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Category: People

  • Seenu Kurien joins Carnival Cinemas as VP sales and marketing

    Seenu Kurien joins Carnival Cinemas as VP sales and marketing

    MUMBAI: Carnival Cinemas, a motion picture exhibitor, today announced the appointment of Seenu Kurien as VP- sales and marketing. At Carnival Cinemas, Kurien will be heading sales and marketing functions and will be responsible for ad sales – off screen and onscreen, marketing, branding, alliances and PR.

    Commenting on her new innings with Carnival Cinemas, Kurien said, “I have long admired Carnival Cinemas for its commitment to its vision and excited to be a part of making this vision a reality. I am delighted and look forward to working with the teams to further the brand.”

    Kurien has over 13 years of work experience in sales, strategy, branding and operations. She has worked across industries including media and construction in various functional roles in emerging (India) and developed markets (USA). Before joining Carnival, she was national head – exhibitions with Bennett Coleman (The Times of India) and was responsible for creating joint exhibition IPs, and driving ad revenues via exhibitions to all print products across all markets nationally & internationally.

    Prior to becoming national head for exhibitions, she was a regional sales head and was responsible for advertising space sales, developing partnerships, agency relations, providing integrated marketing solutions and identifying new business opportunities. She also had stints in corporate strategy and branding.

    Speaking on the appointment, Carnival Group founder and chairman Shrikant Bhasi said, “We are incredibly pleased to welcome Seenu to our Carnival family and executive leadership team.The entertainment business is seeing huge growth and we are confident that Seenu’s experience will help the company build the next phase of growth. Her extensive experience in media will be extremely useful as the group moves towards leadership position in the film exhibition sector.”

    She has also spent a considerable amount of time working in the real estate and construction sector in the US handling project management, contract management & operations.

  • Do-iT Talent Ventures signs badminton star Saina Nehwal

    Do-iT Talent Ventures signs badminton star Saina Nehwal

    MUMBAI:  Do-iT Talent Venture, the firm owned by Darshana Bhalla and Radha Kapoor Khanna, reinforces its sport portfolio with the 4th most famous global woman athlete Saina Nehwal.

    Do-iT Venture has signed badminton player Saina Nehwal for the long term purpose for all her commercial and player endeavours which also includes sponsorships, endorsements, publishing, appearances, digital rights amongst others.

    Nehwal is one of India’s top badminton players and earlier she was the flag bearer of the Indian badminton contingent for the longest time. Bronze in 2012 Olympics and Commonwealth gold in 2010 and 2018 are some of the highlights of her illustrious career. She is the only Indian woman to be ranked number one in the world. In 2016 she was awarded India’s third highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan.

    Do-iT Talent Ventures (India) CEO and Founder Darshana Bhalla said, “Right at the advent of Do-iT Talent Ventures, we expressed that we believe in talent across various arenas and having Saina Nehwal as one of our lead talent illustrates our passion and enthusiasm towards Sports. Saina is a renowned champion and her dedication and commitment resonates ours, hence collectively we look forward to do some exemplary work. We believe in optimising our talent’s potential by putting together a robust strategy followed by an intently structured micro action plan”.

    Nehwal added, “As an individual, I have always attempted to work with experts. I am sure that Do-iT Talent Ventures’ proficiency in understanding my sport and its potential influence will be highly impactful for me and my career. They hold high repute and have aligned work ethics with me. The team has immense experience in managing top talent across fields and I am excited about this association.”

    In a short span of three months Do-iT Talent Ventures has signed a number of celebrities across entertainment and sports like Farhan Akhtar, John Abraham, Lara Dutta, Kajal Aggarwal, Neeraj Pandey Samir Kochhar and Vicky Ratnani in Culinary. In sports, they have Virender Sehwag, Mahesh Bhupathi, Geeta Phogat, Ashwini Ponnappa, Robin Singh, Viren Rasquinha and Aparna Popat.

  • Dale Vaz joins Swiggy as head of engineering and data sciences

    Dale Vaz joins Swiggy as head of engineering and data sciences

    MUMBAI: Swiggy the food ordering and delivery company based out of Bangalore India, has recently announced Dale Vaz as the head of engineering and data science. In his new role Vaz will be responsible for driving the company’s technology strategy and building Swiggy’s next generation AI-driven platform for hyperlocal discovery and on-demand delivery. Vaz will report directly to Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety.

    Dale will work closely with Swiggy CTO Rahul Jaimini and Swiggy’s fast-growing technology team.

    Commenting on his appointment Majety said, “Dale is a technology leader with proven abilities to innovate and develop new products.”

    “As Swiggy continues to leverage technology to make the lives of consumers more convenient, Dale’s expertise will help us move faster and more effectively towards that vision,” he added.

    Vaz said, “I am thrilled to be joining Swiggy at such an exciting juncture, Swiggy is India’s largest and fastest growing platform for hyperlocal discovery and on- demand delivery. I look forward to working with the Swiggy tech team as we build innovative products for our customers and drive both the industry and Swiggy forward.”

    Dale joins Swiggy after 11 years at Amazon.com. In his most recent role as the director of software engineering at Amazon India he led functions across verticals such as consumer tech, mobile engineering, payments engineering, new initiatives and data engineering. At Swiggy, he will extend this expertise to deliver a delightful consumer experience across the numerous new initiatives the company is currently working on.

    Dale holds a BE in Computer Science from MIT, Manipal and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    This is another step in strengthening its senior leadership for Swiggy which recently hired P&G veteran Vivek Sunder as its chief operating officer.

  • Piyush Prasad joins Harley-Davidson India

    Piyush Prasad joins Harley-Davidson India

    MUMBAI: Piyush Prasad has joined Harley-Davidson India as manager for market operations, based out of Gurugram. In this position, he will report to Peter Mackenzie who is the managing director for Harley-Davidson India and China.

    Prasad will oversee motorcycle, general merchandise, parts and accessories, service and customer experience performance within the Indian market. He will be responsible for balancing and aligning market-level, retail business growth with enterprise objectives, while delivering consistent service and support to Harley-Davidson dealers.

    Prasad says, “India is a very important market for Harley-Davidson and I’m excited about the opportunity to help lead the motor company’s growth here.”

    Before joining Harley-Davidson, Prasad worked with Renault India as national head of corporate, fleet, and institutional sales. Prior to that, he was with General Motors India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hyundai Motors. He brings with him more than 17 years’ experience in the automotive industry.

    Since 1903, Harley-Davidson Motor Company has fulfilled dreams of personal freedom with cruiser, touring and custom motorcycles, riding experiences and events, and a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise, riding gear and apparel.

  • Apple India’s three senior executives quit

    Apple India’s three senior executives quit

    MUMBAI: Adding to the turbulent journey of telecom giant Apple in India, three senior executives have decided to quit the company. Apple India head of national sales and distribution Rahul Puri, national sales head of telecom Manish Sharma and head of operator business and iPhone sales Jayant Gupta are all set to leave the company. 

    The senior sales executives are said to be leaving Apple as the company is struggling to sell its products in India and with further arrangements made to its distribution system by the company’s new head of India operations Michel Coulomb.

    Coulomb wants to discontinue three of its distributors in India by March 2019 and continue with only two national distributors, out of the five the company has.

    Even though India is the world’s second largest smartphone market, the iPhone maker is struggling with sales in India and accounts for only two per cent market share in the country. In 2017, Apple managed to sell only 3.2 million iPhones. 

    Michel has been reported to be struggling with his new job in making business relationships in the Indian market as it continues to remain a market where people still prefer/can afford a mid-range handset. 

    Apple’s new India chief Michael Coulomb is taking steps to change Apple’s pricing and sales strategies in India. The new India head has decided on blacklisting and cutting off supply to small scale retailers that buy the products from wholesalers to eventually sell it at a discounted price. 

  • EliteMatrimony signs R Madhavan

    EliteMatrimony signs R Madhavan

    MUMBAI: The premium matchmaking service for the upper crust in India, EliteMatrimony, has launched a new TV commercial starring actor R Madhavan.

    EliteMatrimony, pioneered by BharatMatrimony in 2008, has in the last 10 years helped 1000s of rich and affluent Indians across the world to find a life partner. Today, it has the largest database of over 1.5 lakh elite profiles including celebrities, industrialists, high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, civil service professionals and top notch management professionals.

    It’s a discreet and confidential service offered by trained relationship managers who handpick matches based on status and lifestyle of members and also facilitate meetings with prospective partners.

    Elaborating on his association, actor R Madhavan, says “I’m excited to be the brand ambassador for EliteMatrimony, the premium matchmaking service for the elite. I feel finding a life partner that matches one’s aspirations, lifestyle and stature is key to happiness at home and more importantly professional success. And the elite will be happy with help for the same.”

    Matrimony.com CEO Murugavel Janakiraman says, “The elite have a unique challenge of finding a personal and lifestyle match that fits their aspirations and stature. Businessmen, celebrities and entrepreneurs succeed professionally because they’re experts in their area and likewise EliteMatrimony is a matchmaking expert offering wider choices and better matches for the rich and the affluent. Actor Madhavan known for his unique portrayal in cinema, elegance and pan India appeal was a perfect fit for us to showcase the exclusive EliteMatrimony matchmaking service.”

    Primary Colours creative agency director Roshni Chandran adds, “We looked at the challenges faced by affluent parents in finding a match for their daughter or son and scripted a story around it. In collaboration with the client, who chose actor Madhavan, we took a direct approach of recommendation of the service by the celebrity.”

    The TV commercial is being aired on leading channels. 

    Matrimony.com is India’s first pure play consumer internet company to be publicly listed. It is a signature consumer internet conglomerate, managing marquee brands such as BharatMatrimony, CommunityMatrimony and EliteMatrimony. BharatMatrimony is the largest and most trusted matrimony brand which has also established a considerable retail presence with over 140 self-owned retail outlets across India. The company delivers matchmaking and marriage-related services to users in India and the Indian diaspora worldwide.

  • IdeateLabs beefs up leadership team with two senior appointments

    IdeateLabs beefs up leadership team with two senior appointments

    MUMBAI: Digital marketing agency IdeateLabs has appointed Ruchika Kumar and Pallavi Naidu as business heads at its Mumbai office. Together, they will focus on expanding the agency’s business verticals through geographies, managing project P&Ls, forging existing and new business partnerships, building digital brand strategy and innovating branded concepts across social platforms.

    Kumar’s key responsibilities involve creating and managing new digital assets and launching new IPs while amping up the white label content. Pallavi will engineer Ideatelabs’ growing overseas expansion in Singapore.

    IdeateLabs director Vrutika Dawda says, “I am delighted to welcome Ruchika and Pallavi on board. Together, they come with a rich experience spanning over a decade each across marketing, digital and broadcast media. Ruchika who was associated with Pepsi MTV Indies, will now develop and create new IPs and white label products for IdeateLabs, while Pallavi who was in Singapore for over a decade, working with agencies like O&M and Leo Burnett, will now focus on our geographic expansion.”

    Commenting on her new role Kumar said, “As building and running new businesses have been my forte, I’m glad to get the opportunity to create new digital assets and launch innovative IPs at IdeateLabs. Giving an idea or a brand’s promise a-live form and getting it closer to its customers in form is something I have always enjoyed and excelled at doing.”

    Naidu explains, “I’m excited to oversee IdeateLabs’ overseas expansion. And, in addition to spearheading the strategic vision of the agency across all verticals, I look forward to creating more industry leading work. Having worked with renowned brands across diverse geographies, I have gained significant insight into working in culturally diverse environments. I’m excited to work with the young professionals at IdeateLabs.”

    Vrutika further adds, “They will be pivotal in the expansion strategies of IdeateLabs. As an agency that’s fast growing we believe in empowering women to reach leadership positions, the idea is to develop and accelerate the careers of senior women in the advertising industry.”

    IdeateLabs is a full-service digital marketing company with offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Dubai. The agency benefits from a client roster that exceeds 50 well-known Indian and international names such as Sterling & Wilson, AutoDesk, Hiranandani Communities, Brand Factory, Future Brands, Edelweiss Tokio, Hafele, Kalpataru, Elica and Franklin Templeton among others.

  • Syska Group appoints Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador

    Syska Group appoints Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Syska Group, a home grown brand, which has entered the wires and cables segment in India, has recently taken Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador with campaigns to kick start on television screens very soon. 

    “We can see exponential opportunities for the wires and cables business in India. The household wire segment is a Rs 12,000-crore market and the segment is expected to boom with growing demand for power and light. This is further fuelled by low penetration of organised players in the Indian market. We at Syska are committed to bring to India world class wires and cables that can cater to the masses. We will continue to contribute towards the make in India initiative of the government and are proud to generate employment under Skill India initiative,” said Syska Group director Rajesh Uttamchandani.

    It will soon make an investment of Rs 30 crore in three months towards aggressive marketing campaigns starting July 2018 for the launch of wires and cables business. The company aims to make Syska synonymous with wires and cables category like it is to LED.

  • McCann terminates global CCO Jeremy Perrot

    McCann terminates global CCO Jeremy Perrot

    MUMBAI: Based on employee complaints for violating the company’s code of conduct, McCann Health’s global chief creative officer Jeremy Perrott has been terminated. This marks the second termination of a prominent global industry figure this week based on employee complaints, following Ogilvy’s firing of Tham Khai Meng.

    A person with knowledge of the matter said the complaint surrounded allegations of “offensive and inappropriate language”, according to Campaign India.

    Perrott has been with the Interpublic Group company for nearly three decades was let go in the days leading up to the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

    A statement from McCann reads, “We received a complaint about a violation of our Code of Conduct by McCann Health’s Jeremy Perrott. As a result, following an investigation, he is no longer with the company.

    “Our foremost priority is to foster a workplace where people are respected and valued, and importantly, an environment where people feel safe and protected to come forward to report actions that run counter to our values and code of conduct,” the company added.

    McCann Health is in the process of replacing Perrott. Other members of his former leadership team are taking on his responsibilities in the interim.

  • Zomato announces Rohithari Rajan as new global head Ad Sales Business

    Zomato announces Rohithari Rajan as new global head Ad Sales Business

    MUMBAI: In a recent development,  Zomato has appointed Rohithari Rajan as business head, global ad sales. Prior to joining Zomato, Rajan was leading Egon Zehnder digital practice in the Asia Pacific, and consumer, retail and media practice in India.

    Earlier Rajan was a principal in the New Delhi office of the international consulting firm Bain and Company, where he advised clients across consumer products, private equity, telecom, and industrial goods in organisational and growth strategy, go-to-market strategy, and new business development. 

    Zomato Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said, “I worked with Rohit while I was at Bain, and learned a lot from him in my time there. Rohit has played an instrumental role in driving growth at all of the previous organisations he’s been at, and we’re thrilled to leverage his knowledge and experience to strengthen our ad sales business globally.”

    Commenting on his new role, Zomato global head, ad sales Rohithari Rajan says, “Zomato is arguably one of the most resilient and innovative companies in its space. I’m delighted to be a part of Zomato and look forward to working with this team towards our mission of delivering better food to more people across the world.”

    Rohit is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and studied economics at Delhi University. He is also the author of IIM-Ganjdundwara, a short novel based in rural India

    Rajan has also spent six years at Hindustan Unilever, where he helped set up Shakti, a business initiative that doubled Unilever’s direct reach in rural India. As a rural business specialist, he also worked with the United Nations Development Program in New York, developing a toolkit for pro-poor business models to deliver development goods in low-income regions, and helping the UNDP formulate its strategy for private sector engagement.