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Category: People

  • Diipa Büller-Khosla’s date with Paris Fashion Week & Sephora

    Diipa Büller-Khosla’s date with Paris Fashion Week & Sephora

    MUMBAI: Netherlands-based Indian origin beauty entrepreneur Diipa Büller-Khosla  has two reasons to be pleased as punch.

    The first: her three year old brand indē wild, has recently entered into a ground-breaking global partnership with Sephora, the world’s leading prestige beauty retailer. This collaboration marks a historic moment for Indian beauty brands, as indē wild is the first to feature Ayurveda as its core ethos. The partnership will bring Khosla’s innovative and sustainable skincare products to a global audience.

    The second reason for the broad smile on her face:  Büller-Khosla, according to a press release, was the only Indian celebrity invited to Dior’s Spring/Summer 2025 women’s ready-to-wear showcase at the prestigious 50th anniversary of Paris Fashion Week.

    “This exclusive invitation underscores her immense social media popularity, her ability to connect with audiences worldwide, and her profound impact on the fashion industry as a key opinion leader,” says the release.

    Büller-Khosla expresses her excitement and gratitude for Dior’s invitation and states, “This invitation is a testament to the growing influence of Indian talent on the global fashion stage. It’s a proud moment for our country. Dior’s commitment to innovation and elegance perfectly complements my brand’s ethos. I’m excited to see how our collaboration will redefine the boundaries of luxury fashion.”

    Büller-Khosla journey to global recognition began in 2017 when she became the face of Maybelline and had her billboard on Piccadilly circus, London. Since then, she has consistently made her mark at both Cannes and Venice Film Festivals, solidifying her position as a fixture in the international fashion scene.

    Today, Büller-Khosla, has 2.1 million followers on Instagram, among whom figure some big names from India including Masaba Gupta, Manish Malhotra,  Navya Nanda, Madhu Sapre, Suhana Khan, Ananya Pandey, and Prajakta Kohli. She spends her time travelling all over the world for magazine cover shoots and to promote her brand, when she is not at home with her Dutch diplomat husband Oleg Büller and her daughter Dua. 
     

  • Larissa Crandall appointed as New Relic’s channel chief and group VP partners & alliances

    Larissa Crandall appointed as New Relic’s channel chief and group VP partners & alliances

    Mumbai: Intelligent observability platform, New Relic announced the appointment of Larissa Crandall as channel chief and group VP of partners and alliances to enhance the company’s partner strategy and channel programs worldwide. In this role, Crandall will grow the partner organization, expand various aspects of the company’s alliance and partner ecosystem, and assist enterprises globally in realizing the benefits of New Relic in driving innovation, improving reliability, and delivering better customer experiences.

    “With worldwide spending on public cloud services forecasted to double between 2024 and 2028, and AI adoption continuing to rise, the need for intelligent observability has never been greater,” said New Relic’s chief revenue officer Chris Jones. “As these industry trends continue to drive demand for our platform, engaging our partners on a global scale will be vital to New Relic’s continued success. Larissa is joining the company at a pivotal moment, and I’m thrilled to have her lead our channel and alliances program into its next stage of growth.”

    Crandall has spent her entire career leading channel and sales teams in the technology sector. She joins New Relic from Veeam, where she held the position of vice president of global channel and alliances. During her tenure, Crandall successfully built the company’s first global partner program, rebuilt the certification and enablement program, and accelerated partner-initiated revenue. Before Veeam, Crandall led the global channel and alliances organization at Gigamon and held senior partner roles at Scalr and Unitrends.

    Crandall is a highly awarded, collaborative leader with a stellar track record in building and leading high-growth partner programs. Her accolades include recognition by CRN for numerous awards, including top Channel Chiefs, Woman of the Channel, Power 100 – Top Most Powerful Woman in the Channel, and Inclusive Leadership Award. Crandall also serves on the Baptie & Company Channel Advisory board, a leading global community for individuals running sophisticated channel ecosystems.

    “New Relic is a market maker and a pioneer in the observability space. I am excited to join the company as it continues to innovate and lead the sector with a compelling product, business model, and team dedicated to delivering customer success,” said Crandall. “With the amazing partnerships we have developed, I embrace the opportunity to lead the global channel and alliances organization at New Relic as the company enters its next phase of growth.”

    Crandall will build on New Relic’s channel presence worldwide by working with global and regional partners, MSPs, GSIs, and hyperscalers to strengthen best practices and catalogs for advancing the observability journey and augmenting growth with new partners. She will also focus on empowering the partner ecosystem with resources and tools, and further simplifying doing business with New Relic for partners and customers.

  • Hyundai Motor India appoints Amitabh Lal Das as chief legal officer & business head

    Hyundai Motor India appoints Amitabh Lal Das as chief legal officer & business head

    Mumbai: Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has announced the appointment of Amitabh Lal Das as the chief legal officer & business head. This appointment reflects the company’s commitment to driving innovation, operational excellence and persistent growth, as it embarks on its next phase of expansion.

    Congratulating Das, HMIL MD Unsoo Kim said, “We are happy to welcome Amitabh Lal Das to our leadership team as the chief legal officer & business head. His expertise, strategic acumen and track record in navigating complex challenges will add immense value to HMIL. As we continue to grow and evolve, I am confident his contributions will go a long way in supporting our vision and upholding our values.”

    Amitabh Lal Das has well-rounded experience in legal and allied domains. He completed his bachelor’s degree in arts (honours) in 1990 and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Delhi in 1995. He also holds an international certificate in enterprise risk management from the IRM, UK. In his preceding roles, he served as the senior legal director & general counsel to Yahoo India Pvt Ltd and was also previously associated with Max Life Insurance Company Ltd.

    As the chief legal officer & business head, he will oversee legal, compliance and secretarial functions, reporting to Kim.

  • FCB Ulka appoints Ajay Ravindran as national planning director

    FCB Ulka appoints Ajay Ravindran as national planning director

    Mumbai: – FCB Ulka, part of FCB Group India, has announced the appointment of Ajay Ravindran as national planning director.

    Ajay comes to FCB Ulka with remarkable breadth and depth of experience. He has a 360-degree view of brand strategy, having worked on the entire gamut from advertising to social media, content, media planning, and market research. He specializes in new-age planning, bringing together storytelling, social media culture, and technology.

    In his previous role as head of brand marketing for Razorpay, Ajay oversaw numerous campaigns that seamlessly integrated technology, creativity, and storytelling, demonstrating his ability to deliver successful and innovative strategies. Over his career, Ajay has worked on brands like Unilever, Britannia, Colgate, Vodafone-Idea, Dell, Titan, TVS, 3M and many others. He is a multi-time EFFIE award winner. He has led planning teams in agencies like Ogilvy, VML, MullenLowe Lintas Group & Grey with distinction.

    On the appointment, FCB Ulka CEO Kulvinder Ahluwalia said, “We are thrilled to have Ajay join us as our National Planning Director. His exceptional blend of creativity and strategic insight will play a pivotal role in enhancing our capabilities and driving impactful brand solutions for our clients. We believe his leadership will strengthen our strategic initiatives and inspire our teams to push the boundaries of creativity.”

    “I believe the true power of Brand Marketing lies not just in creating ‘buzz’ or some fuzzy ‘brand love’ but unlocking hidden growth opportunities for businesses. And the new-age we live in provides us with an array of avenues to do this – technology, digital, data, content, CX. FCB Ulka provides the finest playground to practice this craft. An enviable client roster, entrenched relationships, and a burning desire to do the very best for the businesses we work on. Just a few minutes into the conversation with Dheeraj, Nitin, Kulvinder and Hemant, I just had one question: “When can I start?” Ajay expressed on his appointment.

  • Roshni Kavina joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as national creative director

    Roshni Kavina joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as national creative director

    Mumbai: Publicis Groupe India’s L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has strengthened its creative leadership by appointing Roshni Kavina as national creative director. As the national creative director, Roshni will be instrumental in further elevating the agency’s creative output, driving innovation, and advancing brand success for clients. Based out of the agency’s Mumbai office, Roshni will report to Kartik Smetacek and Rohit Malkani, the agency’s chief creative officers.

    With two decades of experience in advertising and design, this move marks Roshni’s return to Publicis Groupe. She served as the executive creative director at Publicis Ambience from 2015 to 2021, managing coveted accounts such as Lakmé, Enamor, and Ferrero Rocher. She has also earlier been with Publicis Groupe at Saatchi & Saatchi and BBH India. Roshni joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi from Byju’s International, where she was brand strategy and creative head for North America and Canada. In addition, she founded ‘The Nextdoor Artist,’ an art studio, in 2013.

    Roshni has supported several global luxury brands as an independent creative consultant and played a key role in shaping design communications for brands such as The Body Shop, Burberry, Elle18, Vaseline, Pantaloons, Irasva, and Marico, among many others. Her work has received extensive recognition and accolades at platforms such as Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, Adfest, Abbys, and Effies.

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis India CEO Paritosh Srivastava said, “It is heartwarming to see Roshni returning to the team, especially as we continue to expand our portfolio with new lifestyle and luxury brands. Having worked with her in the past on some major brands, I am confident that her expertise in lifestyle and luxury branding, and her design capability will further boost our creative excellence.”

    “Roshni comes in at exactly the right time to partner with the creative leadership on a couple of large accounts we’ve recently won. Her skillset greatly enhances the agency’s creative firepower, and we look forward to big things from her in the months to come,” added L&K Saatchi & Saatchi chief creative officers Kartik Smetacek and Rohit Malkani, in a joint statement.

    “I believe that no matter which path we take, as long as we visit new worlds and learn along the way, the journey is well lived. Having worked with Paritosh on some of the most coveted brands in my earlier stint, I am thrilled to return to familiar grounds. It is a pleasure to be a part of a team where each member brings unique strength, and I am excited to help build the lifestyle and luxury brands portfolio for L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. I am honoured to be a part of the family and can’t wait to get started,” said L&K Saatchi & Saatchi NCD Roshni Kavina.

  • Tenable names Rajnish Gupta as MD & country manager for India

    Tenable names Rajnish Gupta as MD & country manager for India

    Mumbai: Tenable has announced the appointment of Rajnish Gupta as managing director for India and SAARC where he will lead strategic initiatives, oversee operations, and drive the continued growth of business and channel activities across the region.

    This appointment aligns with Tenable’s rapid expansion of its cloud capabilities and exposure management platform, enabling organisations to know, expose and close their cyber exposure gaps.  

    “Rajnish’s extensive experience in finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, public sector, and his deep knowledge of cybersecurity will be instrumental in driving further growth in the region,” said Tenable Asia Pacific and Japan SVP Nigel Ng. “I’m confident that under Rajnish’s leadership, we will achieve significant advancements in delivering security solutions that address the evolving needs of our clients, ensuring they can understand and remediate their risk.”

    With over 30 years of IT and cybersecurity experience driving momentum for enterprises, Gupta joins Tenable from Palo Alto Networks, where he was the India country director for the Cortex division. Prior to that, Gupta was a senior director and cyber security leader at Microsoft.

    “With the modern attack surface rapidly expanding in both size and complexity, and security teams managing multiple clouds and identities across a converged IoT, OT, and IT landscape, we must continue helping our customers bridge the gap in how business and security leaders understand and manage cyber risk,” said Rajnish Gupta. “I look forward to working with our customers and partners to navigate the complex and ever-changing cybersecurity landscape.”

  • Dabur India entrusts Rajiv Dubey with expanded role as VP

    Dabur India entrusts Rajiv Dubey with expanded role as VP

    Mumbai: Dabur India has entrusted Rajiv Dubey with an expanded role as vice president, where he will now lead brand activations and experiential marketing initiatives.

    Alongside his continued leadership in media strategy and execution, Dubey will focus on creating immersive brand experiences that enhance Dabur’s connection with its customers.

    He manages media spending across a wide range of platforms, including TV, digital, print, radio, outdoor, and both consumer and trade activations, ensuring optimal ROI and growth for the company’s diverse brand portfolio.

    With over three decades at Dabur, Dubey has developed expertise across various roles, with core competencies in media planning and buying, digital transformation, mar-tech, and emerging media practices.

    Since joining Dabur in 1994 as a media manager, Dubey played a key role in establishing Adbur, the company’s in-house agency, and in fostering partnerships with prominent broadcasters such as All India Radio, Doordarshan, Zee, and Star Network, as well as major newspapers like Times of India.
     

  • The One Club appoints Tay Guan Hin as APAC regional director

    The One Club appoints Tay Guan Hin as APAC regional director

    Mumbai: The One Club for Creativity has announced that Tay Guan Hin, a long-time creative leader in Asia Pacific, has joined the global nonprofit organisation in the newly created position of APAC regional director for awards, programs, and partnerships.

    The addition of Guan Hin to this new role represents a major commitment by The One Club to significantly grow its presence and level of industry support in APAC. He will be responsible for elevating all of the club’s awards, programming, partnerships, and membership in the region, primarily focusing on growing the ONE Asia Creative Awards and supporting a thriving regional creative community.

    He will also enhance the organisation’s visibility by establishing strategic partnerships with agencies, brands, production companies, creative associations, schools, and media in APAC, and developing regional events and educational programs.

    Guan Hin joins The One Club from BBDO Singapore, where he was creative chairman and a BBDO Asia Creative Council member.  In addition to founding TGH Collective, a successful independent creative boutique agency, his experience includes serving in regional and global agencies such as Wunderman Thompson, Grey, Leo Burnett, and Saatchi & Saatchi for blue chip clients like Visa, Unilever, Audi, HSBC, Nestle, Shell, Abbott Nutrition, and Johnson & Johnson.

    He has also authored the best-selling Penguin book “COLLIDE”, presented at TEDx conferences, served as president of Asia Professional Speakers, and currently sits on The One Club’s international board of directors.

    “The appointment of Guan is pivotal in expanding our presence and support in APAC”, said The One Club CEO Kevin Swanepoel. “We’ve had a strong relationship with him for many years: he’s a board member, served on our awards juries, hosted Portfolio Night in Singapore, and was featured in our popular ‘A Creative Perspective’ video series. Guan is a recognised creative leader in the region who is ideally suited for this opportunity, and we’re excited to have him on the team.”

    “Having spent years in global network agencies, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible talent we have across the Asia Pacific region,” said Hin. “I look forward to bringing our creative community even closer, building on the strong foundation we’ve established, and exploring new ways to inspire, connect, and innovate together through meaningful partnerships and programs.”

    In addition to working on ONE Asia, he will also promote The One Club’s leading global awards: The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Type Directors Club TDC competition and scholarships, TDC Ascenders, Young Ones Student Awards, Young Guns, Next Creative Leaders, and ONE Screen Short Film Festival.

    Ongoing club programming with growth potential in APAC includes Portfolio Night, and initiatives from the club’s creative development department, such as ONE School, ONE Creator Lab, Executive Creative Summit, Creative Leaders Retreat, Brand-Side creative conference for in-house agency teams, and others.

    Guan Hin will be based in Singapore, work directly with The One Club-APAC team in Shanghai, and report to Swanepoel in New York.

  • FITPASS makes strategic hires and ambitious expansion plans

    FITPASS makes strategic hires and ambitious expansion plans

    Mumbai: India’s fitness membership brand, FITPASS, is pursuing an aggressive growth strategy to expand its presence in the industry. The company plans to significantly grow its leadership and operations teams, aiming to aggregate and standardize gyms and fitness centers to reach 500 cities across India by mid-2026. This expansion focuses on strengthening its core areas—network expansion, monetisation, sales, and category growth—in response to the rising demand for accessible and affordable fitness solutions. FITPASS aims to reshape the fitness landscape across India by capitalizing on this trend.

    Spearheading this ambitious drive is Avnish Sharma, newly appointed vice president of network growth & monetisation. Sharma, a veteran with over 14 years of experience at tech giants Paytm and Practo, will be instrumental in FITPASS’ rapid expansion into tier two and tier three cities. His role is pivotal not only for growth but also for driving profitability and optimising revenue streams across the network of gyms and fitness centres in both new and established markets.

    Preeti Singh steps in as AVP of growth and alliance (corporate sales). With over a decade of experience in corporate sales and benefits consulting with renowned organisations like HCL Tech, Squickr, Via.com and more, Singh will report to Mohit Dang, vice president of revenue & partnerships (corporate sales). Together with  Dang, she will work on expanding FITPASS’ corporate partnerships and driving significant market penetration.

    Complementing the brand’s future vision, they have also onboarded four other experts to propel its aggressive expansion:

    . Manish Prajapati, appointed as AVP of network growth and monetisation, brings significant expertise from his tenure at healthcare leaders Apollo and Practo. He will work closely with  Sharma to drive brand’s network growth and expansion. His extensive experience in scaling networks within the healthcare sector will be instrumental in driving FITPASS’ expansion efforts, as he possesses a profound understanding of regional dynamics and growth strategies.

    .  Rishabh Tiwari joins as senior manager of network growth and monetisation under the leadership of  Sharma, bringing nine years of industry experience to the table. Tiwari’s expertise in market analysis and strategic planning will be instrumental in identifying high-potential markets and optimising FITPASS’ expansion strategy across diverse geographical regions.

    .  Savneet Kaur joins as senior sales manager (corporate sales), bringing nine years of experience from industry heavyweights like Cure.fit and ITC Fortune. Kaur will assist  Dang and Ms. Singh to accelerate sales growth, playing a key role in FITPASS’ aggressive growth agenda.

    .  Yusuf Ahmed takes on the role of category manager, leveraging his decade of experience across major fitness brands such as Cure.fit (Cult.fit), Fitline India, Fitness First India, and Gold’s Gym. Ahmed will lead efforts to keep FITPASS at the forefront of industry trends, ensuring that its offerings continue to set new benchmarks.

    This expanded team aims to grow FITPASS’ premium gym and fitness centre network to over 10,000 locations by the end of 2025 while broadening the company’s footprint across 1,500-1,600 PIN codes. The focus extends beyond mere expansion, with a clear mandate to drive profitability, optimise revenue streams, and keep FITPASS at the forefront of industry trends.

    “Our team’s expansion reflects our unwavering commitment to revolutionising the fitness industry in India,” said FITPASS co-founder Akshay Verma. “The collective expertise of our new leaders will enable us to scale rapidly and effectively, especially as we expand our network into tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Currently, users across 573 cities are already engaging with our platform’s digital offerings- A.I. fitness training module and nutrition consultations, this is a significant milestone, not just for FITPASS, but for a fitter Bharat. We are confident that with their combined strengths, we will continue to deliver exceptional value to our users and partners while leading the industry’s evolution.”

    This move comes at a critical time for India’s fitness industry, which is evolving due to increased health and wellness priorities post-pandemic. By enhancing its leadership and focusing on innovation, FITPASS is not just adapting to market trends but shaping the future of fitness in India, especially in tier two and three cities. The company aims to meet the growing demand for flexible fitness solutions, reinforcing its position as a key platform for health-conscious individuals across the country.

  • DashLoc appoints Ashish Tiwari as co-founder & CSO for global expansion

    DashLoc appoints Ashish Tiwari as co-founder & CSO for global expansion

    Mumbai:  DashLoc, a leading hyperlocal MarTech discovery platform in India, appoints Ashish Tiwari as co-founder and chief strategy officer (CSO), focusing on Product and Partnerships. This move marks a new phase of global expansion for DashLoc, with Ashish leading the charge.

    Ashish, an IIT Kharagpur graduate, brings extensive entrepreneurial experience, having founded and scaled three startups, including Hair Originals, which gained national attention on SharkTank India. After successfully securing funding, his recent startup Hair Forever was acquired in July 2024, solidifying his reputation in the industry. He has also held leadership roles at CISCO, AIG, and unicorn startup Droom.

    Ashish has mentored DashLoc’s partnership and product teams for the past year, contributing to the platform’s growth. As CSO, he will drive product strategy and build strong partnerships to enhance DashLoc’s offerings.

    DashLoc’s co-founder & CSO, Ashish Tiwari commented, “I am thrilled to officially join DashLoc at such a pivotal time. Having been involved in mentoring the team over the past year, I have seen firsthand the immense potential of our platform. I look forward to working closely with the visionary CEO Sumit Singh our tech maverick Gaurav, and the entire DashLoc family to drive our mission of revolutionising hyperlocal discovery.”

    DashLoc’s CEO, Sumit Singh, “We are delighted to welcome Ashish onboard as Co-Founder and CSO. His entrepreneurial experience, coupled with his strategic acumen, will be invaluable as we continue to scale our operations and innovate within the MarTech space. With Ashish on board, we certainly foresee an accelerated growth pace, gearing up to dominate the industry in India and across the globe.”

    With Ashish’s leadership, DashLoc aims to accelerate its growth and dominate the hyperlocal MarTech industry.