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Tag: appointment

  • boAt announces leadership expansion; onboards P Narayan, C Awasthi as business and HR heads

    boAt announces leadership expansion; onboards P Narayan, C Awasthi as business and HR heads

    Mumbai: Imagine Marketing, which owns the market-leading wireless hearables and wearables brand boAt has announced several new appointments to the leadership team, affirming its focus to building a top-notch team to unleash the next phase of growth. The company has increased its workforce by over 110 employees and is now over 300 boAtheads strong.

    Key additions include: 

    Prejith Narayan, the chief business officer, brings over 12 years of experience after serving industry juggernauts like Amazon, Aditya Birla Group and IBM. During his stint at Amazon, Prejith led multiple key categories like wireless audio, wearables, PCA and beauty.

    Charmie Awasthi, recently appointed as chief human resource officer brings with her a rich professional experience of over 17 years with media conglomerates like Viacom18 and Zee Entertainment. During her professional career, she has partnered with & consulted business leaders on people strategy and practices to enable organisational growth and development. She specialises in organisation design, leadership development, change management, coaching & mentoring and performance management.  

    Shyam Vedantam, who has joined the deck as a chief product delivery officer, comes with over two decades of rich experience as a tech business leader and an entrepreneur. From building products to scaling businesses, he has previously served large enterprises including Harman and GE along with start-ups across US, India, and the Asia Pacific.

    Rakshit Gupta will be responsible for spearheading the CX initiatives as the head of customer experience at boAt.  His diverse experience in areas like strategy, product, and operations across Swiggy, The Boston Consulting Group, and Flipkart, is certain to add a tremendous value to all the new customer delight initiatives that the company is set to usher in.

    Vibhor Jain, recently appointed as the head of e-commerce, brings to the table a span of experiences across e-commerce, electronics, and FMCG sector with industry giants like Tata Cliq, Appario Retail, Patanjali, and TCS where he worked in roles across corporate strategy, business development and category management.

    Essaying roles in brand strategy, market research, innovation, P&L management and new product development; Aman Brara has recently joined as the head of wearables. Known for scaling up business and brands, he has worked with Reckitt and Godrej Consumer Products in the past and is truly passionate about taking the category to new heights.

    Imagine Marketing CEO Vivek Gambhir said, “Over the years, under the inspiring leadership of Aman and Sameer, our co-founders, the company has been successful in rapidly scaling up the business and delivering profitable growth. For our next phase of growth, we are elated to expand our team and welcome dynamic and talented leaders who will help us chart the way and take Imagine Marketing to the next level. As we grow, we will continue to scout for great talent to add across multiple functions.”

  • Nissan India names Mohan Wilson as the new director of marketing

    Nissan India names Mohan Wilson as the new director of marketing

    Mumbai: Nissan India has appointed Mohan Wilson as director marketing, product & customer experience, for business transformation for the India market. Mohan Wilson replaces Sriram Padmanabhan and has taken over the position effective 1 July 2022.

    Sriram Padmanabhan, who has overseen the successful launch of the Nissan Magnite in India as director marketing, product & customer experience has been appointed director marketing, product & customer experience for Nissan Motor Australia, the company announced. In this newly created role, Padmanabhan will report to Adam Paterson, managing director Nissan Australia and will be based in Australia.

    Wilson has worked across geographies in Japan, HongKong, Germany and India with cross functional experience of over 20 years in sales and marketing with expertise in areas of brand building, marcom, product marketing, customer experience, corporate strategy and data driven marketing. Prior to this, Wilson was head of global marketing planning at Nissan Motor Corporation’s premium car brand INFINITI at Global HQ in Japan and was a part of new model launch introductions for INFINITI globally with all-new QX60 & QX55.  

    Mohan Wilson in his role will report to Nissan Motor India managing director Rakesh Srivastava, and will be based in Chennai. He will focus on the transformation of the business on future product strategy for India, build a strong brand with a focus on customer experience and will leverage his experience gained at Nissan Motor Corporation’s Global HQ office in Yokohama, Japan.

    On this announcement, Srivastava commented, “Sriram has been an asset for Nissan India with a strong contribution towards the successful launch of big, bold, beautiful Nissan Magnite under Nissan Next with Nissan Magnite generating a tremendous customer response with over one lakh bookings and receipt of the Global Nissan President’s Award. We welcome Mohan Wilson to Nissan Motor India, his global exposure on premium cars would be key to build the Nissan brand with focus on customer experience on Nissan NEXT transformation.“

  • Health insurance platform Plum appoints Mukul Kanchan as its head of finance

    Health insurance platform Plum appoints Mukul Kanchan as its head of finance

    Mumbai: Plum, an employee health insurance platform, has appointed Mukul Kanchan as its head of finance. Mukul has assumed charge from June 2022 and will be working closely with the founders to solve complexities as the business scales up at a faster clip. Mukul will support scaling the business with sustainability, building financial prudence and robustness, acquisition initiatives, and fundraising. He will also strengthen risk management practices and compliances at Plum.

    Mukul is an investment banker and a private equity investment professional. He comes with over 16 years of experience in leading finance, M&A and business development functions in prominent start-ups and global corporations such as Clix Capital, D. E. Shaw & Co, E&Y and Aten Capital among others. In his earlier role as CFO at Clix, Mukul drove the acquisition of GE Capital India entities in 2016 which was later renamed as Clix, simplified the legal entity structure of the group, drove M&As and partnerships, and led the overall finance function.

    On his new role as head of finance at Plum, Mukul Kanchan said, “In a world of high-growth tech start-ups, a finance leader must become a strategic partner to their CEOs. From staying conservative to displaying aggression, from valuing cost-cutting to chasing opportunity cost, from controller to being an enabler, and from playing by the book to writing a new playbook, the new age finance leaders must act as a catalyst for growth and aspire to change the game.”

    Plum co-founder and CEO Abhishek Poddar said, “Mukul is a highly adept finance leader and will be an invaluable asset to Plum’s leadership team. Having worked at some of the most robust financial services organisations, not only does he bring the expertise needed to run our finance function, he also has a critical understanding of what it takes to drive growth and operational excellence. Having worked with Mukul for some time now, I have experienced his superior intellect and leadership abilities and am excited to work closely with him as we execute the next phase of Plum’s journey.”

  • Havas Media Group India appoints A K Rao as senior vice president of Havas Sports & Entertainment

    Havas Media Group India appoints A K Rao as senior vice president of Havas Sports & Entertainment

    MUMBAI:  Havas Sports & Entertainment, the sports & sponsorship vertical of Havas Media Group India, has appointed Arun Kumar Rao as senior vice president. He will be based in Gurgaon and will report to R Venkatasubramanian, president (investments) & head of Havas Sports.

    Earlier this year, Havas Media Group India relaunched the Havas Sports & Entertainment vertical, which offers clients opportunities by providing bespoke sports solutions with access to media and sponsorship. The team aims to provide strategic & innovative media solutions to sponsors on asset identification, allocation and maximising returns from media investments as well as developing sports and entertainment-based IPs, managing sporting talent, and producing & partnering on exclusive events.

    Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi said, “Sports is a major driving force for the media & marketing industry, and we want to lead this space by assisting media rights holders in optimising their properties, creating more winning partnerships with leading & emerging brands, and co-creating unique engagement opportunities for brands by offering integrated media solutions that include digital, on-ground, and on-air experiences, which will help maximise returns and connect meaningfully with audiences.  I look forward to Venkat and the team scaling up Havas Sports & Entertainment to newer heights, and welcome Arun to the Havas Family.”

    Havas Media Group India president (investments) & head – Havas Sports R. Venkatasubramanian added, “With the resurgence of Havas Sports & Entertainment and a slew of major & emerging sporting events in India, we are witnessing a multi-fold increase in sports marketing and brand sponsorships. Arun’s vast experience will add a new dimension to the vertical and accelerate our growth plans.”

    “I am thrilled to be joining the Havas Media Group India team and to have the opportunity to expand Havas Sports & Entertainment’s expertise in sports marketing and sponsorships. I am excited to work with meaningful brands from diverse industries, collaborate with leading and emerging sporting events, drive innovation, and make a meaningful difference. I’m looking forward to a fantastic inning with Havas.” said Arun Rao.

    With over 20 years of diverse work experience, Rao comes with a vast experience in sports marketing & sponsorships, media ad sales & marketing, strategic marketing, DTH & digital sales, business development, and digital content development & acquisition. He has worked as an independent consultant, helping brands, start-ups, and sports clubs in setting up marketing & sales strategy, and revenue generation through sponsorships.

    Before this, Rao has worked with Indian Super League (ISL) teams – Odisha FC & Delhi Dynamos FC, Dish TV, leading broadcast and print media networks – Discovery Networks, The Walt Disney, 9XM, Manorama TV, Fashion TV India (FTV) and The Time of India Group. Apart from this, Rao has also worked with leading advertising agencies like TBWA India, Rediffusion and Percept Advertising and managed brands like Bharti Airtel, Electrolux – Kelvinator, Birla Yamaha, and NTPC. 

  • BIG FM appoints Ishita Dasgupta as national head – digital

    BIG FM appoints Ishita Dasgupta as national head – digital

    Mumbai: Leading radio networks in India BIG FM has strengthened its national sales team with the appointment of Ishita Dasgupta as the national head – digital, and business growth (West & South). In her new capacity, Ishita will be in charge of advancing BIG FM’s digital and business verticals across the radio network.

    An accomplished media professional, Ishita specialises in media and entertainment. In a career spanning more than 17 years, she has impactfully led cross-functional projects and teams in the fields of revenue management, business development, relationship management, and brand development. Her robust body of experience exhibits a strong focus on advertising sales, digital properties, project management, and profit & loss accountability. In her previous role as vice president – digital alliances & partnerships with QYOU Media India, she oversaw market expansion by spearheading its digital sales strategy and developing innovative IP solutions. Prior to that, she worked with print & TV media companies including ABP, TV9 and India News where she set up the entire revenue function, sales strategy, revenue generation & customized brand solutions.

    Sharing views on the appointment, BIG FM COO Sunil Kumaran said, “In all Ishita’s previous roles, her contribution has been integral to the success that the brand has achieved. Given her vast experience in bringing together functions to deliver on the organisational goals, Ishita joins us at an opportune time as BIG FM endeavours to re-write its digital story. I am very happy to welcome Ishita to the team and look forward to exciting times ahead for the brand.”

    Speaking about her new role, Ishita Dasgupta said, “I am delighted to join the team at BIG FM. With changing trends and shifts in consumption patterns, the relevance of radio continues to remain unmatched. It is a crucial time for BIG FM, as we focus on understanding and building capacity to grab headspace within the emerging niches of the digital world. I am confident that my experience and learnings over the past two decades will hold me in good stead as I lead the team into new arenas and scale revenues to meet our goals.”

  • Leo Burnett wins PepsiCo India’s creative mandate

    Leo Burnett wins PepsiCo India’s creative mandate

    Mumbai: PepsiCo India has selected Publicis Groupe agency Leo Burnett India as its creative partner to drive long-term growth and momentum across its foods and beverages portfolio. 

    As part of the partnership, Leo Burnett will be responsible for the company’s creative and digital mandate across all brands in the country. The account has been won after an intense multi- agency pitch.  

    Speaking about the appointment, PepsiCo India senior vice president George Kovoor said, “At PepsiCo India, our aim is to create innovative and purposeful consumer campaigns that help us engage effectively with our consumers. With an intent to further accelerate our marketing efforts, we are delighted to welcome Leo Burnett as our new creative agency. Their strategic thinking along with robust creative & marketing capabilities make them the right partners for our next phase of growth.” 

    Leo Burnett CEO, South Asia & chairman BBH India Dheeraj Sinha said, “We are overwhelmed with the trust posed in us by PepsiCo India in aligning their portfolio with us. PepsiCo’s  business in India is witnessing  a tremendous growth journey and we are looking forward to being their partners in accelerating this momentum. The mandate offers us a wonderful  opportunity to further create groundbreaking work, and integrate culture, creativity, data and technology in campaigns, going forward.”

  • upGrad on-boards Rakesh Raju as director of brand marketing

    upGrad on-boards Rakesh Raju as director of brand marketing

    Mumbai: Strengthening its leadership team, Asia’s higher Edtech major upGrad has announced the appointment of Rakesh Raju as the director of brand marketing. 

    In his new role at upGrad, Rakesh will be responsible for formulating go-to-market strategies and driving high-impact marketing initiatives to further strengthen the brand’s identity across online and offline channels. 

    An IIM Calcutta alumnus with over 12 years of work experience, Raju has led several marketing portfolios across FMCG and telecom industries. In his last stint with CavinKare, he joined as a senior brand manager and went on to head the e-commerce business and was subsequently promoted to a leadership role to manage the haircare portfolio for the domestic business. Prior to CavinKare, Rakesh had worked with Airtel as a senior product manager for the Telecom and airtel money business verticals.

    Welcoming Rakesh to his new role, upGrad head of marketing Ankit Khirwal said, “We are elated to have Rakesh Raju on board. His business prowess and experience in leading brands’ marketing efforts make him an ideal choice for upGrad, especially at a time when we are growing by leaps and bounds and such strategic hirings shall further help us to drive maximum campaign-performance efficiencies.”

    “The timing couldn’t have been any better – I am excited to join upGrad at such an important business juncture. I’ve always admired the leadership and the brand from the other side and now is the time I get to work with them closely for creating a stronger brand niche within an overcrowded space. Driving impactful education for millions requires commitment, and I hope to use my acquired skills and knowledge in a most optimum way to strengthen upGrad’s stature as the ‘higher-ed leader’ across levels,” concluded Rakesh.

  • Locomotive Global Media on boards Anup Thanvi and Pearl Gill

    Locomotive Global Media on boards Anup Thanvi and Pearl Gill

    Mumbai: Locomotive Global Media LLP on Thursday announced the appointment of Anup Thanvi as coordinating producer and Pearl Gill as head of production. The announcement comes at a time when the company is gearing up for the next level of growth and aims to become a blue-chip content producer in India. Their appointments are with immediate effect.

    In his new role, Anup Thanvi will be responsible for developing a strong creative vision for the company’s upcoming projects. As coordinating producer, Thanvi will contribute to LGM’s overall growth by scouting for new ideas and creative talent, analysing and developing scripts into successful series and films, creating pitch material for projects, and cultivating creative relationships within the media and entertainment industry.

    Thanvi brings to LGM 8 years of industry experience, with an expertise in fiction and non-fiction content production. Prior to joining LGM, he worked as a creative producer at The Story Ink. In his previous roles, Thanvi also worked as a producer for leading media channels and streaming platforms including Channel V, Disney+Hotstar, and AltBalaji.

    As LGM’s Head of Production, Gill will be responsible for building out the company’s production expertise, culminating in launching LGM’s line production services offerings for outside producers. She will be leading and managing all aspects of production for LGM projects, beginning with development and carrying all the way through to project delivery. With an aim to build LGM into a leading production partner in the industry, she will be tasked with setting benchmarks for the company in terms of production the achievement of which will take LGM to the next level of corporate growth.

    Gill brings with her 10 years of industry experience. She has worked as an executive producer, line producer, and production executive for films and series including “Shakuntala Devi”, “Kaun Banegi Shekharwati”, and “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”.

    Speaking on the new appointments, Locomotive Global co-founder and principal Sunder Aaron said, “The announcement is a strategic step towards preparing LGM for its next phase of growth. We are delighted to welcome Anup and Pearl to our leadership team. I expect them both to play key roles in the company’s future as we continue to build scale and quality.”

  • Bajaj Electricals on boards Ravindra Singh Negi and Rajesh Naik; aims for aggressive growth

    Bajaj Electricals on boards Ravindra Singh Negi and Rajesh Naik; aims for aggressive growth

    Mumbai:

    Negi will join Bajaj Electricals in July 2022 from Havells India, where he was president of the electrical consumer durables segment. Prior to that, he spent nearly two decades in Bharti Airtel in various roles, with his final role being CEO of the Delhi and NCR telecom circle.  

    Additionally, the company has also announced the formation of a unified lighting business segment by combining its consumer lighting business and its professional lighting business, which will be led by Rajesh Naik. He joined Bajaj Electricals in December 2019 and in this period has led a turnaround of the illumination business taking it to the leadership position in the industry. Naik has over two decades of experience in the sector.  

    The reorganisation and strengthening of the company’s leadership are on the back of the ongoing and significant transformation journey. Over the last three years, Bajaj Electricals has undertaken multiple initiatives including the acquisition of further stakes in Nirlep Appliances, Starlite Lighting and the planned scheme of arrangement for a split of the entity into two independent publicly listed companies (upon a demerger of its power infrastructure business). The planned split is likely to come into effect later this fiscal. Further, the company achieved a key strategic milestone of becoming net-debt-free as of 31 March 2022. Having achieved these milestones, Bajaj  Electricals is preparing for aggressive growth across its businesses in a focused manner.  

    Making these announcements, Bajaj Electricals executive director Anuj Poddar said, “Over the past three years, we have embarked upon a significant transformation journey at Bajaj Electricals with a clear agenda of driving growth and value creation for all stakeholders. During this period, we have consistently demonstrated our ability to deliver on the agenda with agile decisions and focused execution even amidst a tough environment. As we look forward to our next phase of this transformation, we are committed to even more aggressive growth and to driving operational excellence across our businesses. The reorganisation and strengthening of our leadership are designed to enable this. I am pleased to welcome aboard Ravindra, who comes with a stellar professional track record and strong leadership skills. I am confident that he will be able to drive the strong performance of our consumer products business. Further, in Rajesh, we already have a very strong leader who has successfully driven our lighting business to a leadership position. With his widened responsibility as head of the unified lighting business, I am sure that he will bring to fore his deep experience and a sharper focus on this overall business to re-assert Bajaj Electricals’ leadership in the Indian marketplace.”

    Newly appointed Bajaj Electricals COO of consumer products business Ravindra Singh Negi added, “Bajaj Electricals is an established leader in consumer appliances with deeply entrenched brand and distribution strengths. As an industry player, I have closely watched the changes over the recent past with several new initiatives that are strengthening its competitive position as well as transforming it into a best-in-class organisation. I am excited to be joining the organisation at this juncture and to build on this momentum of transforming a strong brand legacy into a future ready consumer centric and innovative organisation. I look forward to working with the team and leaders to deliver on superior growth & competitive performance.”

    Commenting on his new responsibility, Bajaj Electricals head of lighting business Rajesh Naik said “The last 2.5 years at Bajaj Electricals have been immensely challenging yet gratifying as we have successfully turned around our Illumination (professional lighting) business, driving its growth in an extremely tough market environment. We are now well poised in both the professional lighting business as well as in our consumer lighting business with several new product launches and innovations. I am confident that with this new unified Lighting Business segment we will be able to drive a much stronger go-to-market thrust, better synergies and cohesive operations. I look forward to working with our teams and channel partners to drive rapid growth for our business.”

  • Netflix appoints Rohit Suri as head of talent – India

    Netflix appoints Rohit Suri as head of talent – India

    Mumbai: Netflix has appointed Rohit Suri as head of talent – India. Suri will report into chief human resource officer Sergio Ezama and will lead the talent team in India, based in Mumbai.

    “Netflix is deeply committed to India and Rohit will lead the talent function in the country to build a strong and diverse team and enable all employees to do the best work of their lives,” said the company statement.

    He was previously associated with dentsu international as chief human resources officer for South Asia since September 2021. Prior to that, Suri was associated with GroupM as chief HR and talent officer for the South Asia region. He was with the company for over five years.

    A professional with over 24 years of experience, Suri has experience across consumer internet, technology and media industries in India, Europe and Asia Pacific with the last 16 years spent in leadership roles leading change, business transformation, restructuring, HR project management, business partnership and cultural integration.

    Suri has been associated with organisations such as The Indian Express, Star India, Turner, One97 Communications (Paytm) and People Interactive (Shaadi.com).