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Category: People

  • Navin Khemka to take over MediaCom South Asia as CEO

    Navin Khemka to take over MediaCom South Asia as CEO

    MUMBAI: Media agency MediaCom has appointed Navin Khemka as CEO of its South Asia operations effective 16 July 2018. Khemka takes on the role from Debraj Tripathy who will be leaving the organisation to explore new opportunities outside the group. He will be based in Delhi and report to the incoming GroupM South Asia CEs Sam Singh and Mediacom Asia Pacific CEO Mark Heap.

    Tripathy joined MediaCom in 2011 and under his leadership, MediaCom India has been among the fastest growing and most awarded agencies in South Asia. In recent years, MediaCom India was recognised among the top 10 agencies in the Gunn Media 100 Agency Report, named Agency of the Year at the Festival of Media Asia, and delivered many award-winning campaigns recognised as among the best in the world, including Ariel’s “Dads Share the Load”, Gillette’s “Bachelor of Shaving”, and Wrigley’s “Doublemint #Startsomethingfresh”.

    Khemka is currently the managing partner of North and East and new business development lead for the GroupM agency Wavemaker India. He has over 20 years’ experience, working with brands such as Perfetti Van Melle, Hero, Pernod Ricard, PayTM, Nokia, Samsung, Reckitt Benckiser etc. A MICA alumnus, Navin has played a stellar role in growing Maxus and later Wavemaker in New Delhi with his client-centric approach. He joined GroupM to lead the New Delhi branch of Maxus in 2014. He has previously worked in Zenith Optimedia, Cheil and Mudra.

    With the dynamic media landscape in India, Khemka’s challenge will be to drive relevance and effective ROI for the agency’s brands, including several blue-chip clients.

    MediaCom is a member of WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications services group, and part of GroupM, WPP’s consolidated media investment management arm.

    WPP India country manager CVL Srinivas says, “WPP and GroupM are making many investments into areas that will further enhance our market-leading capabilities in India and South Asia. We are excited to see Navin take on this role. With his experience and energy, we are sure he will take MediaCom to even further heights by leveraging all that our group has to offer, for the benefit of our clients. Debraj has done a terrific job leading MediaCom. He has been a fantastic colleague and a very admired leader.”

    Heap adds, “The search for a new leader has been an exciting one as there is no shortage of strong talent in India. We considered many candidates from within and outside the group and unanimously knew that Navin was the choice. In Navin, we have a leader with stellar raw talent and a real thirst for growth, who can capitalise on the enabling assets of the MediaCom global network and the strength of GroupM and WPP India.”

    MediaCom is one of the world’s leading media communications specialists, with billings of US$33 billion employing 7,000 people in 125 offices across 100 countries. Its global client roster includes Dell, Coca-Cola (TCCC), Mars, NBC Universal, P&G, PSA, Sony, Shell and Richemont.

  • Casio India brings in Jacqueline Fernandez as brand ambassador

    Casio India brings in Jacqueline Fernandez as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Renowned Japanese electronics company Casio India has roped in Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez on board as the brand ambassador for its women’s range of wrist watches, namely, Sheen, Baby-G and Enticer.

    Casio India vice president Kulbhushan Seth says, “Jacqueline is a fashion maven recognised for her distinct and vibrant choices. Her natural inclination towards lifestyle and fitness works as a perfect alignment with our extensive selection of women’s watches.”

    He further adds, “We view this collaboration as a crucial step in taking the women’s range of Casio watches to the next level and further strengthening our portfolio in the Indian market. With Jacqueline on-board and a growing range of women’s watches, we have an exciting line-up of activities and launches being planned.”

    Speaking on her new role and affinity for the brand, Jacqueline mentions, “I have always admired and connected with Casio’s modern, efficient and extraordinary designs across its wide collection of women’s watches. Completely in sync with the latest international trends, Casio has something for every occasion and style, we can go from sporty and fun casual with Baby-G to sophisticated and subtle with Sheen and everyday stylish with Enticer. I am thrilled to be a part of Casio’s journey in India, a brand that has such a rich legacy of designing iconic timepieces.”

     

  • NITI Aayog signs Sushant Singh Rajput as brand ambassador

    NITI Aayog signs Sushant Singh Rajput as brand ambassador

    NEW DELHI: TV actor-turned-Bollywood star and entrepreneur Sushant Singh Rajput has been signed on by India’s NITI Aayog as brand ambassador and collaborator for Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP).

    Star of cricketer MS Dhoni biopic, Rajput, who began his acting career in television serials, will also be promoting NITI Aayog’s digital payments campaign. The actor will endorse the WEP and encourage use of Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) application by appearing in various video, print and social media campaigns of NITI Aayog.

    “NITI Aayog has always emphasised the importance of reaching out to the youth and inviting them to engage with the various policies of the government. Sushant Singh Rajput, through his work and as a youth icon, embodies the energetic and spirited masses shaping the country’s growth narrative today. As a brand ambassador of WEP, which already includes over a 1,000 women entrepreneurs, this partnership will further drive our mission to establish a vibrant, enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem for the women of the country,”NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Friday, highlighting the importance of including young role-models in popularizing government initiatives.

    Commenting on his association with NITI Aayog, Rajput said, “I am honoured to be associated with NITI Aayog and be a part of India’s transformative journey. NITI Aayog is doing incredible work by empowering thousands of women in our country through the Women Entrepreneurship Platform and revolutionising the cashless economy by introducing a simple digital payments app, BHIM.  As a brand ambassador, it gives me an opportunity to drive the digital India movement and support women entrepreneurs in India.”

    As part of the agreement, the actor would also be supporting NITI Aayog in promoting the Women Transforming India Awards 2018, the theme for which is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’.

    Rajput and his partner Varun Mathur, through their recently launched company Innsaei Ventures, shall be setting aside a corpus of Rs 200 million, which shall be invested in startups established by women entrepreneurs.

    The WEP was launched on 8 March 2018 on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses.

  • Saurabh Varma joins INOX Leisure Ltd as Chief marketing officer

    Saurabh Varma joins INOX Leisure Ltd as Chief marketing officer

    MUMBAI: Industry veteran, Saurabh Varma joins INOX Leisure Ltd as Chief marketing officer. With 21 years of industry experience, Saurabh has donned many hats such as of a  Film Director, Film Marketeer & Distributor, Content creator and many more. Prior to his current role, Saurabh was an entrepreneur and under his banner, he has directed many feature films, digital films, music videos etc, notable being Mickey Virus. He has also worked in Reliance Entertainment as Chief Marketing Officer and PVR Cinemas as marketing and Corporate Communications head. This is his second stint with INOX, he used to work as Programming and Distribution head with the company in his first stint.

  • Twinkle Khanna joins Kohler

    Twinkle Khanna joins Kohler

    MUMBAI: Kohler Company, the global leader in kitchen and bath industry, partnered with interior designer, author and former Bollywood actress Twinkle Khanna for its latest campaign, ‘Colours by Kohler’.

    The campaign is meant to inspire people to bring colours in the bath space with confidence through decorative and coloured Kohler products. With this campaign, the brand is introducing its newly launched faucet finishes and coloured vessels with a still shoot and a behind-the-scenes video featuring the actor.

    Through evocative imagery captured by veteran photographer Suresh Natarajan, the still-shoot aims to bring out the vibrancy of Colours. Each product is showcased in an environment which complements its design story. The setting for the MarrakeshTM is a Moroccan courtyard while an earthy setting with details like patterned mud walls, parched and cracked earth have been used to showcase the earthy, copper tones of the Derring.

    Khanna says, “This campaign really spoke to the designer in me. If you think about it, white and chrome have been synonymous with bathrooms. But that doesn’t have to be the case. There is a lot you can do. Especially, the collection that I worked with, it is absolutely stunning as to what Kohler has done with decorative and colourful sinks and faucets by transforming them into artistic statements. The shoot managed to capture the theme of the campaign quite beautifully. They reflected the central idea of the campaign be it the Moroccan courtyard or an ironsmith’s furnace, you could see the inspiration behind the products coming alive.”

    Khanna is no stranger to the Interior décor industry. She is the founder and co-CEO of The White Window interior designs, and is the recipient of an acclaimed international award.

    Kohler president Salil Sadanandan adds, “It has been inspirational to work with Khanna and Suresh Natarajan, both experts in their creative fields. Moreover, Khanna’s experience in the interior design industry makes her a perfect fit for our brand. We created some beautiful settings around our products to bring them alive giving our consumers a glimpse of what could be achieved with exciting colours from Kohler in the bath space.”

    The decorative products featured in the shoot are an exclusive range of sink designs featuring elegant materials with unique, hand-crafted patterns. This extension significantly expands the options for home-owners who are seeking a unique, decorated lavatory.

  • Treebo appoints Nishant Gupta as head of brand & marketing

    Treebo appoints Nishant Gupta as head of brand & marketing

    MUMBAI: Treebo Hotels, a budget hotel chain, has appointed Nishant Gupta as the head of brand and marketing. It has an inventory of 10,000 rooms and 400 hotels in over 85 cities.

    Gupta is a marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in brand and category building. At Treebo, he will spearhead the strategic initiatives to establish the startup as India’s most loved travel brand.

    Prior to joining Treebo, Gupta worked at Marico as the group product head for the male grooming category. In this role, he was responsible for managing the P&L of the product portfolio for this category by developing compelling brand campaigns as well developing a strong innovation pipeline. His brand building efforts helped achieve remarkable success for the company for brands like Parachute, Set Wet, and Nihar, many of which saw double digit growth year on year.

    Treebo Hotels co-founder Sidharth Gupta says, “Nishant’s expertise in building similar industry-leading consumer brands will help us in this mission. We are excited to onboard him into the leadership team. There are several brand related initiatives in the pipeline which he will be now leading for us. He will also shape the upcoming legs of the marketing campaign that we launched last year.”

    Gupta adds, “Treebo has crafted a unique identity in the budget hotel space in a very short span of time. The brand has an unmatched appeal and respect in the market. I am really excited about this opportunity and to be a part of a rewarding journey to build Treebo as the most loved hospitality brand in the country. While this category is cluttered and highly competitive, I believe that our brand building initiatives will keep us ahead in the game and top of mind for customers.”

    Founded in 2015, Treebo Hotels offers high-quality travel experience to its customers by providing comfortable and value-for-money accommodation options. 

    Treebo works on a franchise model with carefully selected, existing, standalone hotels. Treebo aims at enriching lives of every traveller by delivering a delightful experience.

  • Kalyan Jewellers brings Shweta Bachchan on board

    Kalyan Jewellers brings Shweta Bachchan on board

    MUMBAI: After having Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan as brand ambassadors for the longest time, jewellery brand, Kalyan Jewellers, has roped in Shweta Bachchan Nanda as an influencer. She will feature in the brand’s latest TV campaign along with her father Amitabh Bachchan, who has been Kalyan Jewellers’ global brand ambassador since 2012. 

    Headquartered in Thrissur in the state of Kerala, Kalyan Jewellers is one of the largest jewellery manufacturer distributors in India. Starting with the first jewellery showroom in 1993, Kalyan Jewellers has enjoyed a long-standing presence in India for over two decades.

    The father-daughter duo will enact the special bond they share on film for the first time. The ad film, scripted by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by GB Vijay from Sculptors Production, narrates the story of a father and daughter, while also echoing the values of trust and transparency, that the brand stands for.

    Nanda, who recently announced her upcoming book, is also known within close circles as a designer. On board Kalyan Jewellers, Nanda will be the face of many customer-centric initiatives of the brand. Renowned for her sartorial elegance, she will also bring her unique style sensibilities by curating signature collections for the brand. 

    Kalyan Jewellers executive director Ramesh Kalyanaraman says, “We are extremely delighted that Shweta has consented to participate in a Kalyan Jewellers brand TV campaign. We have had a long association with the illustrious Bachchan family, with both Mr and Mrs Bachchan representing the brand globally. We believe that audience will love to see the film wherein, both, Shri Amitabh Bachchan and Shweta play the role of a father and daughter, in an ad film for the first time. As a brand, Kalyan has always celebrated the bonds of family and relationships and the new film epitomises family values. Shweta’s design inputs will also augment Kalyan’s chic and trendy signature collections.’’

    The TVC, which is also being shot in Malayalam will have Manju Warrier playing the role of Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter. The advertisement is expected to go on air in July.

    Kalyan has been present in the GCC since 2013 and has operations in the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. It has set industry benchmarks in quality, transparent pricing and innovation. Kalyan offers an array of traditional and contemporary jewellery designs in gold, diamonds and precious stones catering to the distinct needs of the customers.  

    Today, Kalyan Jewellers has 122 showrooms across India and West Asia. Kalyan Jewellers continues to adhere to the founding principles of its forefathers of pursuing fair and ethical business practices.

  • Payback appoints Rijish Raghavan as COO

    Payback appoints Rijish Raghavan as COO

    Mumbai: Payback, India’s largest multi-brand loyalty program, today has announced the appointment of Rijish Raghavan as the new chief operating officer to oversee its India operations. Raghavan will also continue to lead business development and partner management portfolios while taking on additional responsibilities that would encompass business intelligence and compliance.

    He has over two decades of experience in leadership roles across industries. He believes in taking the organisation to the next level with expansion across new service categories and customer segments.

    Speaking on his new role Raghavan said, “I have been fortunate to be part of Payback’s journey in India and am excited to take on this new role that will help drive the next phase of growth for the business and will help the brand achieve many milestones. I am committed to bring in new ideas that will lead to the fulfilment of business objectives of our shareholders and partners along with creating more rewarding experiences for our members.”

    Prior to Payback, Raghavan was associated with companies like American Express and Cox & Kings. He has been instrumental in leading business development and driving growth for Payback in the country for last four years. He holds a post graduate diploma in business management from Xavier’s Institute of Management and has a deep understanding of marketing, analytics and technology functions.

    Also Read:

    Payback adopts new brand positioning with ‘Nothing is pointless’ campaign

    Oxigen Wallet partners Payback to maximise customer benefits  

    Payback inks strategic partnership with MobiKwik

  • Prashant Peres takes on global role at Mondelez, Anil Viswanathan to fill his shoes

    Prashant Peres takes on global role at Mondelez, Anil Viswanathan to fill his shoes

    MUMBAI: Mondelēz International has made some key elevations in the company, with Prashant Peres, previously director – marketing for chocolates, Mondelez India, moving into a new regional role of senior director for chocolate equity and innovations, AMEA, Mondelēz International.

    Furthermore, in line with the company’s ongoing commitment to develop and groom internal talent, it has announced the appointment of Anil Viswanathan as the new director of marketing for chocolates Mondelez India, succeeding Prashant. 

    Serving as the director of marketing for chocolates Mondelez India since 2015, Prashant has been instrumental in leading the chocolate category turnaround, achieving double digit growth despite external economic challenges, such as the sudden currency demonetisation and GST implementation. He is credited for launching various successful innovations under Mondelez India’s chocolate portfolio, including a made-in-India innovation like Cadbury Dairy Milk Lickables in 2017, which is now a global best practice. Mondelez India is the undisputed chocolate category leader in the country and is currently in its all-time high, with respect to market share. 

    Stepping into Prashant’s role is Anil Viswanathan who has been with Mondelez India for about 18 years. His journey in the company has taken him into regional and global roles and into different categories including chocolate and biscuits. He has progressed through various product, brand management, and category marketing roles. Most recently, he was part of the global chocolate team driving chocolate innovation based out of Zurich, Switzerland. One of his achievements, during his stint here as senior innovation platform manager has been the launch of Cadbury 5Star globally, which is now present in three continents including markets like Brazil, South Africa and Southeast Asia. Viswanathan has also been instrumental in the launch of Cadbury Fuse in India, in 2016. 

    His close to two-decade long connection with the chocolate category and understanding of the Indian market will ensure Mondelez India’s continued reign as the undisputed market leader in the chocolate category in the country.

    Mondelēz International is building the best snacking company in the world, with 2017 net revenues of approximately $26 billion.

    Headquartered in Mumbai, the company has sales offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and manufacturing facilities at Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in addition to a vast distribution network across the country.

  • Baggit bags Shraddha Kapoor as brand ambassador

    Baggit bags Shraddha Kapoor as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Baggit, India’s most-loved bag and accessories brand, has signed up popular Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor as its brand ambassador. In her new role, Kapoor will be associated with Baggit for the years 2018 and 2019. The association with Kapoor, a popular youth icon, reflects Baggit’s drive towards staying on point with the expectations of today’s young millennials and yet retaining relevance with its existing customer base.

    Kapoor is one of Bollywood’s leading stars and has received both critical and popular acclaim for her choice of films. She is known for her sense of style and her trendsetting looks, much sought-after by today’s Gen Next. Baggit’s latest collection has been put together by Baggit MD and chief design curator Nina Lekhi and mirrors the vibrant personality and joie-de-vivre of its new brand ambassador. Baggit is currently present in 100 cities across India in 52 exclusive outlets as well as in 1000 plus multi-brand retail doors.

    Lekhi says, “Shraddha is a great fit for Baggit. She personifies Baggit’s key proposition of beauty with strength. A fashion icon and a powerhouse of talent, Shraddha’s vibrant, exciting and vivacious personality makes for a perfect fit with the style and panache that Baggit has become synonymous with. We at Baggit believe in adapting and staying in tune with the changing trends and demands of our customers and our association with Shraddha is a perfect example of this. Baggit and Shraddha together are a power-packed combination for the gen-next customers.”

    Elaborating on her brand association Kapoor said, “My bag is an essential must-have accessory for me. I never leave anywhere without it. And Baggit has just opened a world of amazing designs, colours and strong bags. I love it! I totally love their designs and completely relate to their philosophy of different bag for every different occasion. It’s a must-have for today’s woman on the go, especially since we tend to carry our world in our handbags. This is exactly what Baggit offers. I am really looking forward to our association.”

    An environmentally conscious vegan brand, Baggit emphasises on the use of eco-friendly materials as well.