories for brands that will help make each scroll a mantra to be reckoned with.

    Scroll Mantra founder and managing director Neha Bajaj  said, “Despite the challenges brought on by this year, I believe that 2020 is an opportune time for brands to invest more in digital and new-age communications. The need for both PR and Digital is even more stronger and relevant during these times for brands to reach their relevant stakeholders and have an edge vis a vis its competitors. Nikhil’s reputation for excellence and driving exceptional results precedes him and I am very happy to welcome him to the Scroll Mantra family. I strongly believe that Nikhil will prove to be a value addition to our growing ecosystem and will help us scale our creative and digital wings substantially.”

    Sharda said, “Scroll Mantra has been making remarkable waves with its approach in PR and Brand Communication. I am therefore excited to take on this role to continue delivering business solutions that will further revolutionize our edge. The teams here are young and passionate and I feed off that energy. To start with, we will be working with all our clients to build two sets of strategies – one to rebuild communication for 2020 without tweaking marketing objectives and strategies. And two, use the experience in 2020 as learnings to relook at strategies for 2021 and beyond, based on what we believe is the new normal for each industry.”

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  • L&K Saatchi & Saatchi strengthens planning team

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi strengthens planning team

    NEW DELHI: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India has strengthened its core planning team across its offices in India. To begin with, the agency has roped in Anuraag Shrivastav as vice president – planning, North. He will be based out of New Delhi and report to Snehasis Bose, Executive director, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India. 

    As VP, his mandate would be to contribute significantly to brand strategy, build strong relationships with clients, and also to manage and lead the internal strategy team while also playing an active role in the deployment of strategic plans. 

    Apart from Shrivastav, the agency has also appointed Shalaka Pradhan as brand strategy director. She will be based out of Bangalore and will also report to Snehasis Bose.   

    Anuraag joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi from FCB Ulka where he was senior brand planning director. He has also been with Enormous Brands and J Walter Thompson in the past and has worked on brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Horlicks, Domino’s, Vistara, National Geographic, OLX, Motorola, Dish TV, Quaker, Aquafina, Hero, among others.

    Pradhan joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi from Publicis India where she was brand director – strategy. Prior to Publicis, she has also had enriching stints at Creativeland Asia, FCB Ulka, Cogito Consulting and Grey India. Some of the brands that she has been actively involved in include Nivea, Zee Café, Zee Marathi, Lakmé, Havmor, etc.     

    Snehasis Bose said: “Truth is I have been trying to work with Anuraag since 2015! His experience and freshness + understanding of culture and brands + can-do attitude = the strategic-superpowers our clients need and want!! Am really happy that our stars finally aligned!!!”

    As for Pradhan joining in, he added, “Shalaka with her consistent curiosity, her asking of ‘what if?’ is a great fit with the spirit that drives the L&K Saatchi & Saatchi strategic approach. Combined with her solid experience, I believe she will bring the just-right fillip to the Planning team and our clients.”

    Shrivastav said: “L&K Saatchi & Saatchi offers an interesting and wide range of brands that push you to adapt and think in different ways. It also supports a culture that encourages breaking norms and questioning the limits of possibility… where you are not constrained by the conventions of what has worked in the past.” 

    On his plans for the agency, Srivastav added: “The energy of the place is amazing and there’s a constant push to break out and do new things. The culture is collaborative and I look forward to partnering the teams in creating good work.”

    Adding her views, Pradhan said: “Having been a part of the Publicis Groupe in the past, I am excited to come back as a part of the L&K Saatchi & Saatchi team. Over here, there’s a pulsating drive to put out the best work every day. The vibe here is upbeat and I’m looking forward to creating good work and working with some great clients here.”

    Both the appointments play a crucial role in L&K Saatchi & Saatchi stepping up its offerings to its clients and also beefing up its leadership teams in key markets like the North & East, which contribute significantly to the agency’s overall growth. Srivastav joins in the North alongside Atin Wahal, who recently was appointed as EVP & head of north and east markets for L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India. 

  • 82.5 Communications names Sangeetha Sampath as group creative director – Bangalore

    82.5 Communications names Sangeetha Sampath as group creative director – Bangalore

    MUMBAI:  82.5 Communications is pleased to announce the appointment of Sangeetha Sampath as group creative director – Bangalore.  Sangeetha's appointment is effective June 22 and she will report to Sumanto Chattopadhyay, chairman & chief creative officer, 82.5 Communications.

    Sangeetha Sampath moves to 82.5 Communications from Mullen Lintas, Bangalore where she was the unit creative head. Her wealth of brand marketing experience expands across consumer categories such as food, beauty/personal care, jewellery, finance, apparel, online shopping, household appliances, television/print media and much more. She enjoys doing work across mediums and that has reflected in some of the accolades it has received – more notably, Amazon's #MomBeAGirlAgain campaign that won at the EFFIES, the two Grand Prix that she received at Goafest for Anouk's #BoldIsBeautiful and Fox Crime's digital campaigns and the work on Nature's Basket that featured in The Work and at Cannes, amongst others.

    82.5 Communications chairman and CCO  Sumanto Chattopadhyay said, "I have worked with Sangeetha before and am delighted to have her with us now at 82.5. Sangeetha perfectly combines creative pizzazz with a solid strategic grounding. I look forward to her not just strengthening our south offering but making a significant difference at the national level as well. I welcome her warmly on board at this inflection point in our journey."

    82.5 Communications co-chairman and CEO  Kapil Arora said,  "Sangeetha is the latest in the set of ‘believers’ that Sumo and I have brought on board over the last year, to form the core of the 82.5 leadership offering – someone who believes creativity is the unfair advantage we get to deploy to further our clients’ businesses. I am delighted to have her join the family and am sure that in her partnership with Ravi, we will see the work for our 82.5 Bangalore clients, shine brighter."

    82.5 Communications  senior vice president & branch head-south  Naveen Raman  said, "We are really happy to have Sangeetha on board at this stage of our journey. She has the right mix of creative ability, cross media knowledge and hunger to do more, that we are sure will further strengthen the 82.5 Bengaluru offering, for current and new clients alike. Sangeetha will be responsible for driving the creative thinking on some of our key brands like Himalaya, Embassy, Ashok Leyland and Wipro to name a few."

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  • Mahindra Lifespaces appoints Viral Oza as chief marketing officer

    Mahindra Lifespaces appoints Viral Oza as chief marketing officer

    MUMBAI: Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd, the real estate and infrastructure development arm of Mahindra Group, today announced that it has appointed Viral Oza as chief marketing officer (CMO).  In his new role, Oza will play a pivotal role in the journey of all the Company’s brands, building deep market understanding and strengthening customer insight capabilities. Viral will steer this transformation, crafting, and leading marketing and growth programs across the Company’s residential and industrial businesses.

    Mahindra Lifespaces  MD and CEO Designate Arvind Subramanian said, “The addition of a seasoned leader like Viral to our management team will significantly add to Mahindra Lifespaces’ strengths as one of India’s most trusted real estate companies.  Viral brings a perfect mix of organisational leadership, marketing innovation expertise and global brand-building experience that will strengthen the effectiveness of our sales efforts and partnerships, while driving customer experience excellence.”

    Oza added, “I am thrilled to join Mahindra Lifespaces’ executive team, especially at a time when the Company is poised for strategic growth in its key markets. I look forward to being a part of the growth journey of all the Company’s brands that have created a space in the minds and hearts of both retail and corporate customers.”

    Viral joins the company with over 28 years of experience across FMCG, telecom, media and real estate, spanning several countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Through his global career journey, he has developed strong business, management and leadership skills through building and growing diverse teams in companies including Unilever, Nokia and Microsoft.  Prior to joining Mahindra Lifespaces, Viral was the chief marketing officer at Lodha Group, where he was responsible for driving marketing excellence, building customer eccentricity, and shaping organizational culture and talent.

  • Lockdown gave time to reconnect with friends & family: SPPL’s Avneet Singh Marwah

    Lockdown gave time to reconnect with friends & family: SPPL’s Avneet Singh Marwah

    NEW DELHI: There is no denying that the lockdown has taken a toll on everyone, but it has also taught people how to reconnect with family and friends. For SPPL CEO Avneet Singh Marwah, this lockdown has helped him become more self-dependent and spend quality time with his family.

    Indiantelevision.com got candid with Marwah about what keeps him going during these difficult times, his favourite TV show and more.   

    Excerpts:

    During the lockdown, how are you keeping yourself optimistic? Is it a new hobby that you have explored?  

    I became more self-dependent during the lockdown. Earlier, I used to travel every third day and everything used to be taken care of for me. But for the first time in many years, I am back to actively contributing to household chores, from cleaning to washing dishes. I also enjoy cooking dinner for my family. I also found time to reconnect with friends, business colleagues and relatives—whose messages and phone calls I might have missed or ignored while I stayed busy. I have replied to so many DMs and spoken to a lot of people on social media as well, which is a refreshing change. The best habit I picked is dining with my family on a table with no phones or TV. It is great to spend time with them, blessed to be enjoying a meal together and sharing different experiences that we have missed in all these years.

    Tell us about your favourite coffee moment?

    It was actually in May when mother nature decided to grace us with a perfect morning rain shower that led to amazing weather. It was lush green outside my home as I was sitting in the balcony with my favourite cup of coffee working from home. It was the perfect moment. I don't think I can ever imagine this moment happening while working out of a closed-door office especially in Delhi.  

    What are you binge-watching on OTT?  

    Even though I rarely get time to binge-watch TV shows I thoroughly enjoyed binge-watching Money Heist and 100 humans.

    Where do you wish to travel post the pandemic?  

    I'd consider myself lucky if I get a vacation after the lockdown since it will be back to back for me and thinking of time off is out of the question for now. But if I do get time maybe next year or so I'd pick more commercial places like London or New York as it's been a while since I have felt the energy of the crowd. For a more relaxing time, I'd choose Jamaica (Negril or Montego Bay).

    How do you spend your me-time?  

    I don't really get much 'me-time' but whenever there is an opportunity to simply do nothing, I choose to spend that with my son and my family as I live with them so quality family time is always a must. Sometimes at night, I try to simply sit by myself and gather my thoughts which helps me restore my energy.

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  • Mary Wells Lawrence honoured with lifetime achievement at Cannes Lions

    Mary Wells Lawrence honoured with lifetime achievement at Cannes Lions

    NEW DELHI: “I love New York!”

    “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.”

    “Flick your Bic.”

    Recognize any of these jingles? All of these iconic ads were created under the supervision of Mary Wells Lawrence. She brought a burst of colours to otherwise boring and bland television screens.  

    The 92-old year, Lawrence was one of the trailblazers of the advertising world. Cannes Lions on 26 June, presented the prestigious lifetime achievement award, the Lion of St. Mark.  


    The in-person festival was cancelled this year due to the pandemic.


    Lawrence who has had a successful advertising career is the founder of the New York advertising agency, Wells Rich Greene established in the year 1966. She was the first woman to found, own and run a major ad agency. She was one of the first female CEOs of a company which was traded on the Big Board of the New York Stock Exchange.

    Within its first year, Wells Rich Greene had 100 employees and $39 million in billings. By 1976, it had billings of $187 million and a client roster that included Procter & Gamble, Trans World Airlines, Miles Laboratories, Philip Morris, Bic Pen Corp, Ralston Purina Co, Midas Inc, White-Westinghouse Electric Co and Sun Oil Co. The New York Observer said that the agency was responsible for creating ads that “etched indelible phrases into the public’s imaginations.”

    Her work in the field of advertising has been recognised all over. That’s not it, Lawrence was named Advertising Woman of the Year by the American Advertising Federation in 1971, and was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2002, Mary also published her autobiography A Big Life (in Advertising).

    Throughout her lifetime Wells Lawrence has directed a host of notable campaigns. 

    Cannes Lions chairman Philip Thomas said in a statement: “Mary is an extraordinary woman with a drive, passion and talent to burn. Cannes Lions campaigns for creativity as a force for business but Mary was ahead of the game – she already knew this 50 years ago. Her ability to inject entertainment and creativity into her advertising saw her transform the reputations and revenues of many a struggling brand, and she has earnt huge respect and admiration from the industry as a result. We’re thrilled to be presenting a true legend with the Lion of St. Mark.”

    Lawrence said: “Awareness of the time you are in is at the core of any business of persuasion, but I think my particular strength is my belief in passion – caring obviously and emotionally about how IMPORTANT what I am selling is. I want to leave you FEELING about it – nervous if you are doing something else. Like falling in love.”