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Category: People

  • Virginia Sharma appointed as Head of Marketing at Google Cloud Public Sector

    Virginia Sharma appointed as Head of Marketing at Google Cloud Public Sector

    Mumbai: In a recent development, Virginia Sharma has been appointed as head of marketing at Google Cloud Services. Google Cloud is a data intelligence platform for building effective data infrastructure. Virginia Sharma now takes charge as head of the marketing public sector to build a brand more sustainable.

    Earlier she worked in companies like LinkedIn, and Jio Saavn. She is also a LinkedIn influencer with over 52000 followers. Earlier she was also Chairperson for Marketing Society India Chapter and IAMAI Digital Transformation Council.

    https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7147819880140947456/

  • The Hershey Company names Luigi Mirri general manager, India alongside APAC role

    The Hershey Company names Luigi Mirri general manager, India alongside APAC role

    Mumbai: The Hershey Company, a leading global snacking company and the largest producer of quality chocolates in North America, announced the appointment of Luigi Mirri as general manager, India effective 1 January 2024. Currently serving as the general manager of APAC, Luigi will expand his responsibilities to include India.

    In his current role as general manager for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions, he keeps his team focused on consumers and customers and smoothly integrated multiple business units into a cohesive region. Notably, he spearheaded the expansion of the brand footprint in critical markets, such as Australia, fostered a strong relationship with 7-Eleven convenience stores, played a pivotal role in fostering stability in Hershey Korea and set Hershey Philippines and Thailand on a multi-year double-digit growth trajectory. Prior to joining The Hershey Company five years ago, Luigi was based in India with another confection company where he held key leadership positions and dedicated substantial time to business operations.

    The Hershey Company president, International Rohit Grover said, “Both India and APAC play crucial roles in shaping our company’s future. Our business in India, in particular, is growing, and a strategically important market for the future. Luigi’s outstanding track record in steering growth for large enterprises, driving profitability, and turnarounds, will guide his leadership as we continue to tap our desired growth and unlock new potential.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Hershey India and APAC general manager Luigi Mirri said, “I’m looking forward to embracing my new role and the opportunity it brings, including my return to India. I am excited to contribute to the broader transformation goals and growth of our company. India is a key focus for Hershey, bringing moments of goodness to our consumers with fantastic products and our commitment to talent development and leadership building. I’m excited about the prospect of collaborating with the talented team here to make an impact for the company and our people.”

  • Kapil Arora joins Ogilvy Indonesia

    Kapil Arora joins Ogilvy Indonesia

    Mumbai: 82.5 Communications CEO Kapil Arora announced on LinkedIn that he will be joining Ogilvy Indonesia.

    With over 22 years at Ogilvy India, starting as an account executive, Arora played a pivotal role in launching Vodafone in India. He later became president of Ogilvy North before leading Ogilvy’s secondary agency.

  • Geetika Mehta takes charge as Nivea’s managing director

    Geetika Mehta takes charge as Nivea’s managing director

    Mumbai: Geetika Mehta has been appointed as the new managing director of Nivea, bringing with her a proven track record in the development of small businesses and the management of large-scale corporations across diverse markets, including South Asia, Thailand, Brazil, and South Africa.

    Her extensive experience and strategic vision align seamlessly with Nivea India’s goal of delivering superior product quality in line with its care proposition. Geetika has excelled in key leadership roles, successfully managing cross-functional teams and making significant contributions to the success and profitability of the brands she has been associated with.

    Noteworthy positions in her career include a 2.5-year tenure as managing director at Hershey India and an impressive 18-year journey at Hindustan Unilever Ltd. Geetika’s achievements have earned her recognition, including prestigious awards such as The Economic Times 40 Under Forty 2021, ET Prime Women Leadership DEI Ally of the Year 2023, and IMPACT 50 Most Influential Women for Women 2023. Her appointment underscores Nivea’s commitment to leadership that drives excellence and innovation in the competitive consumer care industry.

    Commenting on her new role, Mehta added, “I am thrilled to join NIVEA India, a brand synonymous with trust and quality in skincare. As we navigate the ever-evolving skincare landscape, my focus will be on driving innovation, enhancing customer experiences, and further solidifying NIVEA’s position as the skincare brand of choice for millions of Indians.”

  • Voyage Eyewear appoints Sahil Sharma as the director of marketing

    Voyage Eyewear appoints Sahil Sharma as the director of marketing

    Mumbai: Voyage Eyewear, the avant-garde direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand renowned for its premium sunglasses, is delighted to appoint Sahil Sharma as its director of marketing.

    In this new position, Sahil Sharma will be responsible for driving Voyage Eyewear’s marketing strategies and expanding the brand’s reach on a local and global scale. His primary goal is to ensure sustainable growth for the brand while emphasizing its unique value proposition across various consumer segments. Additionally, Sahil aims to cultivate stronger connections with customers and deepen the engagement of Voyage Eyewear’s loyal patrons.

    Voyage Eyewear co-founder Varun Agarwal said, “We are thrilled to welcome Sahil to Voyage Eyewear’s leadership team. As pioneers who revolutionized eyewear by embracing a digital-first approach through our omnichannel experiences, our commitment to placing the customer at the core of our innovations remains unwavering as we pursue accelerated growth. Sahil’s exceptional ability to fuse strategic vision with impeccable execution makes him the perfect fit to significantly amplify our marketing endeavors. We have full confidence that his leadership will unlock novel avenues such as social commerce and experiential consumer engagement, further realizing our founding vision of making premium eyewear not just visible but accessible across diverse demographics.”

    Voyage Eyewear director of marketing Sahil Sharma said, “The prospect of shaping Voyage Eyewear’s trajectory to lead the future of eyewear fashion is incredibly invigorating. Having spearheaded impactful digital transformations that drove sustainable business impacts in my previous roles, I resonate deeply with Voyage Eyewear’s challenger mindset that disrupts conventional industry norms. My primary focus will revolve around pioneering innovative marketing strategies and models, positioning Voyage Eyewear as a household name that redefines consumers’ eyewear preferences.”

    Operationally, Sahil Sharma will aim to create a flexible and agile performance marketing engine, utilizing analytics to drive consumer communication that is data-driven and insightful. With his proven track record and innovative mindset, Sahil Sharma will be well-equipped to usher Voyage Eyewear into a new phase of growth and success. His vision for the brand, coupled with his strategic marketing expertise, will surely propel Voyage Eyewear to new heights.

     

  • Onetab appoints Judah Guber as VP of strategy and partnerships

    Onetab appoints Judah Guber as VP of strategy and partnerships

    Mumbai: Onetab, the generative AI SaaS startup launched by Saket Dandotia and Alok Patil has today announced the appointment of Judah Guber as vice president of strategy and partnerships.

    Judah, who holds an impressive track record of success and a wealth of experience of over 15 years, will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing Onetab’s strategic initiatives and fostering key partnerships to drive the company’s growth.

    As vice president of strategy and partnerships, Judah will be responsible for spearheading Onetab’s strategic planning, identifying new business opportunities, and forging meaningful partnerships that align with the company’s vision and goals. Before this, Judah was VP of marketing and partnerships of NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation), one of the premier dispute resolution providers. He has also worked with and advised several successful SAAS platforms over this journey.

    Speaking on his new role, Onetab VP of strategy and partnerships Judah Guber said, “I am thrilled to be joining Onetab and look forward to contributing to the company’s growth. We are living in exciting times, and this is a great opportunity for us to build something in the highly evolving AI and SaaS space. Onetab’s commitment to innovation and its distinct approach to Generative AI in the SaaS landscape presents tremendous development prospects. I am excited to lead strategic initiatives and build partnerships that will propel Onetab to new heights.”

    Onetab founder Saket Dandotia commented, “We believe in the power of innovation to alter the way teams collaborate at Onetab. The appointment of Judah comes at a time when we are looking to scale up efficiently and we can see a lot of potential with him on board which will help us direct Onetab in an upward manner. We all look forward to working cohesively and reinventing the future of Generative AI in SaaS models.”

    Onetab aims to provide seamless communication and collaboration with its proprietary custom LLM model, designed to revolutionize the way teams interact and work together. This feature of the start-up sets it apart from the current competition in the market.

     

  • L&K Saatchi & Saatchi elevates Rohit Malkani and Kartik Smetacek to chief creative officers

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi elevates Rohit Malkani and Kartik Smetacek to chief creative officers

    Mumbai: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, a part of Publicis Groupe India, has elevated Kartik Smetacek and Rohit  Malkani, its joint national creative directors, to the roles of chief creative officers (CCOs). The duo will continue reporting to L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis  Worldwide India CEO Paritosh Srivastava.

    This move signifies the agency’s commitment to world-class creativity for brand-building through modern, purpose-led work.

    As chief creative officers, both Kartik and Rohit will guide L&K Saatchi & Saatchi’s creative vision, drawing from their understanding of the evolving media landscape.

    Kartik and Rohit joined L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in 2014 and 2016, respectively, as executive creative directors and were later promoted to joint national creative directors in 2019.

    Under their leadership, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi bagged the Number 2 Creative Agency at Abby’s 2023 and received recognition at award shows such as Spikes Asia, AdFest Asia, D&AD, One  Show and Kyoorious. They also led notable agency campaigns, including Zepto’s ‘Delivery at  Bumrah Speed’, Reliance Digital’s ‘Technology se Rishta Jodo’, Greenpanel’s- ‘Earthquake’,  Flite’s- ‘Sar Utha, Kadam Badha’, JioMart’s- ‘Shopping Aisa, India Jaisa’, Cashify’s ‘Refurbished  Smartphone’, and Vicks’ ‘Vicks Khol, India Bol’ this year.  

    Commenting on Rohit and Kartik’s new role, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Worldwide India CEO Paritosh Srivastava said, “Kartik and Rohit have been true partners to me in every way over the last few years. They have been integral members of our leadership team, aligned with the vision for our agency and its product in the country. They have contributed significantly to the agency’s evolution. The last few years at the agency have been marked by creative renaissance and strong business growth. Now, as we embark into the next phase of  our journey, with bigger goals and ambition, the nucleus of powerful leadership at L&K  Saatchi & Saatchi, with Kartik & Rohit as CCOs and Snehasis as CSO, will play an even more  significant role.”

    “Over the last few years, we’ve been on a journey of transformation as an agency, especially when it comes to our product. This elevation for Rohit and myself further underlines that commitment. Our internal creative excellence programme ‘Go One Better’ is backed by the entire agency, across departments, and the outcomes are evident. Needless to add, our mission is only half achieved, and I look forward to the many milestones ahead,” said  L&K Saatchi & Saatchi chief creative officer Kartik  Smetacek.

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi chief creative officer Rohit Malkani added, “This is as much a  massive honour as it is a responsibility. It’s been an amazing seven years at L&K Saatchi & Saatchi,  without much of an itch! But the journey to build a legacy has just started. With Paritosh and the rest of the leadership team, we’ve carved a path for the agency, driven by Revenue,  Respect and Results. There’s a great momentum so far and Kartik and I can’t wait to take  things to the next level.”

     

  • Kartik Mehta moves out of Silverpush

    Kartik Mehta moves out of Silverpush

    Mumbai: Kartik Mehta moves out of Silverpush. Mehta was with the company for nearly seven years. In his capacity he led the company’s overall revenue and operations function.

    During his tenure, Silverpush grew its business from India across to SEA, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.  

    Prior to Silverpush, Mehta worked with YouAppi (acquired by Affle) and Vserv.

  • VML announces new market leadership team for Asia Pacific

    VML announces new market leadership team for Asia Pacific

    Mumbai: Global brand, customer experience and commerce agency VML has announced its new in-market leadership team across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

    Uniting more than 5000 employees across 25 offices in 13 markets in APAC, the new structure has been designed to provide best-in-class support for VML’s clients across the region, featuring market leaders with robust local knowledge and deep expertise spanning customer experience, brand experience and commerce.

    The announcement comes as WPP creative agencies Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R unify to create VML – the world’s most advanced and largest creative company.

    VML works with a diverse range of blue-chip client partners across various industries in APAC, including Ford, The Coca Cola Company, HSBC, Unilever, Nestle, GSK, Zespri and more.

    Under the leadership of newly appointed VML APAC Co-CEOs Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay and with its regional principal offices in Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney, the restructure sees the appointment of the following market leaders (by region) from 1 January, 2024

    ANZ

    In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Tom Tearle, VMLY&R ANZ CEO is appointed to the role of CEO, VML ANZ. Gavin Bain, Wunderman Thompson CEO for Australia moves to the role of VML chief consulting officer, ANZ and Managing Director, Perth, Australia.

    Southeast Asia

    Singapore: Nimesh Desai, Wunderman Thompson CEO for Singapore, has been appointed as VML CEO, Singapore. Rhys Taylor, VMLY&R managing director, Singapore, takes on the role of VML Chief Client Officer, Singapore, focused on ensuring the new VML is providing the full suite of capabilities to its clients.

    Indonesia: Samir Gupte, CEO, Wunderman Thompson, Indonesia, has been appointed CEO, VML Indonesia.

    Malaysia: Kenni Loh, CEO, VMLY&R Malaysia, has been appointed CEO, VML Malaysia.

    Philippines: Golda Roldan, CEO, Wunderman Thompson, Philippines, has been appointed CEO, VML Philippines.

    Thailand: Parattajariya Jalayanteja, CEO Wunderman Thompson, Thailand has been appointed CEO, VML Thailand.

    Vietnam: Ha Nguyen, VMLY&R CEO, Vietnam, has been appointed CEO, VML Vietnam.

    East Asia

    In China, Kevin Zhu, VMLY&R China CEO, has been appointed CEO VML, China, and Carter Chow Wunderman Thompson CEO for Greater China, steps into the role of President, VML China.

    Hong Kong: Maggie Wong, CEO, Wunderman Thompson, Hong Kong, has been appointed CEO, VML Hong Kong.

    Japan: Ichiro Ota, CEO, VML & Ogilvy Japan remains in his position; while Akira Suzuki, CEO, Wunderman Thompson Japan, moves into the role of COO, VML Japan.

    Taiwan: Even Teng, CEO, Wunderman Thompson, Taiwan has been appointed CEO, VML, Taiwan.

    South Asia

    India:  India is a key market for VML and we are taking the time to ensure that our teams are led by the most capable leaders for our employees and clients. We will announce India’s leadership in Q1 2024.

    Commenting on development, VML APAC Co-CEO Audrey Kuah said: “We are thrilled to introduce our new APAC leadership team, who represent the cream-of-the-crop across two of the most awarded creative agencies in the region. As we unify our storied agencies, there is an exciting opportunity to redefine the possibilities of creativity and set the stage for more innovative and effective work.”

    “At VML we are dedicated to creating connected brands which matter to the consumer and drive growth for our client partners. Working closely with our leaders across our APAC network, we are well positioned to provide the best possible solutions to our clients’ most pressing business problems via an integrated suite of capabilities which are unsurpassed in the region, VML APAC Co-CEO,” Yi-Chung Tay added.

  • AVOW appoints Melissa Bohlsen as its new chief marketing officer

    AVOW appoints Melissa Bohlsen as its new chief marketing officer

    Mumbia:  AVOW, the award-winning global app-growth company specializing in mobile OEM advertising, announced today the appointment of Melissa Bohlsen as its new chief marketing officer (CMO). An industry veteran, Melissa takes charge of nurturing AVOW’s India and global marketing team, and will also lead all Go-to-Market, communications, events, branding, digital, and endeavors with the aim to position AVOW as a household name in the mobile OEM marketing ecosystem in India and other geographies. The addition of her inimitable talent to the company’s C-suite is a pivotal moment for AVOW, cementing both its unwavering commitment to global expansion and excellence.

    Melissa joins AVOW with 15+ years of experience with an extensive focus on global mobile marketing growth strategies for pivotal regions, including INSEA, Japan, USA, and China.  Before AVOW, Melissa held the position of vice president of marketing at Adjust, the mobile attribution and analytics behemoth acquired by Applovin for a remarkable $1 billion, where she managed the global marketing operation overseeing a team of 50+ marketers. Prior to Adjust, she was instrumental in shaping marketing strategies at Boston Consulting Group’s Digital Ventures in Germany, and was also the global marketing director for Glispa, which was sold in a $100 million acquisition.

    AVOW co-founder and CRO Ashwin Shekhar commenting on the appointment says, “Having Melissa join our C-suite ranks is truly a milestone moment for AVOW as we gear up for our next phase. Her acumen in mobile marketing is second to none. With her impressive leadership experience, she is uniquely positioned to empower AVOW to fulfill its ambition of revolutionizing the mobile OEM market in India and other global markets. I am confident that with her at the helm, we will continue our growth trajectory and set new benchmarks in the industry.”

    Shekhar further added, “AVOW is on a hyper-growth path in the mobile OEM marketing space. In India, we have successfully worked with prominent industry players including Amazon Prime, Navi, Zupee, Unacademy, Paytm, Swiggy, JioMart, MPL, Byju’s, Matrimony.com and upGrad offering incremental user growth and engagement for their mobile apps. We are committed to making mobile OEM advertising accessible for brands and apps while remaining performance-oriented in a dynamic market like India”.

    On her new role, Bohlsen said, “I’ve always admired AVOW’s pioneering approach in mobile advertising. Their robust growth ethos and penchant for innovation, combined with a firm commitment to their customers, makes this a truly exciting journey that I am thrilled to be a part of. In India, players within the financial, health, edutech, gaming, and m-commerce sectors are showing a steady interest in mobile OEM advertising. Strengthening the company’s status as the most viable and lucrative advertising alternative to traditional play stores will be on top of my agenda.”