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Category: People

  • Srinivas quits Infosys to join PCCW in Hong Kong

    Srinivas quits Infosys to join PCCW in Hong Kong

    NEW DELHI: B G Srinivas, until now Infosys president, is set to join Hong Kong-based diversified group PCCW as Group managing director in July.

     

    Infosys has announced the resignation of Srinivas who has been in India’s second largest IT services firm for 15 years and was considered a top contender for the CEO post at the over USD 8 billion IT giant at the end of present CEO Shibulal’s retirement in June next year.

     

    In a statement, PCCW today said: “PCCW is pleased to announce today the appointment of Srinivas Bangalore Gangaiah as its group managing director with effect from 14 July.”

     

    Srinivas will succeed George Chan, who will retire from his position as the Group MD, following completion of his contract with the company on 7 July 2014.

     

    “I am confident that his (Srinivas) immense IT knowledge, experience in service-oriented organisations, leadership skills and international perspective will provide PCCW Group with additional momentum,” PCCW chairman Richard Li said.

     

    He added that Srinivas will help develop PCCW’s media and IT businesses locally and internationally. With revenues of over USD 3.5 billion in 2013, PCCW is a Hong Kong-based company with interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development and investment, and other businesses.

     

    Srinivas’ resignation is the tenth top-level exit from Infosys since the return of co-founder NR Narayana Murthy at the helm of affairs in June last year.

     

    At Infosys, Srinivas led key portfolios like financial services, manufacturing and public services. He was also the firm’s highest-paid executive (annual compensation of Rs 7.52 crore in 2013-14 fiscal).

     

    Srinivas, who joined Infosys in 1999, was elevated to the post of president earlier this year in January. Prior to joining Infosys, Srinivas spent 14 years at power and automation technologies firm ABB, where he held several leadership positions.

     

    He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Bangalore University and has participated in executive programmes at Wharton Business School and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. 

  • World Wide Open wins the digital mandate for BIG Cinemas

    World Wide Open wins the digital mandate for BIG Cinemas

    MUMBAI: World Wide Open, digital brand partner and strategy consultants have recently bagged the digital duties for BIG Cinemas. The objective of this campaign, developed by WWO, is to increase user engagement for BIG Cinemas, utilizing all mediums of digital marketing and reaching out to the target audience in bulk, as their customers are all online. Along with helping them with designing their website, WWO will also manage and strategies the media planning and buying, social media management, developing mobile applications and the marketing campaigns for their digital audiences.

     

    Commenting on the new account win, Manish Agarwal, CEO, Reliance Entertainment Digital said, “We at WWO (World Wide Open) are extremely excited to work with BIG Cinemas, which is one of the largest chains of cinemas in India. We look forward to help them augment their brand through a delightful consumer experience across all internet connected touch points in a scalable and sustained manner.”

     

    Kushal Sanghvi, Head, World Wide Open commented, “With BIG Cinemas on board, we aim to bridge the gap between the digital and creative aspect of the brand. With some path breaking campaigns designed for them already, the team at WWO is all charged up to serve BIG Cinemas in the best way possible.”

     

    Commenting on the associating with WWO, Shirish Srivastava Sr. VP – Sales & Marketing, BIG Cinemas said, “At BIG Cinemas, we are taking a lot of path breaking initiatives to deliver business value. A robust and dynamic digital presence is critical in this regard, and so we are very happy to have WWO on board.”

     

    World Wide Open is Reliance Group’s new vertical under Reliance Entertainment Digital. Positioned as digital brand partners and digital strategy consultants, WWO aims to fulfill the gap of Digital Brand partner who can help in brand building primarily via digital, by having under one roof, combination of skill sets namely deep consumer insights, strategic brand thinking, conceptualization ability of digital products & services, knowledge of technology to drive innovations and content creativity to engage consumers with contextual and innovative content.

     

    BIG Cinemas, is India’s largest cinema chain with about 516 screens spread across India, US and Malaysia. After pioneering the IMAX experience in India, it recently launched 3D and 6D technology and is the only cinema chain to screen films in all three formats. It is also launching the first megaplexes in the country.

  • ENIL elevates Prashant Pandey as MD & CEO

    ENIL elevates Prashant Pandey as MD & CEO

    MUMBAI: Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) has elevated Prashant Pandey to managing director and CEO with immediate effect. Erstwhile the executive director and CEO, Pandey is one of the most illustrious names in bringing in the radio revolution in India and strengthening Radio Mirchi’s presence both nationally and internationally.

     

    In the new role, Pandey will continue to spearhead the team in maintaining Radio Mirchi’s leadership position in the country.

     

    An engineering graduate in Electronics & Communications and IIM Bangalore graduate, Pandey has been associated with the company since August 2000. Over the past 14 years Pandey has been able to take Radio Mirchi to an enviable position with revenues of Rs 385 crore and a PAT of Rs 84 crore in the 2013-14. Pandey has a total of 24 years of experience in industries ranging from advertising, banking, FMCG & Media. Prior to Radio Mirchi, he has worked with Citibank, Pepsi, HUL, Mudra, Modi Revlon. His areas of strength include marketing and sales, analytics and strategy and people management. He also served as a member of the Ministry of I&B committee on fighting piracy. He is a speaker at various industry forums.

     

    Pandey said, “It feels good to be recognised by the board.  I’m lucky to have the best team in the media industry working alongside as colleagues. I’ve always believed that the best of radio is still to come and the next five years will be a fabulous ride for anyone seeking professional success.”

  • ASCI refreshes its management team

    ASCI refreshes its management team

    MUMBAI: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the self-regulatory organisation of advertising content and protecting the interest of consumers in India has announced the retirement of ASCI secretary general Alan Collaco, effective 30 May. Shweta Purandare has been named as the successor. She will start her new role from 1 June. The council has also announced the appointment of Ashutosh Geedh as its chief administrative officer.

     

    Purandare has over 22 years of industry experience and was earlier associated with some of the eminent companies such as Cipla, Merind, P&G and L’Oreal. She has been actively associated with ASCI as the chief operations officer since the past one year. In her new role, she will continue to handle consumer complaints process. In addition, Purandare will be leading marketing, public relations and social media initiatives for ASCI.

     

    Ashutosh Geedh who will be joining as chief administrative officer will take charge from 5 May. He has done his MBA from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila. His experience spans over 19 years in companies such as Patni Computers, LIC, Securex Capital Advisors and Towering Heights Telecommunications. In his new role, Geedh will broadly be responsible for administration, finance and accounts, HR, legal, I.T. and internal and external Communication. He will report to the secretary general.

     

    ASCI chairman Partha Rakshit said, “Alan will be greatly missed by ASCI members for his tremendous commitment to excellence. While we are indebted to him for his exemplary service to ASCI’s mission, we are also confident that his successor, Shweta, will demonstrate strong leadership skills and analytical insights, further supporting the association’s vision and mission.”

     

    “Also, the appointment of Ashutosh will further strengthen the association’s operations, thereby ensuring seamless functioning across various departments and external bodies,” added Rakshit.

     

    “I am grateful to the ASCI team for offering me the desired platform to get associated with India’s largest self-regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising sector. I am deeply honoured to have had the opportunity to be in the core team of ASCI, supporting the association’s vision of protecting the interests of the consumers,” concluded Collaco. 

  • Vineet Taneja is now the CEO of Micromax

    Vineet Taneja is now the CEO of Micromax

    MUMBAI: Micromax, one of the leading smartphone player and consumer electronics brand, has roped in Vineet Taneja as its new chief executive officer. He was earlier the country head for IT & mobile businesses of Samsung India.

     
    This move is a testimony to the vision and commitment of Micromax co-founders to bring in the best talent from the industry at the helm to build a strong organisation and steer Micromax through the next phase of growth by capitalising the immense opportunities in this environment of data devices explosion. Taneja will focus on consolidating Micromax’s strong presence in the market, driving global partnerships and strategic alliances while strengthening the organisational capabilities within Micromax.

    Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma said, “Vineet will be an asset in our next phase of growth, his diverse experience will be a great addition to the Micromax leadership in India both from organisational set-up and business growth perspective. Vineet is one of the most respected corporate leaders in the industry and has a great track record of successfully leading diverse brands across sectors.”

     
    “I firmly believe that he will be a strong partner in our vision to be India’s first technology brand to leave an imprint at the global level. We look forward to working closely with Vineet and support him in this new journey,” added Sharma. 

     
    With an end-to-end P&L responsibility, Sharma is excited and ready to take upon his new work profile. Apart from leading company’s growth and profitability he will spearhead the transformational agenda of Micromax given the burgeoning opportunity in the devices space globally.

     
    On his appointment Taneja said, “Micromax has been one of the great success stories in India’s mobile eco-system, and has pioneered the democratisation of technology for masses by addressing specific consumer needs with constant innovations. We are witnessing an inflection point in the smart devices globally. Therefore, it is a great opportunity for me to lead Micromax into its next phase of growth by consolidating and further strengthening its position in India, and looking at global markets to complete its transition of becoming a global force to reckon with.”

     

      
    With over 25 years of experience, Taneja has worked with leading consumer brands like Hindustan Lever, Nokia and Bharti Airtel, prior to Samsung. From performing sales and marketing roles at HLL & Nokia to general management responsibilities at Bharti Airtel and Samsung, Taneja has evolved as a respected leader of the telecom industry.

     

    Over the last decade Taneja has had the distinction of working for the service provider as well as the device companies giving him a comprehensive understanding of the telecom ecosystem including the OTT play. Taneja holds a degree in engineering from IIT-Roorkee and is also an alumnus of IIM-Kolkata.

  • ACK Media elevates Manas Mohan as CEO – Publishing

    ACK Media elevates Manas Mohan as CEO – Publishing

    MUMBAI: The ACK (Amar Chitra Katha) Media Group which is expanding its portfolio of media business and creating new paradigms of growth, has elevated Manas Mohan to the role of CEO-Publishing.

     

    In his new role, he will continue to report to ACK Media CEO Vijay Sampath.

     

    The publishing vertical of ACK is growing at an exponential pace with several initiatives in the pipeline and the elevation will provide strategic leadership and growth momentum to the vertical.

     

    Prior to this, Mohan was the COO at the company and oversaw the direct marketing and e-commerce business, The National Geographic business, licensing and merchandising, advertising sales and the strategic marketing leadership of the brand. It was in January 2012 that he was elevated to the post of COO.

  • Mindshare south Asia elevates Vinod Thadani

    Mindshare south Asia elevates Vinod Thadani

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, part of GroupM, has appointed Vinod Thadani as its chief digital officer – south Asia. In his new role, Thadani will be responsible for managing the agency’s full-service digital offerings for existing clients as well as bringing in new business to the agency.

     

    With over fifteen years of media experience, Thadani is responsible for setting up the largest mobile practice at GroupM in 2008 and winning media awards in the mobile category across all major award functions – IDMA, Emvies, DMA, IAMAI, Goa Fest, Campaign India, MMA, Yahoo Big Chair and Festival Of Media.

     

    Prior to moving to Mindshare south Asia, he was the chief executive officer of Madhouse India (a joint venture between WPP and Madhouse China) and played a crucial role in setting up India’s largest mobile advertising and marketing company. He worked closely with over 100 clients like Intel, Idea, VW, Panasonic, Titan, Britannia, Google, LIC, Siemens, ITC, Flipkart, Nestle, Make My Trip, Hungama.com and media conglomerates such as GroupM, OMG, Percept & Ignitee.

     

    Welcoming him to the team, Mindshare south Asia leader Ravi Rao said, “Vinod has always managed to stay ahead of the curve with his in-depth knowledge and continuous innovation. We are extremely glad to have him on board and are confident he will take Mindshare to greater avenues.”

     

    Thadani said, “With the eminent growth of over 40 per cent in digital advertising, the future of marketing lies in seamless integration of core traditional media with digital and mobile media. Mindshare boasts of an impressive client roster with some of the biggest brands in the world, and I look forward to working with each of them and the team on their digital mandates.”

     

    Thadani is also an empanelled member of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and plays a pivotal role in the MMA’s South Asian operations. He has been a regular speaker and conference chair at several domestic and international industry events, giving his point of view and expert opinions in the role of mobile in the marketing value chain.

  • GroupM appoints Steve Williams as Maxus North America CEO

    GroupM appoints Steve Williams as Maxus North America CEO

    MUMBAI: Maxus has appointed Steve Williams as chief executive officer North America. The announcement was made by Maxus Global CEO Vikram Sakhuja. Williams will be based in New York and he will join Maxus on 1 June. He will report to Sakhuja and to GroupM North America CEO Kelly Clark.

     

    Williams is currently president of PHD New York, a position he has held for the last two years. He was previously CEO of OMD Group in the UK, where he led a team of 550 professionals.

     

    “Steve has a great reputation as a leader and a client partner,” said Sakhuja. “He has a terrific track record of success in both the UK and the US, and he is a perfect fit for the ambitious Maxus culture.”

     

    “We are confident that Steve will help us take Maxus to a new level,” said Clark. “I know from competing against Steve that he can be a very potent force, so I’m delighted he’s now on our team.”

     “I am excited to be joining Maxus and GroupM. I am thankful for the incredible journey with Omnicom Media Group, but I’m now looking forward to a new journey with Maxus, who are uniquely positioned to grow locally and globally. I love the team’s energy and ambition,” mentioned Williams.

  • Havas Media Group India appoints Ranjoy Dey

    Havas Media Group India appoints Ranjoy Dey

    NEW DELHI: Havas Media Group India has appointed Ranjoy Dey as digital head. His key responsibility will be to drive growth for the digital offering of Havas Media in India.

     

    Havas Media Group India and South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar said, ‘Digital at core’ is not only our group philosophy but our mission in India. Havas Media Group had a great run in 2013 and in 2014 won key digital accounts of Yepme.com and Xolo. We are committed to deliver digital across platform, across device. It is clearly our focus area of growth year-on-year to give clients integrated incremental value fulfilling their business objectives. Ranjoy has the attitude, the all round experience and the energy to drive organic and inorganic digital expansion in the India market; we are delighted to have him on board to jettison the digital strength at Havas Media Group forward.”

     

    “Young India is a hotbed for digital and 360marketing with challenging and exciting times ahead for all of us. Havas has some of the best digital and media tools and trainings in the industry that have delivered rich rewards to clients across the globe. Ranjoy will be a good navigator to bring to the table innovation and real value for the present and future clients of Havas Media in India”, added Havas Media India MD Mohit Joshi.

     

    “Joining Havas Media gives me the right opportunity to build further on to the deep relationships that Havas has developed over the years with its clients for its traditional media services. Now, through a strengthened Digital focus globally, global best practices, tools and framework – Havas Media is gaining traction for its Digital practice in the market, and my role will be to take it through a high growth path. The critical approach will be to demonstrate in this market the proven global proprietary tools and frameworks for developing strategy, planning, media buying, analytics, and reporting – and deliver a differentiated value for our clients. This will deepen our involvement in client businesses and help us be a partner in their success stories”, explained Dey.

     

    With around 19 years of experience, Dey has worked in the digital marketing domain with Ignitee Digital where he was COO prior to Havas and with Digitas India. Brands worked on include Nestle, Samsung, Reckitt Benckiser, Dabur, ITC, JK Tyre, Axis Bank, SanDisk, Airtel, Pizza Hut Delivery, amongst others. His works have won several national and international awards including the PMAA, MAA Globes, Abbys and DMA.

  • Vdopia appoints Ajay Prakash Mishra as APAC director- operations

    Vdopia appoints Ajay Prakash Mishra as APAC director- operations

    NEW DELHI: Vdopia, an online and mobile video and media platform has appointed Ajay Prakash Mishra as APAC director -operations.

     

    As part of Vdopia’s rapid and continued strategic global growth, the company introduced the Global Operations and Media Hub in Gurgaon and infused new talent in local and global teams. Strengthening the leadership ranks further is Mishra, who brings with him 10 years of experience in operations, business analysis and client servicing.

     

    At Vdopia, Mishra will be focusing on the company’s operations leading its current, high-touch operations model. He will be responsible for quantitative and qualitative analysis to support APAC’s campaign portfolio, shape strategy and identify solutions to business and operational challenges.

     

    Previously Mishra was with xAd, a location-based mobile ad platform where he was director- emerging markets and was overseeing Ad-Ops and corporate-development related activities.

     

    “Ajay is a dynamic leader who brings strategic thinking and maturity, combined with a roll-up-your-sleeves approach to run our operations. He will help Vdopia build on the momentum we’ve been gaining in the last few years,” said Vdopia VP-APAC Preetesh Chouhan.

     

    Excited about working within the Vdopia team, Mishra said, “There is a really good vibe at Vdopia, with openness and a sense of passion to ‘get things done’ for our clients and their business in the most efficient way possible.”

     

    Vdopia’s recent senior hires represent an infusion of new talent and energy into its expanding offices as it continues to develop innovative solutions supporting advertisers who seek more efficiency and reach across all platforms.