ITV

Category: People

  • Future Generali India Insurance appoints Ruchika Varma as Chief Marketing Officer

    Future Generali India Insurance appoints Ruchika Varma as Chief Marketing Officer

    MUMBAI: Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited (FGII), the general insurance arm of the joint venture between retail game-changers Future Group and global insurer Generali, announced the appointment of Ruchika Varma as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the company.

    Varma has over 18 years of marketing experience across multiple sectors, including financial services, media, travel and consumer goods. Prior to this, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at IDFC FIRST Bank, where she developed, launched and managed the IDFC brand pre and post-merger. She has also held roles in Singapore with entities such as BBC Worldwide, Lonely Planet and Singapore Tourism Board.

    At FGII, Varma will be responsible for marketing communications, product innovations, developing digital capabilities and partnerships and CSR.

    Future Generali India Insurance  CMO Ruchika Varma said, “I’m proud to be joining a company committed to enhancing customer experience and delight, through innovative products and unmatched customer service. ‘Insurance’ is a complex yet challenging sector that holds great potential for expansion. I am very excited to lead the company’s vision and establish Future Generali as the brand of choice that is truly customer-centric for an underinsured India”

    Future Generali India Insurance  MD & CEO Anup Rau said, “Ruchika is a highly skilled marketing leader with a wealth of experience in leading marketing initiatives for some of the leading brands in the industry. As our new Chief Marketing Officer, her experience will be critical in the transformation of Future Generali India Insurance into a future-ready – digitized organization serving customer requirements.”

  • Rakesh Hinduja to step down as Leo Burnett West COO

    Rakesh Hinduja to step down as Leo Burnett West COO

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett Group India, has announced that Leo Burnett  west COO Rakesh Hinduja will be moving on from the agency in order to pursue other opportunities.

    Rakesh has been with the group for more than 14 years and in his current role was COO west for Leo Burnett India. 

    In his five-year stint at Leo Burnett, Rakesh played a crucial role in building Leo Burnett’s ‘new-age’ solution ecosystem, which included creating highly motivated and talented teams. He has helped double the agency’s Mumbai office which won multiple accounts and created memorable work over the last few years by building the business with genuine partnership with clients and brands. He has created wave 3 ‘new age’ solutions consistently across brands. His disproportionate focus on improving the product helped win at various international and local awards including The Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Spikes Asia, Effies and more. 

    Leo Burnett South Asia MD India & chief strategy officer Dheeraj Sinha said, “Rakesh had a great run with us. He’s been a great business partner and a dear friend. We wish him all the very best. We are fortunate that we have a stellar team of business, creative and strategy leaders in our Mumbai office, who continue to run our businesses. We have a great momentum at Leo Burnett in terms of new business wins and our creative work. We continue to be relentlessly focused on creating great work and great growth.”

    Leo Burnett South Asia MD India & chief creative officer Rajdeepak Das said, “Rakesh is a great friend and a brother to me. In his stint at Leo Burnett, he’s also been one of the core people behind creating some legendary work and big business wins. He partnered the agency to lead the third wave. We have some crazy memories which I will cherish. And I wish him nothing but the best for his future.”

    Rakesh Hinduja said, "I’ve enjoyed every day of my stint at Leo Burnett. Creating world class work which makes real business impact has been truly fulfilling. We have had incredible success at the agency in the last few years with a magical group of people that worked together. In this journey, I have made some fabulous friends at the agency and clients. I’m very excited about the future. The next chapter will be glorious."

  • ST. Regis Mumbai welcomed its newly appointed hotel Manager Siddharth Sathe

    ST. Regis Mumbai welcomed its newly appointed hotel Manager Siddharth Sathe

    Bringing in over a decade of experience in the hospitality sector, The St. Regis Mumbai had recently appointed Mr. Siddharth Sathe as Hotel Manager, and welcomed him to The St. Regis Mumbai’s ever-growing family. Having essayed roles in leading Indian and International chain of hotels, Siddharth commenced his career in the rooms division and moved on to head the F&B department with a keen sense of administration. This dual experience has equipped and enabled his rapid growth to the position of General Manager in a short span of time and his positively motivational approach is what earns him a nod of approval from one and all.  As General Manager, Siddharth has honed his skills to have a bird’s eye perspective on all properties under his purview.

    At The St. Regis Mumbai, Siddharth will focus on the revenue and reputation of the hotel focusing his activities on building the brand. Leading a dynamic operational team of over 400, he is optimistic about molding them to create exceptional moments for each guest. Honing them to focus on achieving high Guest Voice scores, paying attention to details for Brand Standard Audits, enhance Rooms Division Profitability and maximize operational productivity, he aims to work towards efficiency and consumer satiation.

    Armed with a degree from the Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai and a post graduate degree from The Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development, Siddharth’s first role at a leading five star hotel chain laid out his strong foundation as a luxury hotelier. He has since, been a part of varied luxury properties within organizations like Marriott International and so on. With his keen business acumen and an overview of hotel operations, Siddharth has also been an integral part of the pre-opening team of a leading property in Srinagar and has also lead flagship properties with dedication and success.

    A sports fanatic at heart, Siddharth enjoys relaxation with his family with cricket and golf topping the list of his favorites and he enjoys catching these games on or off the field when management is not on his mind.

  • DB Digital appoints Paresh Goel as chief technology officer

    DB Digital appoints Paresh Goel as chief technology officer

    MUMBAI: DB Digital, the digital products business of the Dainik Bhaskar Group (DBCL), India’s largest print media company and home to flagship newspapers like Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar and Divya Marathi, announced the appointment of Paresh Goel as the chief technology officer.

    Goel has a dynamic experience of close to two decades in building and operating technology systems at scale while working with some of the leading digital consumer companies including Adobe. He will be responsible for the technology function at DB Digital.

    Prior to joining DB Digital, Goel was VP, Engineering at Meesho, one of the fastest-growing startups in India, and had also started his own company in the Ed Tech space before selling it to Adda247. Prior to that, he was in a technology leadership role at Hike Messenger and Adobe Systems. He is an expert in scaling technology systems across social, content, & commerce and has a proven track record of building products that are used by millions of users now.

    DB Digital CEO Pathik Shah commented “I’m extremely excited to welcome Paresh on board. We have worked together in the past on growing consumer products to tens of millions of users and built a lot of innovative features together. We’re looking forward to forming a stellar Product and Technology team for building an extremely high quality, engaging and personalized News product which can serve and delight the entire vernacular news market, the likes of which India, unfortunately, lacks right now. We are at a very interesting stage of growth at present, and we’re looking forward to taking DB Digital to the next level”.

    Goel said, "I am delighted to be leading Technology at DB Digital. We have a unique opportunity to create a meaningful impact on users’ lives via a personalised digital news platform. As the internet penetration continues to rise in India, people are looking at us as their trusted brand to deliver them the news most relevant to them on mobile. We will be building the most engaging content experience which is miles ahead of anything else in the market right now. We will further couple this with Machine Learning to surface highly personalized news for our users. People in India deserve high quality, insightful and engaging news – and this is precisely what our mission is. I am ready for and very excited about the challenge.”

  • WPP’s Geometry Appoints Jesse Lin as New APAC CEO

    WPP’s Geometry Appoints Jesse Lin as New APAC CEO

    MUMBAI: Geometry, WPP’s end-to-end Creative Commerce agency, appoints Jesse Lin as its APAC CEO, effective immediately.  A 25-year industry veteran, Jesse will lead over 1,100 employees across 17 cities to deliver creative solutions and experiences that drive commercial growth everywhere commerce touches people’s lives.  Based in Shanghai, he will report directly to Global CEO Beth Ann Kaminkow. 

    Commenting on the appointment, Beth Ann Kaminkow stated, “I am thrilled to welcome Jesse to Geometry at a critical moment in our agency’s story.  With a proven track record of driving transformation for other world-class organizations in the APAC region, he’s perfectly suited to deliver growth locally and globally for those clients navigating the new retail opportunities that the region presents. Jesse’s passion for commerce and his home-base of Shanghai places him in our priority China market which is leading in retail innovation.”

    Jesse succeeds Diana Cawley as she leaves the company to seek new opportunities. 

    “We’d like to thank Diana for her genuine commitment to Geometry these past four years.  Diana has been a master operator of a complex regional landscape. Under her leadership, the region has become a strong and connected network focused on nurturing creativity to drive commercial growth for clients. We wish her all the best on her next adventure.”

    Commenting on the appointment, Ranjit Raina Chief Executive Officer, Geometry Encompass, “We are glad to welcome Jesse Lin as part of our Geometry family.  He is a seasoned and accomplished professional who has been responsible for great work in the past and I’m sure his extensive expertise will be a huge contributing factor to our growth.”

    Jesse brings to Geometry over 25 years of experience across business management, brand marketing, digital marketing, and communications. He joins Geometry from Edelman where he served as APAC CEO, successfully transforming the traditional PR agency into a modern communication organization with brand and digital capabilities.
    Before Edelman, he worked for McCann Greater China as CEO, and prior to that held senior positions at DDB Shanghai, Wieden + Kennedy China, and Leo Burnette Hong Kong. 

    On his new role, Jesse comments, “Today the relationship between brand and consumer is increasingly dynamic and fragmented, particularly in retail. To maintain relevance and drive business growth, marketers are constantly seeking out fresh and effective solutions from their agency partners. Geometry has demonstrated a willingness to innovate through its vision of commerce as a ripe canvas for creativity. I am very excited and honored to join this entrepreneurial team. APAC is full of energy, optimism, and opportunity. I look forward to partnering with our Asian teams driving more innovation and success from this region.”

  • Amway India appoints Ajay Khanna as marketing operations head for India

    Amway India appoints Ajay Khanna as marketing operations head for India

    MUMBAI: Amway India, one of the country’s leading direct selling FMCG companies, on Monday announced the appointment of Ajay Khanna as the chief marketing officer for India.

    With over 24 years of experience in the FMCG and Telecom industry, Khanna to take over the reins from Sundip Shah and will report to Anshu Budhraja, chief executive officer (CEO) Amway India.

    Amway India CEO Anshu Budhraja said: “Ajay with his deep understanding of India’s dynamic marketing environment as well as the direct selling industry and has immensely contributed to the remarkable success of our Nutrition and Consumer Durables categories.”

    Budhraja further added, “I am confident that his vision and the experience will help propel Amway to even greater heights in India.”

    A marketing veteran, Ajay had joined the organisation in 1998 and donned many hats in various capacities. His successful trajectory with the company includes leading growth of the homecare and personal care, agriculture and insurance categories before taking on the category head role for the biggest business category – Nutrition and Wellness in 2014.

    Meanwhile, Amway India chief marketing officer Ajay Khanna said: “It’s a great honour to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading Amway India’s marketing function. India is a top priority market for Amway globally, and evolving market dynamics, along with our differentiated sales channel, makes it an opportune time to introduce innovations for business growth.”

    “I look forward to further building the growth momentum created by my predecessor Sundip Shah and taking the business to greater heights,” Khanna added.

     Amway India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amway with headquarters located in Ada in Michigan State of the United States of America. Amway is the world's number one direct selling company with a presence in over 100 countries & territories.

  • Starcom appoints Anil Shankar as vice president, digital media solutions

    Starcom appoints Anil Shankar as vice president, digital media solutions

    MUMBAI: Starcom India has announced the appointment of digital leader Anil Shankar as its vice president, digital media solutions.

    Shankar has more than 16 years of experience in digital marketing and technology working across digital media platforms. He most recently served as lead of Programmatic Sales Nationally at Times Internet and has also worked with leading media companies such as WPP, GroupM and Affle. Shankar has a proven track record of building and developing high performing digital teams and solutions ranging from full funnel data-led planning  to measurement, attribution and monetization. His experience spans across verticals such as consumer goods, financial services, telecommunications and E-commerce.

    Starcom India CEO Rathi Gangappa says, “We are delighted to have Anil join us. He brings a wealth of digital expertise, strong leadership and new perspectives to Starcom and will lead our overall digital agenda, vision and offering. His extensive experience across agency, client and publisher ecosystems makes him an invaluable asset. Anil is passionate about Starcom’s Human Experience approach,  future-facing work streams and culture of collaboration. He will add tremendous value to our clients.”

    Shankar adds, “These are thrilling times. We have merely scratched the surface of digital possibilities. From banners to big data, big screens to mobile screens, even our smallest of towns are getting digitally equipped. This makes India the most exciting digital market in the world. I am confident that Starcom’ s robust client portfolio, talent, infrastructure with strong technology and programmatic solutions will surely help in further deepening the client’s confidence.”

  • Mullen Lintas appoints Hari Krishnan as CEO, effective from Jan 2020

    Mullen Lintas appoints Hari Krishnan as CEO, effective from Jan 2020

    MUMBAI: Mullen Lintas  has announced the appointment of Hari Krishnan as the chief executive officer of the company. The appointment will be effective, January 2020. Krishnan moves from Lowe Lintas, where he was the president and spearheading the South operations of the agency.

    MullenLowe Lintas Group CEO, Virat Tandon said, “When we were looking for the best person to lead the agency as CEO, Hari was a natural choice. He has the best credentials in the country as a P&L leader, an entrepreneur and as a brand and idea champion.”

    Tandon said,” Hari's appointment is another big step to ensure that Mullen Lintas lives up to its purpose of Challenger Thinking and offers clients a credible alternative to the top 2-3 agencies.”

    According to the Group CEO, Hari’s insatiable appetite for growth, challenges, and creative excellence makes him the perfect candidate to drive Mullen Lintas into its next phase of growth and discovery.

    Mullen Lintas CEO Hari Krishnan said “If Lowe Lintas is like an aircraft carrier in the high seas – solid, powerful and battle-ready 24/7, then Mullen Lintas is a turbocharged, supercar with a V12 engine that has zoomed its way into the top 10 list, punching well above its weight and leaving behind some of its illustrious counterparts.”

    According to Krishnan, the creative firepower, pace, agility and intensity of Mullen Lintas is just what brands need in a marketing world that is mutating and evolving rapidly.

    Being scary and excited to embark new journey, Krishnan said, looking forward to partnering the amazingly talented and passionate gang of Mullenials.

    Donning the new role at Mullen Lintas, his mandate will be to further strengthen the agency's position and reputation in the industry.

    Krishnan has worked across multiple product categories and consumer segments with and experience of over 20 years in the advertising and marketing industry. Before his stint at Lowe Lintas, South, he was the CEO of MullenLowe Group, Sri Lanka where he led the acquisition and transformation of the agency leading it to become the Effie Agency of the Year back in 2015.

    From global brands to start-up brands, Krishnan has partnered a diverse portfolio and has led large multi-cultural teams and P&L operations successfully. He has experience working with brands such as GREY Global, JWT and was VP Marketing at Star TV, in the past.

    The key brands he has partnered include Unilever, Britannia, MRF, Flipkart, Swiggy, Phonepe, Tanishq, Fastrack, Titan, Arvind Brands, Parle, Ferrero Rocher, 3M, DELL, Ford, Maruti Suzuki, Audi, Future Group amongst others.

    Under his watch at Lowe Lintas, Bangalore, the agency has seen a slew of new business acquisitions such as PhonePe, Xiaomi, ShareChat, MedLife, Cure.fit, Lenskart, Cricbuzz, 3M Scotch Brite, Manipal Healthcare, Britannia Timepass, Shell Lubricants, etc.

  • Madison Media Group elevates Vinay Hegde as chief buying officer

    Madison Media Group elevates Vinay Hegde as chief buying officer

    MUMBAI: Madison Media has announced the promotion of Vinay Hegde as chief buying officer. He will report to Amol Dighe, CEO, Madison Media Ultra and head of investments. Madison Media’s buying teams across offices will now report to Hegde. Hegde takes over from Neelkamal Sharma, who has decided to pursue opportunities outside Madison Media. 

    Hegde has been with Madison Media for three years as senior VP buying and is a part of Madison’s central buying team since 2016, and worked across agency’s clients. Hegde has over 25 years of experience, having worked at Mindshare Fulcrum for over 10 years, where he handled buying for the Unilever business. He has also worked with Disney as director, revenue strategy, in addition to having worked at Starcom, HTA and Percept.

    Madison Media & OOH Group CEO Vikram Sakhuja says, “I am delighted to have Vinay head our buying. He brings analytic and strategic strength to our buying function, and is ideally suited to discover new buying and trading models in this highly dynamic media environment. I would also like to thank Neel for his contribution to Madison over the years.”

    Commenting on this development, Dighe says, "I am confident that Vinay will enhance and strengthen Madison’s buying and deliver more value to clients through his strong negotiation skills and market Madison Media Group is a part of Madison World which also has specialist units in advertising, business analytics, out-of-home, PR, mobile, retail, sports and entertainment; employing over 1,000 communication professionals across India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh. He has an excellent rapport with Media Partners and his understanding of the Indian television environment is second to none. Always goes for a win-win.”

    Madison Media has had a great run this awards season having won, Marketing Team of the Year for Asian Paints, at Indian Marketing Awards; Agency of the Year at Digies Digital Awards; Brand of the Year for Viacom 18 at DMA Echo Asia Awards; Mobile Agency of the Year at IDMA Digital Awards; in addition to winning over 150 awards since January 2019.
     

  • Kartik Vishwanathan moves to Mindshare China as investment strategy head

    Kartik Vishwanathan moves to Mindshare China as investment strategy head

    MUMBAI: Mindshare India strategic initiatives and integration head Kartik Vishwanathan has been elevated as Mindshare China investment strategy head, according to sources close to the development.

    The experienced professional joined Mindshare in 2009, completing a decade now in the media agency.  He has handled various responsibilities over this decade-long journey.

    Vishwanathan has also been a part of prestigious institutions like IIM Calcutta and MICA.