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Tag: appointment

  • Amit Dhawan joins Art-E MediaTech as partner & CEO

    Amit Dhawan joins Art-E MediaTech as partner & CEO

    MUMBAI: Art-E MediaTech, a full-service marketing and advertising agency, has announced the appointment of Amit Dhawan as its CEO and the newest partner in the firm.

    An IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Dhawan was previously with Schbang as the founding partner and business head for their Delhi office, where he was responsible for setting up the business in the North as well as leading the company’s media business. In his eight plus years of experience, he has worked with a diverse set of 200+ brands, including Johnson & Johnson, Panasonic, Godrej, Cipla, Realme, and more.

    “While we empower ourselves to meet the changing marketing landscape, we must have the solid support of people that will propel us forward. Having someone of Amit Dhawan’s calibre join us brings rich expertise in driving our clients to a reputable position in the marketplace, combined with qualitative and admirable leadership skills and knowledge,” said Art-E co-founder Rohit Sakunia. “We are delighted to welcome Amit as our partner as we continue to grow and disrupt the industry.” Art-E was founded by Rohit Sakunia, Tejender Sharma, and Animesh Mukherjee in 2018.

    Amit Dhawan said, “I am excited about becoming a part of Art-E, which has always been at the forefront of delivering meaningful and true solutions to its clients by seamlessly integrating creative, tech, and media. By applying the learning I have had so far, I hope to make a meaningful difference to the business of our clients.”

    Dhawan has also been featured in the ’30 under 30′ list by Agency Reporter as well as amongst the Top 100 smartest digital marketing leaders by the World Digital Marketing Congress, Global Federation of Digital Marketing, World Federation of Marketing Professionals, and CMO Asia.

  • Shailesh Amonkar and Darshan Gangakhedkar join Planet Marathi as strategic advisors

    Shailesh Amonkar and Darshan Gangakhedkar join Planet Marathi as strategic advisors

    Mumbai: Vistas Media Capital Company’s Planet Marathi OTT announced its leadership expansion with veteran experts in media, marketing, and business. The OTT platform has onboarded Shailesh Amonkar and Darshan Gangakhedkar in the roles of strategic advisors. They will assume the responsibilities of mentoring and guiding the team on monetisation and strategy for the fast-expanding company and its various departments.

    To develop exemplary capabilities, the focus is on appointing effective mentors who will steer and back pivotal decisions with their in-depth insight and command developed through years of market experience.

    With three decades of core experience in revenue generation and brand building, Shailesh Amonkar considers himself both a marketing and a sales person at heart. Having worked with media conglomerates like The Times of India Group and Sakal Media Group, Amonkar has also worked in new media and new product development. His specialities include the building and monetisation of audiences and communities. Amonkar is an entrepreneur who runs Kemistry Media Solutions, a media consulting firm.

    Commenting on his appointment, Amonkar said, “Planet Marathi OTT has surpassed expectations with its spectacular performance and ingenious ideas in concept and marketing. It will be an honour to guide as well as learn from these great minds, both fresh and experienced, all of whom are brimming with ideas for the firm.”

    Darshan Gangakhedkar, a media sales expert, is an entrepreneur and media professional. He comes with 20 years of extensive experience and has won many accolades in the media sales space throughout his time in the industry. He has worked with prominent regional media businesses, including Hindi language media houses, Nava Bharat and Raj Express, and the leading Marathi language daily Sakal from the prestigious Sakal Media Group. 

    Gangakhedkar’s comprehensive knowledge of the language industry and exceptional skills in active media sales make him a great mentor asset. Speaking on his appointment, he said, “It is always great to be surrounded by teams who are willing to push boundaries. I have been following Planet Marathi OTT’s outstanding trajectory closely and it will be exciting to work on developing this business further, taking it to newer heights.”

    Planet Marathi OTT founder and head Akshay Bardapurkar shared, “We are happy to announce that we will have the guidance of two exceptional names in the fields of media, branding and sales, both Shailesh Amonkar and Darshan Gangakhedkar. Planet Marathi OTT needs the expertise of these talents to draw out bigger goals and set out in the right direction to achieve them. Our teams will work to develop products, revenue streams, branding and audience engagement in the OTT space under the guidance of these professionals.”

    Founded and helmed by national award winner, Akshay Bardapurkar who is known as a game-changing icon in the industry, Planet Marathi OTT has made a mark for itself in a short span of one year. Since its inception in August 2021, the OTT platform has seen a phenomenal spike of 500 per cent in its subscriber base due to its path-breaking content slate and genius marketing efforts.

  • Havas Media Group India appoints Balachandran V as EVP – Buying North

    Havas Media Group India appoints Balachandran V as EVP – Buying North

    MUMBAI: Havas Media Group India, the media experience agency of Havas Group India, has appointed Balachandran V as executive vice president of buying north. Based out of Gurgaon, Balachandran will be responsible for media investments of all north clients. He will be reporting to R. Venkatasubramanian, president of investments and head – Havas Sports, Havas Media Group India.

    Balachandran’s appointment comes at a critical juncture and will further strengthen the agency’s media investments and buying team, said the agency in a statement.

    Commenting on the appointment, R Venkatasubramanian said, “Bala is a seasoned media professional, and this is his second innings with Havas, having previously worked for the agency (then Euro RSCG) in 1997 as the Media & Administration lead for the Chennai market and later on led the investment portfolio for the Reckitt Benckiser Business in Delhi. We are delighted to have him back, this time to lead HMG India’s North Investment operations, one of our largest business units. I am confident Bala will drive the team forward and further strengthen our investment function by hiring talented professionals with domain expertise. We wish Bala a happy homecoming!”

    Balachandran V said, “I am excited to join Havas and lead the media investments function for one of its biggest markets i.e., North. Havas Media Group India has been growing at a phenomenal rate over the years, and I look forward to working with the legacy and new-age brands, collaborating with media partners, and delivering the best ROI for clients by adding value.”

    With over 25 years of experience in media across different verticals like trading, buying strategy, and client servicing, Balachandran has managed clients across categories viz. retail, FMCG, automobile, lifestyle, government etc. Prior to joining Havas Media Group India, he worked with agencies like Dentsu and GroupM. Some of the leading brands he has worked with include Reckitt Benckiser, GSK, INC, Mother Dairy, Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Wakefit, Bata and more.

  • Nikhil Madhok joins Amazon Prime Video as original content head-Hindi

    Nikhil Madhok joins Amazon Prime Video as original content head-Hindi

    Mumbai: Nikhil Madhok, former executive vice president & head of original content of Disney+ Hotstar has joined Amazon Prime Video as its new original content head (Hindi). 

    Under his leadership, he will oversee the growth and expansion of its original content, which will facilitate Prime Video to expand its original content footprint in Hindi.  Amazon Prime Video plans to utilise Madhok’s rich experience across TV and digital ecosystems to ramp up its original content offering. He will report to Aparna Purohit-Head of India Originals who continues to lead the charge in developing original series and movies across multiple Indian languages.

    In addition, the company’s spokesperson said, “In its content upfront in April, the company showcased over 40 titles that will stream on the service in the next 18-24 months and we understand that there are 70 titles under production/ development.”   

    During his stint at Disney+ Hotstar’s Madhok led the conception and launch of Hotstar’s foray into original content titled Hotstar Specials. He was responsible for the entire slate of specials from content strategy, ideation, curation, script development, production, and launch. 

    Disney+ Hotstar has produced original shows such as Special Ops, Aarya, Criminal Justice, Human, Grahan, and Ghar Waapsi under his leadership.

    Sharing his farewell posts on social media Linkedin, Madhok said, “ It is an extremely special feeling when you build something from scratch. I was fortunate to get that opportunity 4.5 years ago when I was asked to lead Disney + Hotstar’s foray into original shows. What started as an exciting but uncertain initiative soon blossomed into a strategic agenda. Ideas grew from one line and scripts to shows and franchises.”

    At the end of the note, he added, “ I am incredibly excited about the next challenge at one of the most innovative companies of all time, where I start very soon. I am even more excited about the confluence of consumers, content, and technology in our incredible country and the bright future ahead.”

    Embed:https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6970577608191152128/

    Previously, he worked at Star India for over five years, he was executive vice president of content and developed the use case & business strategy for Hotstar’s foray into original content. Madhok held several positions at Star, including vice president of network marketing, head of programming strategy, marketing & on-air promotion for Star Plus, and business head of Star Bharat.

    He later worked for Discovery as the head of products in the Asia Pacific region, where he was in charge of the company’s linear TV and digital products across APAC. Madhok began his career at Unilever as global marketing manager from 2005 to 2008. He left Unilever to become senior director of marketing at Turner (now WarnerMedia).

  • Sun TV’s Kavitha Jaubin joins Arha media-owned Aha as VP content & strategy- Tamil

    Sun TV’s Kavitha Jaubin joins Arha media-owned Aha as VP content & strategy- Tamil

    Mumbai: Sun TV veteran Kavitha Jaubin has joined Arha media-owned Aha as VP of content & strategy-Tamil. Jaubin confirmed the development to Indiantelevision.com over a call. Jaubin led the content and brand integration at Sun TV, where she served a stint of over 15 years.

    Indiantelevision.com broke the news of the media veteran putting in her papers at the Kalanithi Maran-owned network last month.

    ALSO READ |Sun TV veteran Kavitha Jaubin quits

    Aha is an OTT player owned by Arha Media & Broadcasting, a joint venture between Geetha Arts and real estate business group My Home Group, which offers original content in Telugu and Tamil languages. After establishing itself as the one-stop destination for Telugu-speaking viewers globally, the OTT player forayed into the Tamil market late last year, following its debut in March 2020.

    At Sun TV, the Chennai-based Jaubin handled several challenging assignments, having joined the network in August 2007 as head of Kids Channels (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam). She took on the additional responsibility of cluster head-content acquisition at the broadcaster.

    Jaubin took over the mantle of head of Sun Life, the network’s second general entertainment channel, in 2011 for nine years before taking up her final stint at the broadcaster as head of content and brand integration in February 2020.

    Prior to Sun TV, she served a brief stint as executive producer at 92.7 BIGFM.

    Early on in her career, she even donned a creative hat as writer-director at Star India’s Star Vijay Television for four years.

  • Ogilvy names Devika Bulchandani as global chief executive officer

    Ogilvy names Devika Bulchandani as global chief executive officer

    Mumbai: Ogilvy has announced the appointment of Devika Bulchandani as global chief executive officer. In this role, she will be responsible for all aspects of the creative network’s business across 131 offices in 93 countries and spanning its advertising, public relations, experience, consulting, and health units. She will also join WPP’s executive committee as she takes on her new role. Devika most recently served as global president and CEO of Ogilvy North America. She takes the helm from Andy Main, who is stepping down as global CEO and will serve as a senior advisor until the end of the year.

    WPP CEO Mark Read said, “Over the last two years, under Andy’s leadership, Ogilvy has seen a transformation in its creative and business performance. This stems from the consistently outstanding quality of work from Ogilvy’s teams around the world; the investment in attracting and developing talent across the business; and the strong and more diverse leadership team Andy has built. With the agency’s transformation a year ahead of the schedule we originally envisioned, Andy has decided that now is the right time to seek a new challenge, and he is moving on with my personal thanks and best wishes.”

    “Devika is a champion of creativity who brings passion, purpose, and an uncompromising focus on generating impact to everything she does. In partnership with Andy and Liz Taylor, she has been instrumental in Ogilvy’s recent growth and development. Her love for our industry, her deep understanding of clients’ needs, and her track record of delivering growth for agencies and brands, make her the perfect choice to lead Ogilvy to even greater success,” he added.

    Andy Main said, “When I joined Ogilvy, my goal was to build on the company’s incredible heritage, raise its ambitions, and deliver growth for our clients through work that has impact. Our progress is a testament to all the talented people across the network and our amazing clients, for whom I have the deepest gratitude and respect. David Ogilvy spoke about the importance of hiring giants, and Devika is truly one of the giants in the industry. It has been an honour to be a part of this company’s rich history, and I know Devika will continue to accelerate the momentum our team has built.”

    Prior to joining Ogilvy, Devika spent 26 years at McCann in various leadership roles, including president of McCann North America. She was the driving force behind Mastercard’s long-running “Priceless” campaign as well as “True Name,” a first-of-its-kind feature launched in 2019 that empowers transgender and non-binary people to display their chosen name on their Mastercard. Known for ideas that capture the cultural zeitgeist, Dev also helped launch “Fearless Girl,” a symbol of women’s equality; the campaign became one of the most awarded campaigns in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

    Devika Bulchandani said, “David Ogilvy changed the industry 74 years ago when he founded this iconic agency. As we write the next chapter in the history books of Ogilvy, we will do it together with our clients, using creativity to push the boundaries of what’s possible. I am honoured and humbled to take on this role, and to do it with all our incredibly talented people all over the world.”

    Devika has previously received a range of honours, including: NY Power Woman by Moves Magazine; US Advertising Agency Head of the Year by Campaign Magazine; Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It; and ADCOLOR Innovator. She has been the recipient of multiple 4As Jay Chiat Awards for strategic planning. Devika serves on the board of the ERA Coalition. She is also a founding member of Times Up Advertising and serves on the boards of the Ad Council, the 4A’s, and the Advertising Club.

    Over the last two years, the creative network has deepened and grown relationships with current clients while winning new business with brands including Absolut, Enterprise Holdings, World of Hyatt, TD Bank, FEMA, New York Philharmonic, and Audi of America. Ogilvy also played a key role in WPP being named as The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Marketing Network Partner, the agency shared in a statement. Recently, Ogilvy earned the coveted position of Network of the Year at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the first time since 2016 and secured the same honour from The One Show and Campaign magazine.

  • Madison Media Infinity wins the media AOR of Polycab India

    Madison Media Infinity wins the media AOR of Polycab India

    Mumbai: Madison World’s unit Madison Media Infinity has won the media agency of record for Polycab India. The account was won in a multi-agency pitch involving several rounds of presentations.

    Polycab India is a manufacturer of wires and cables and a fast growing FMEG (fast moving electrical goods) company with a consolidated turnover of Rs 122+ billion. Polycab India offers a diverse range of lifestyle-enhancing products, such as Polycab BLDC fans, LED lights, water heaters, smart automation solutions (IoT), switches, and switchgears, to name a few. Polycab’s 23 manufacturing facilities are spread over four locations: Halol, Nashik, Roorkee, and Daman.

    On this association, Polycab India executive president and CMO Nilesh Malani said, “We are excited to partner with Madison Media Infinity as our media AOR agency and look forward to their expertise across the media spectrum, which includes media strategy, planning, buying, and partnership. This association will help us in our future growth and brand building.”

    Madison Media Infinity COO Abhik Banerjee added, “In Polycab’s endeavour to be the leading electrical solutions provider, we’re pleased to join forces. Creating amazing work along with Team Polycab will be an incredible experience for us and we look forward to working with them on this journey of growth and success.”

    Madison Media handles media planning and buying for blue chip clients like Godrej, Marico, Asian Paints, Titan, Blue Star, TVS, Raymond, Ceat, Pidilite, Bajaj Electricals, McDonald’s, Lodha, Shaadi.com, and many others.

    Madison Media Infinity is a part of Madison World, India’s largest homegrown communication agency, established in 1988. As many as 500 advertisers used Madison World through its 11 units last year.

  • Rebel Foods appoints Essence as its integrated media agency in India

    Rebel Foods appoints Essence as its integrated media agency in India

    Mumbai: WPP by GroupM’s media agency Essence on Thursday announced that it has been appointed as the integrated media agency of record by Rebel Foods in India. Led out of its Mumbai office, Essence’s scope of work includes strategy, analytics, media planning and media activation for the internet restaurant company’s brand marketing activities.

    As part of the partnership, Essence’s first few activities for Rebel Foods include campaigns for Faasos targeting fast food lovers and Sweet Truth celebrating midnight cravings, along with integrated communications plans for Behrouz Biryani and the company’s food court on an app experience, EatSure, in key markets.

    Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Mumbai, Rebel Foods is home to brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story Pizza, Lunch Box, Mandarin Oak, The Good Bowl, SLAY Coffee, Sweet Truth and Wendy’s.

    With a network of over 4,000 restaurants across over 450 kitchens in more than 70 cities spanning 10 countries worldwide, the company has developed its own operating system of culinary innovation, robust supply chain and full-stack technology, through which food brands are launched and scaled up in a very short period of time.

    Rebel Foods currently operates over 45 own and partner brands, ranging from startups to global majors, to cater to consumers’ different food missions.

    Commenting on the partnership, Rebel Foods co-founder and India CEO Ankush Grover said, “We are on a journey to build the world’s most exciting and delightful food company, serving the highest quality of brands across customer food missions in every neighbourhood in the world. Keeping our vision in mind, it is inevitable for our brands to have a communication strategy that focuses on customer-first offerings, while complementing our brand promise. Over the years, our communication has been authentic, relatable, creative, innovative, and at the same time, has reflected the brand’s core value. We believe Essence is an ideal partner to help us in our journey with an insight-led analytical approach, while bringing a unique style of creativity and innovation. We are looking forward to collaborating with Essence on some exciting campaigns and strategies.”

    “Rebel Foods is a revolutionary, fast-growing cloud kitchen operator with multiple food brands in its portfolio. With our data-driven approach to strategy, analytics and media, focused on delivering value to brands and consumers through innovation, we see opportunities to help Rebel Foods drive greater synergies and efficiencies across its brands, while defining bespoke growth paths for each brand,” said Essence managing director, India Sonali Malaviya. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Rebel Foods on its exciting growth journey and become its ally in achieving its growth goals.”

    Rebel Foods joins Essence’s diverse portfolio of clients across its Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai offices, covering a mix of high-growth, technology-driven startups as well as established local and global companies.

    Since Essence’s entry into India in 2016, the agency has seen an increasing demand by companies for its transformational data-driven approach to marketing, use of media and creativity to deepen relationships with consumers, and expertise in accelerating brand and business growth.

  • Sony Pictures International Productions India elevates Ritesh Arora as the head of business affairs

    Sony Pictures International Productions India elevates Ritesh Arora as the head of business affairs

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) India has elevated Ritesh Arora as the head of business affairs. Ritesh will oversee commercials and project acquisitions at SPIP India, as well as work to maximise revenue potential. He will report to  SPIP India general manager & head Lada Guruden Singh.

    Ritesh has been with Sony Pictures since 2015 and was most recently in charge of commercials and acquisitions. He has over two decades of experience in exhibition, distribution, and content acquisition.

    Ritesh Arora said, “It will be really exciting to look at new business development opportunities and also align them to the financial and growth targets of the company. Sony Pictures International Productions has made huge strides in India and to now deliver even more diverse and multilingual stories to Indian audiences across all formats is our dream.”

    SPIP, co-headed by Shebnem Askin and Michael Rifkin, is the local-language production arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group, which releases more than 30 films per year across 12 territories worldwide.

  • Dabur Red Paste ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador to launch its new campaign

    Dabur Red Paste ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador to launch its new campaign

    Mumbai: Dabur India announced that it has roped in Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan as the new brand ambassador of its flagship oral care brand, Dabur Red Paste. This new campaign is expected to further strengthen the brand’s position.

    Created by Ogilvy, in this campaign, Bachchan plays a double role, that of a science man and an ayurveda expert, where he talks about Dabur Red Paste as the perfect blend of modern science and ayurveda. The execution is both humorous and informative as it delivers the core message in a clear and interesting manner.

    Dabur India CEO Mohit Malhotra said, “We are absolutely thrilled to have Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan on board as the new face of Dabur Red Paste. Dabur Red Paste combines the best of traditional ayurveda and modern-day science to offer our consumers complete oral hygiene. Amitabh Bachchan, with his high level of trust, popularity, and credibility, and his unique ability to connect with both younger and older generations, perfectly embodies the brand values of Dabur Red Paste. We welcome him to the Dabur family and are confident that this association will further strengthen the brand and help us build a better connection with our consumers.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Bachchan commented, “I am happy to endorse Dabur Red Paste, a trusted brand from the house of Dabur. We all know the importance of oral hygiene in our health and wellbeing. Dabur Red paste, being an ayurvedic toothpaste, with its inherent benefits, is the answer to this need.”

    Ogilvy India chairman of global creative & executive chairman added, “Working with Amitabh Bachchan has always been an absolute privilege. I’m delighted that we have got an opportunity to collaborate with him for our partners at Dabur. Dabur Red Paste is a much loved Indian brand and has been going from strength to strength. With Bachchan’s association, it is sure to soar to new heights.”

    “The brief was to communicate how Dabur Red Paste uses the power of science to extract the best of ayurveda. And when India’s #1 ayurvedic toothpaste decides to spotlight its efficacy, it is only fair that it is done by someone of stature, someone who the consumers look up to. Thus, Bachchan came on board. The challenge then was to have a script that does justice to both,” said Ogilvy India (north) president & head of office Prakash Nair.

    Ogilvy India (north) CCO Ritu Sharda added, “Dabur Red Paste is the best of science and Ayurveda. Since the benefits were two-fold, we got the opportunity to create two different characters for Mr. Bachchan, one as an ayurvedic expert – gyaan – and one as a man of science – vigyan. Bachchan’s genius has taken the banter between the two characters to the next level. And we’ve had the opportunity to show Bachchan in two never-seen-before avatars. Enjoy the banter as you learn about the amazing benefits of this iconic brand in the most delightful way.”