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Category: People

  • JWT names Carlton D’Silva as Hungama Digital Services CEO

    JWT names Carlton D’Silva as Hungama Digital Services CEO

    MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson South Asia (JWT) has named Carlton D’Silva as Hungama Digital Services (HDS) chief executive officer (CEO) effective immediately. D’Silva will be reporting into JWT South Asia CEO Tarun Rai, while continuing to lead HDS’ creative leadership as its chief creative officer.

     

    In his new role, D’Silva will be responsible for leading the growth at HDS and further enhancing its creative output. He will partner Rai to seamlessly integrate and deliver on JWT South Asia’s creative vision to offer the best value proposition to its clients. He will have complete oversight of all six offices of HDS, including Hungama Promo Marketing.

     

    Rai said, “Carlton is a dynamic, creative leader with strategic capabilities, which makes him an ideal choice to head HDS. He is young, ambitious and has the drive to take HDS to the next level.”

     

    “We are delighted to elevate Carlton as the CEO of HDS. Apart from being one of the most experienced digital advertising professionals in India, Carlton has demonstrated tremendous leadership qualities in leading a team of top performers who have won accolades for their clients and given them innovative and sustainable solutions with impactful and engaging consumer interactions. In his new role, Carlton will prepare our clients from leveraging creative digital activations and transform their communities to transactions. I wish him all the very best, always,” said HDS director on-board Neeraj Roy.

     

    D’Silva added, “Hungama Digital Services has evolved over the years and I have been privileged to be a part of this journey. We are at a sweet spot when it comes to Digital Marketing. HDS has proved that we have always stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to new ways of communication and I do believe we will keep surprising everyone through innovations and ideas. I hope to make good on the learnings over the years, take HDS to greater heights and set the benchmark in digital communication through technology and collaboration.”

     

    D’Silva joined HDS in its early days in 1999 and was instrumental in creating the brand it is today. With an agile and dynamic team of visualizers, designers, and copy writers, he has been responsible for creating award winning ideas for brands across digital media in the form of social media activations, games, mobile apps, digital innovations and other forms of digital promotions for domestic and international clients.

  • Grey ups Subbaraju Alluri as CEO of Singapore & Thailand

    Grey ups Subbaraju Alluri as CEO of Singapore & Thailand

    MUMBAI: Grey Group Singapore has promoted Subbaraju Alluri to area director and CEO of Grey Group Singapore and Thailand.

     

    Alluri began his career in advertising as a management trainee in DDB Chennai. After stints at JWT and Rapp Collins, he joined Grey Group Indonesia. During his tenure, Alluri was instrumental in expanding the workforce and clinching big accounts like BMW, Indosat, Daihatsu and Wyeth.

     

    His leadership qualities and stellar performance prompted a move to head Grey Group Singapore’s local operations in 2005. He has been credited with boosting the agency’s profitability by leading the team to win major accounts such as Sentosa, Ministry of Manpower, Contact Singapore, LASALLE College of the Arts, GlaxoSmithKline, Norton, Vitagen, Wyeth, British Council, Al-Maha Airways (Regional) and Qatar Airways (global). He also made several strategic senior hires and increased the local team size by five times.

     

    “Raju’s aptitude and contribution has been invaluable. I am sure with his leadership and vision, he will transform Grey Group Thailand into becoming the agency of choice,” Grey Group Asia Pacific chairman & CEO Nirvik Singh.

     

    “It is truly an honour to be given the opportunity to lead the Thailand team, as well. I am looking forward to taking the agency to new and greater heights,” said Alluri.

     

  • Vineet Jain, AroonPurie, Uday Shankar and CVL Srinivas bag top honours at 3rd IAA Leadership Awards

    Vineet Jain, AroonPurie, Uday Shankar and CVL Srinivas bag top honours at 3rd IAA Leadership Awards

    MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India Chapter today announced the winners for the 3rd IAA Leadership Awards at a glittering ceremony held in Mumbai. The event, presided by Honourable Union Minister of State for Finance Sri Jayant Sinha, brought together the most creative and strategic minds from the world of Marketing, Media and Advertising industry as they competed against each other for the coveted awards.

    The 3rd IAA Leadership Awards celebrated the hard-work and efforts put in by professionals from across industries that have enabled their brand promise and message to further their respective brands’ propositions with consumers.

    Congratulating the winners, Chief Guest for the evening, the HonorableUnion Minister of State for Finance Sri Jayant Sinha said, “It is an honour to be present in a room full of achievers. Politics much is like marketing in many ways. In my experience I have learnt that Indian consumers are a very different lot, very different from consumers internationally. They are emotional, relational and definitely need value for money – paisa vasool is a must. So when we are speaking to the Indian consumers as marketers, much as we in politics do, we need to keep these aspects in mind. Having said that, I would like to congratulate the winnerstonight, and hope they celebrate their success over years to come.”

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Srinivasan K Swamy, President of IAA’s India Chapter said, “It is wonderful to be in the amidstof a collection of individuals who are seekers of excellence. I am humbled and proud at the same time. Humbled, because I am in the midst of a distinguished audience and proud, because this is only the third year of IAA Leadership Awards and it has already established itself as an industry standard. I would like to thank for the support I received from Raj Nayak for putting steam behind an award that the industry looks forward to.”

    The 3rd IAA Leadership Awards were presented by COLORS. Speaking about the initiative, Raj Nayak, CEO – COLORS said, “IAA is undoubtedly the best platform in the industry bringing together creative minds, and the IAA Leadership Awards celebrates the leaders who empower like-minded individuals to push their boundaries with great campaigns and hard work. Associating with the event is an absolute honour and we would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to the winners for their contribution towards the development of the industry. We look forward to further our association with IAA and continue to applaud the efforts put in by professionals on this national platform.”

    Kaushik Roy, President – Brand Strategy & Marketing Communication, Reliance IndustriesLimited, announced the Hall of Fame award to I Venkat – Director, Eenadu Group along with the Srinivasan K Swamy and the Chief Guest – Jayant Sinha. He ended the proceedings by thanking all the winners, the judges and the hosts and the Chief Guest for gracing the occasion and making it a memorable evening.

     

  • OMD ropes in MEC’s Stephen Li as Asia Pacific CEO

    OMD ropes in MEC’s Stephen Li as Asia Pacific CEO

    MUMBAI: OMD has appointed Stephen Li to lead the Asia Pacific region as its CEO. Li will replace Steve Blakeman, OMD’s current regional CEO who will be relocating to OMD in London in a senior, global role.

     

    Li’s appointment will be effective from October 2015.

     

    Li will be joining OMD from MEC where he is currently the regional CEO for Asia Pacific. Li has over two decades of experience in advertising, media and marketing communications. After holding senior roles with Batey and Lowe, and a role heading up WPP’s team HSBC in the region, Li moved to the media side of the business with MEC in 2005, where he quickly established a reputation of delivering profitability, efficiency and building a culture of positive change.

     

    Omnicom Media Group CEO Asia Pacific Cheuk Chiang said, “We conducted an extensive and intensive search across the region to find OMD’s next leader, someone who is not only experienced, but capable of taking the OMD brand to the next level. Stephen’s proven track record in building strong client partnerships, driving digital growth, evangelizing creativity and inspiring teams is the perfect combination needed to ensure that a powerful brand like OMD stays at the forefront.”

     

    On outgoing CEO, Steve Blakeman, Chiang added, “Steve has driven four years of continued success for OMD on all fronts – growth, thought leadership and creativity. OMD is currently one of the most awarded agencies in the region with a great competitive edge. He could not have left the brand in a stronger place and we can’t thank him enough for his leadership.”

     

    “Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world and vitally important as we continue to build a strong and consistent offering for our clients. The appointment of a leader of Stephen’s calibre will ensure OMD’s accelerated growth. Stephen’s strong client relationship skills and passion for innovation will be invaluable to OMD and I welcome him to the OMD family. Steve over the past few years has made countless contributions to our organisation and we are thankful for his leadership,” said OMD CEO Worldwide Mainardo de Nardis.

     

    Li said, “OMD is a brand which epitomises creative communications planning, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the brand in Asia Pacific. It’s going to be an exciting future and I am committed to driving OMD’s continued growth and ambition in the region.”

     

    Li will be based in OMD’s regional headquarters in Singapore and he will report to Chiang and de Nardis.

  • Walmart India appoints Pankaj More as head of technology

    Walmart India appoints Pankaj More as head of technology

    MUMBAI: Walmart India has appointed Pankaj More as its head of technology.

     

    More will play a key role in strengthening Walmart India’s technology and IT infrastructure. He will report to Walmart India president and CEO Krish Iyer.

     

    Iyer said, “I am very pleased to have Pankaj as the head of technology at Walmart India. His depth of knowledge and global experience will bring a fresh perspective to our business. Pankaj is a strong addition to our Walmart India team.”

     

    More joined Wal-Mart in January 2013 and has been leading the ISD strategy for the Walmart Asia market (China, Japan & India) by driving financial transparency, creating technology roadmap, leveraging cost and implementing project governance.

     

    He comes with over 19 years of experience in IT spanning telecom, financial services, energy and now the retail domain. He has experience in technology development, engineering & ERP platforms, driving IT strategy for business, leading operations and providing leadership to cross-functional, diverse & global teams

  • WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe appoints new corporate practice leadership

    WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe appoints new corporate practice leadership

    MUMBAI: WPP’s brand communications agency Cohn & Wolfe has appointed Andrew Escott, formerly managing director of UK Corporate, as global corporate practice leader effective immediately.

     

    Escott takes over from Geoff Beattie, who last week was named global leader of Cohn & Wolfe’s new Strategic Consulting Unit.

     

    Helen Searle, formerly UK Corporate director, steps up to become managing director of UK Corporate.

     

    The Corporate Practice operates across Cohn & Wolfe offices worldwide, covering all aspects of Reputation Management including Crisis and Issues Management, Business-to-Business Communications, CSR & Sustainability, Employee Engagement, Public Affairs and Corporate Storytelling. 

     

    “Demand for our corporate reputation work has grown significantly around the world and Andrew has been a major contributor to our success. Under Andrew’s leadership, I see our Corporate Practice continuing to be a significant driver across Cohn & Wolfe markets,” said Cohn & Wolfe CEO Donna Imperato.

     

    The UK has been among the agency’s stand-out markets for corporate work. Over the past four years, the UK Corporate Practice doubled revenues, expanded its suite of services and added major global brands in the natural resources, financial services, healthcare and food and drink industries. Current clients include Warburtons, Twinings, Ferrero, Asia Pulp & Paper and Lloyds Banking Group. 

     

    Escott said, “The global business environment has never been tougher so our clients need a partner that can seamlessly both protect and promote their business. That’s what we have built in London and it has been a successful and differentiated model driven by a hugely talented team. Helen is a great leader, a critical part of our recent success and I have no doubt she will take the business even further.”

     

    Escott joined Cohn & Wolfe in 2009 to drive the UK office’s crisis management and corporate health capabilities. In 2010, he founded Cohn & Wolfe Political Counsel, the agency’s first public affairs service. Since then he has worked across service areas to create a fully integrated Corporate Practice able to advise clients on all aspects of reputation management. While managing director of the UK Corporate Practice, Escott’s client work included Danone, Warburtons and Asia Pulp & Paper.

     

    Searle joined Cohn & Wolfe in 2012 as a corporate director and now leads integrated corporate brand campaigns for clients such as Lloyds Banking Group, Danone and Make. Searle brings more than a dozen years’ experience at agencies such as Blue Rubicon and Weber Shandwick, where she delivered award-winning campaigns for Aviva, O2, RBS and Visa. Searle is a specialist in devising creative corporate campaigns that embrace both B2B and B2C audiences.

  • MobiKwik appoints Saurabh Srivastava as chief marketing officer

    MobiKwik appoints Saurabh Srivastava as chief marketing officer

    MUMBAI: MobiKwik, a mobile wallet with over 15 million users, has appointed Saurabh Srivastava as its chief marketing officer. He will be a part of MobiKwik’s core leadership team.

     

    Srivastava, previously ixigo.com VP – marketing & product strategy, has more than 13 years of experience in consumer centric businesses. He has worked with brands like Goodyear, Maruti Suzuki, Dainik Jagran, GroupM and DDB in the past.

     

    MobiKwik founder and CEO Bipin Preet Singh said, “Saurabh brings with him the experience of working with a variety of consumer brands both in the physical and online space and at different stages of their lifecycle. His experience of nurturing and growing brands, ability to understand consumer internet markets and drive data led consumer insights to achieve brand leadership are skills that will help MobiKwik reach the next level of growth. We welcome Saurabh on board and look forward to working with him to achieve our vision of creating the most preferred mobile wallet for customers and merchants.”

     

    Srivastava added, “Mobile wallets are fast becoming the payment instrument of choice for Indians from all walks of life and MobiKwik is at the forefront of this revolution. This role will give me an opportunity to shape the way Indians look at payments and make mobile wallets a household phenomenon. I am up to the challenge of helping create a consumer Internet brand that millions of customers across the country would love. I look forward to joining MobiKwik and working with great minds at MobiKwik to create the next generation mobile payments system for India.”

     

    MobiKwik is making a big offline push this year and has recently entered into a partnership with Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) to enable customers make payments through the MobiKwik wallet across all outlets in India. This is the first serious push that a mobile wallet service has made to enable digital transactions with an offline merchant of the size and scale of Cafe Coffee Day. Srivastava’s understanding of offline retail will be useful for the company in its bid to get more and more offline retailers to adopt mobile wallets.

     

    MobiKwik recently raised close to $25 million in a series B round from Tree Line Asia, Cisco Investments, American Express and existing investor, Sequoia Capital. The funds will be used for investments in technology/data analytics, brand building and growing the network of users and merchants. In 2015, the company aims to create a brick-and-mortar retail network of more than 100,000 merchants across India. These stores will serve both as points for cash loading into the wallet and for wallet payments acceptance.

  • DDB MudraMax ropes in Kavita Sadana as group account director

    DDB MudraMax ropes in Kavita Sadana as group account director

    MUMBAI: DDB MudraMax has appointed Kavita Sadana as group account director. She will be spearheading DDB MudraMax’s Ahmedabad operations and businesses including experiential, media, outdoor and retail.

     

    Sadana said, “Ahmedabad and Gujarat contain clients, who are mostly entrepreneurs and owners. They prefer a single window solution from their partner agency. Hence, offering all the four services under single identity will be our biggest strength. This market operates on a lot of trust and DDB MudraMax enjoys the finest reputation here. With this combined advantage, we can surely look at excellent business volumes and putting DDB MudraMax Ahmedabad as a strong player on the national map. I am very proud to be associated with the agency and I look forward to working under the leadership of Sathyamurthy and Mandeep.”

     

    Sadana joins DDB MudraMax with over two decades of experience in the marketing communications fraternity. She has worked across platforms and sectors with organisations from media publishing, entertainment and advertising functions. Her experience includes working at strong and innovative organisations like Asian Age, Radio City, Amagi Media Labs, Fun Multiplex and Freihert Mydia to name a few.

     

    DDB MudraMax president and head Mandeep Malhotra said, “It’s great to have Kavita on board. Other than her experience, she brings a lot of joy and pride in working with great perseverance and professionalism. We are looking forward to her contribution in making Ahmedabad office a rocking and self-sustaining one.”

     

    DDB MudraMax-Media president Sathyamurthy Namakkal added, “She is an excellent addition to the team and fortifies our team in the Gujarat market.”

  • McCann Worldgroup appoints Sean MacDonald as global chief digital officer

    McCann Worldgroup appoints Sean MacDonald as global chief digital officer

    MUMBAI: McCann Worldgroup has appointed Sean MacDonald as chief digital officer.

     

    He joins from Ogilvy where he has been managing director, emerging ventures. MacDonald, who will be based in New York, succeeds Mike Parker who will be transitioning away from McCann opting to remain based in San Francisco.

     

    “Sean’s strategic background as well as his ability to integrate new digital capabilities to facilitate the way consumers interact with brands will help our clients to fully take advantage of the spectrum of changes in the marketplace. He has a deep understanding of the ways technology allows us to reach consumers, which will help us to accelerate our digital offering across our geographies and disciplines,” said McCann Worldgroup president Luca Lindner.

     

    MacDonald has two decades of experience developing digital and engagement strategies for high profile companies. He joined Ogilvy as a senior digital strategist in 2004, and then rose to head the agency’s digital and engagement strategy areas and later their Ventures initiative. 

     

    Over the years, he has held senior posts at a series of digitally-focused companies, building digital strategy teams and tools, and designing creative digital and social programs for clients in every major category, including such global marketers as Coca-Cola, American Express, DuPont, Nestlé, Cisco and BP. 

     

    “McCann is an exciting place, with vision and momentum and a culture that not only values collaboration but knows how to make it work on a global scale, across disciplines. I’m thrilled to be part of this team,” said MacDonald.

  • Nissan appoints Bajwa as VP – sales, network & customer relations for India

    Nissan appoints Bajwa as VP – sales, network & customer relations for India

    MUMBAI: Nissan has appointed Satinder Singh Bajwa as vice president sales, network and customer relations effective 13 April, 2015.

     

    In his new role, Bajwa will be responsible for accelerating sales, expanding the reach and ensuring customer satisfaction for both Nissan and Datsun across India.

     

    Bajwa will report to Nissan Motor India managing director Arun Malhotra. 

     

    Malhotra said, “As we continue to make quick and firm progress in taking Nissan Group of India to its next level it is imperative that we grow and nurture a robust sales and service backbone to ensure customer satisfaction. We have found a strong professional in Satinder Singh Bajwa who brings with him vast experience that can help meet our business goals.”

     

    Bajwa comes to Nissan with 20 years of experience in functions like sales, marketing, dealer management and key account management in the automobile industry. Prior to joining Nissan, he has worked with Hyundai Motor India Ltd as group head – sales. In the past he had also worked with Maruti Suzuki, Piaggio and Bajaj Auto Ltd.