Tag: appointment

Interactive Avenues onboards Pranali Sarkar as Associate VP- Media Planning

Mumbai: Interactive Avenues – A Reprise Network Company, the full-service digital agency of Mediabrands India, has onboarded Pranali Sarkar as associate vice president, media planning. Sarkar will be tasked to scale up and add greater value to the current capabilities under the agency’s media planning function.

Talking about the appointment, Interactive Avenues – A Reprise Network Company CEO Amardeep Singh said, “As more brands are committing to the digital transformation journey, we strive to fuel meaningful business outcomes with precise targets and that’s where Pranali comes in. Her experience and portfolio are a perfect fit for our integrated business and complement our data-driven philosophy. We are excited to have her onboard and wish her all the success.”

With over 15 years in the industry, integrated media planning and strategy is core to Sarkar’s area of expertise, according to the agency. She has seasoned expertise in FMCG, and Telecom categories, and her diverse portfolio features some of the top advertisers in the country including Unilever, Mondelez, ITC, Godrej, and Reliance, to name a few.

About her new role, Sarkar said, “Interactive Avenues’ reputation precedes itself. The company is in a highly competitive industry and leading from the front in all-round media capabilities. All this backed by a dynamic leadership team that I am thrilled to be a part of. I am looking forward to using this opportunity to further elevate and enhance the existing media function by crafting new-age solutions for client and agency business outcomes alike.”

Sarkar was last working with Fulcrum, heading the Unilever Personal care category where she spearheaded multiple campaigns for iconic brands like Dove, Closeup to name a few. She has also worked with Madison where she helped set up and lead their integrated media planning teams.

March 17, 2022
MRUC India appoints Vivek Malhotra as additional director

Mumbai: India Today group chief marketing officer Vivek Malhotra has been sworn as additional director of Media Research Users Council (MRUC) India board. MRUC India is a not-for-profit industry body that produces research studies such as the Indian Readership Survey (IRS).

Malhotra earlier served as a technical committee member on IRS published by MRUC which is considered the largest continuous readership research study in the world. He is a part of the technical committee of the News Broadcasting Association (NBA), an industry body representing the leading national broadcasters, and also the technical committee of TV audience measurement agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India.

Malhotra is a media veteran who has led the marketing and strategic planning divisions across print, television, and digital properties of India’s pioneering media entities. He has been associated with India Today Group since April 2016. Previously, he had stints with BloombergUTV, Star News, and CNBC TV18.

MRUC India membership comprises broadcasters, publishers, agencies, advertisers and research universities with 150 members in total.

March 16, 2022
Lintas C:EX Entertainment names Niranjana H as CD – brand solutions

Mumbai: Lintas C:EX Entertainment, the newly launched branded and original content division of MullenLowe Lintas Group has named Niranjana H as creative director – brand solutions.

In this new role, Niranjana will be responsible for identifying and creating content opportunities for brands. The appointment is effective immediately, said the company.

MullenLowe Lintas Group aims to strengthen its foothold in the original and branded content space through Lintas C:EX Entertainment. This new appointment is another step in the direction of furthering the divisions’ vision of telling impactful and entertaining stories.

A broadcast media and entertainment professional, Niranjana comes with over nine years of production experience across films and television with expertise across the board in ideation, producing, writing, pre-and post-production. Her experience across different genres –both fiction and non-fiction – combined with a strong understanding of content development – both scripted and non-scripted – will help the division to curate a slate of original content Ips, according to the agency.

In her previous professional journey, Niranjana has been a part of Discovery Communications, Zee Entertainment and most recently, Arré (U Digital Content). She has been responsible for story development, scripting, production and the final output for fiction programming during her aforementioned stints. At Zee Entertainment, Niranjana contributed to more than five primetime shows as well as weekend shows – “Qubool Hai,” “Neeli Chatri Wale,” and owned the programming, content curation and strategy for TLC, TLC HD World and Investigation Discovery at Discovery Communications. She also served as executive producer on Discovery and Discovery Plus originals apart from the curation.

March 15, 2022
Beginnen Media onboards Anooj Kapoor and Tushar Bansal

Mumbai: Beginnen Media has announced the appointment of Anooj Kapoor as chief content, creative and consumer officer and Tushar Bansal as chief revenue officer for the TV channel – Azaad.

In his previous stint, Kapoor launched Sony Pal and served as SAB TV business head where he was instrumental to transform the brand into a high-yield profitable channel, said the statement.

“I’m pleased to announce that Anooj and Tushar have joined the leadership team at Azaad,” said Beginnen Media managing director Bharat Ranga. “Anooj understands heartland audiences’ tastes closely and is deft at telling ‘mazedaar’ stories to win their hearts. He leads the strategic edge and rustic power to brand Azaad. Tushar will pursue the campaign to bring about the premium status that the rural audiences rightfully deserve.”

Kapoor will head product development, programming and content strategy, product innovation, content creation, and curation. Kapoor will also provide the strategic inputs for Azaad’s growth path. He has successfully straddled over three decades in the field of marketing, advertising, and television.

“I am very happy to be a part of India’s first rural entertainment channel, a very relevant but ignored positioning by a GEC,” said Kapoor. “Bharat and I go a long way. I am very happy to associate with him and look forward to creating another exciting GEC Brand with Azaad.”

Bansal will spearhead the ad revenues division at Azaad. He has two decades of experience in ad sales and driving strategic initiatives for garnering revenue opportunities. He has worked with prestigious media houses like Zee Entertainment, Sony and Ten Sports in leadership positions, with the latest being the executive cluster head at Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

“These are exciting times to join Azaad, a point where growth in TV households is much faster than urban and the viewership is also showing an upward trend in the rural markets,” said Bansal. “There is a remarkable emergence in the economic, social and technological environment in the rural market and every advertiser is looking at ways to reach the ‘ru-urban’ consumers. The journey seems very interesting and I look forward to contributing in shaping up the revenue model for advertisers in rural and free-to-air category on Azaad.”

March 15, 2022
Aalap Desai elevated to lead Taproot dentsu & isobar India as CCO

Mumbai: dentsu India has appointed Aalap Desai to the role of chief creative officer (CCO), Taproot dentsu, a dentsuMB Company. The erstwhile isobar India national creative director (NCD), Desai has also been promoted to the role of CCO for the agency. In both roles, he will report to dentsu Creative India group chief creative officer (GCCO) Ajay Gahlaut, announced the agency on Tuesday.

“In addition to leading isobar India’s creative team, Desai will now also be responsible for Taproot dentsu’s transformation into becoming a nex-gen, digital-first agency,” said the statement.

Meanwhile, Titus Upputuru, earlier creative head, has now been elevated to the role of Taproot dentsu NCD, Gurgaon. He will lead the agency’s Gurgaon creative team and will report to Aalap Desai. Upputuru has also been entrusted with the additional charge of leading integrated solutions for dentsu Creative India. In this role, he will report to Ajay Gahlaut.

“The decision is vital to the growth of dentsu Creative in India and aligned with the network’s global ambitions. Talents such as Aalap and Titus come with unmatched expertise & experience, and their contributions are bound to outweigh the expectations of our clients and the industry,” commented dentsuMB Group CEO Sidharth Rao. “Over the years, they have been groomed with the proficiency to build brands from scratch and are excellent at measuring & matching the market pulse with client needs. With this move, I look forward to dentsu Creative India reinforcing creative solutions in newer and undefined ways.”

“It is fascinating to work with some of the country’s best creative brains. Aalap and Titus are creative geniuses who have delivered some fantastic campaigns over the years,” said Ajay Gahlaut. “Their brand-building approaches are contemporary and fresh. I feel that’s the need of the hour. All the conversations around us are evolving and it is inevitable for brands to evolve their conversations too. They are perfect for that task. Their expertise in brand thinking and storytelling will create robust digital-led creative solutions for clients. I am looking forward to working with both.”

While working at India’s best mainline and digital agencies, Desai has developed a profile that is truly integrated. He has won over 150 International & National awards that include Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes and One Show. Previously, Desai was with dentsuMB India where he held the position of NCD.

In addition to this, he also co-headed the creative team at dentsu Webchutney, Mumbai and was behind some of the most notable works like Code Name: Uri, The 8-bit Journo for Vice and The World’s Most Reported trailer for “Thappad.” Apart from this, Desai was also a part of the creative teams at Disney+ Hotstar, Leo Burnett, JWT, DDB Mudra, Ogilvy, and Publicis Ambience. He has helped build brands like McDonald’s, Complan, Huggies, Nerolac, Videocon d2h, and some youth-centric ones like Early Salary and MTV India.

Speaking on his new role, Desai commented, “With the integrated approach we have now, I am excited to be a bigger part of that journey with my new role at isobar and Taproot dentsu. isobar has taught me the power of limitless possibilities, the power of future-gazing and thinking of things that don’t even exist. It is a scary privilege to not just be in step with the world but to create steps that the world will use to climb to the future.”

March 15, 2022
Cleartrip makes slew of executive appointments amid 2022 growth plans

Mumbai: Online travel company Cleartrip on Monday announced a series of senior appointments to spearhead the company’s aggressive growth plans and focus on the execution of strategic priorities for 2022. The appointments include the heads of strategy, hotels & accommodation, flights, corporate communications, and B2B.

The hiring encompasses redefining the organisational culture and strengthening values in line with the growth plans, the travel company said in a statement. “With these appointments, the company is gearing us for its next phase of growth across its business verticals and further plans to ramp up its employee strength by 60 per cent by the end of the year,” it added.

Gaurav Patwari has been named VP – air category. He will use his 16 years of rich experience in the travel and aviation industry to help further build Cleartrip’s air travel vertical. He will be responsible for meeting the air business’s P&L targets while also developing a multi-year strategy for the company’s evolution and expansion. Patwari was most recently associated with GoFirst.

Karthick Prabhu D, the newly appointed Cleartrip head of strategy, has been a part of the travel tech industry for over 17 years with various travel brands such as Treebo hotels, Sabre, IDS Next, to name a few. As a product management leader, he has helped launch products that solve customer pain points, boost revenue, introduced an industry-first product as a tablet-based property management system, and got one of the apps featured in the ‘Best In India’ category in the Apple Appstore and Google Play Store.

Flipkart veteran Manu Sasidharan who has taken over as senior director – hotels and accommodation was the business head of Myntra’s men’s fashion segment prior to joining Cleartrip. He has worked with companies such as General Motors India and Bajaj Auto. He intends to use his diverse expertise to structurally rebuild and relaunch the hotels and accommodation category, with a strong emphasis on greater customer experience.

Divya Kumar has been appointed as director of public relations. In her new role, she will focus on building and spearheading the development, advancement and execution of the company’s corporate communications strategy. She was previously leading the public relations and sustainability mandate at AirAsia India. Before joining the field of corporate communications, Kumar started her career at NDTV Hindu, in the news & events department. Throughout her career spanning over 11 years, she has worked closely with the senior leadership team as a strategic advisor providing in-depth expertise in change management, crisis response, maneuvering corporate and consumer crises.

A Cleartrip veteran with over 21 years of experience, Sukesh Shetty has been roped in to head the B2B and API business, with a focus to bring automation and growth in the online B2B travel experiences. In his previous stint, Shetty was the co-founder of Tripsforbusiness, a B2B focused travel tech platform involved in building a content-rich, metasearch and book travel product for B2B customers. His journey resumes with the purpose of contributing to the success of the B2B business at Cleartrip.

“Cleartrip is at a pivotal point in its growth trajectory, and we seek to excel in every area we operate in,” commented Cleartrip CEO Ayyappan Rajagopal. “Building the right leadership team across verticals is crucial as senior leaders serve as catalysts in exponentially accelerating our overall growth. The new leadership team and I have a clear vision to take the Cleartrip brand forward.”

March 14, 2022
Wow Skin Science appoints Harsh Parekh as GM – marketing

Mumbai: FMCG personal care brand Wow Skin Science on Monday announced the appointment of Harsh Parekh as general manager – marketing.

With his vast repertoire in the field of marketing and advertising for over 14 years, Parekh has developed expertise in various branches– from conceptualising and ideating to executing creative and content marketing solutions for brands across India and in the MENA region.

In this leadership role, his KRA has been to develop and execute long-term strategic plans and objectives through the identification of issues and opportunities that could influence business growth and profitability. “He will be responsible for building and defining Wow Skin Science’s social media, content strategy, influencer marketing, along with overlooking celeb endorsements, brand partnerships, and associations,” the brand said in a statement.

“With consumers riding the 5G wave, access to various marketing campaigns has become easier. Relevance, innovation and technology have become the drivers of marketing and the success rate of a campaign is often judged by how effectively it was marketed holistically,” stated Harsh Parekh. “At Wow Skin Science, I aim to build and amplify the brand and its equity in the market along with executing impactful campaigns.”

Parekh has played a pivotal role in conceiving and executing numerous marketing and branding campaigns and built IPs for brands across FMCG, beauty, fashion, F&B, hospitality, automobile, education, e-comm, tech, and retail. Few of his IPs/AFPs and digital films have received accolades at prestigious award ceremonies such as – Indian Television Academy Awards, International Content Marketing Summit, Promax Awards. He has conceived and executed buzzworthy campaigns and content marketing solutions for notable brands such as Cultfit, Nykaa, Flipkart, FirstCry, Nexa Showrooms, Honda, TVS, Tresemmé, Lakme, Splash, Max Fashions, Lifebuoy, Knorr, and many more.

“We are delighted to welcome Harsh to the Wow Skin Science family,” commented Wow Skin Science co-founder Manish Chowdhary. “With his business acumen and ingenuity, we look forward to his expertise and vision that will accentuate the status quo of Wow Skin Science through innovative strategies, various partnerships, collaborations and associations.”

March 14, 2022
OMD India taps Iti Kaul to spearhead digital practice

Mumbai: Media agency network OMD has announced the appointment of Iti Kaul to spearhead its digital practice in India, effective from April. Kaul will take charge of this new role from PHD Media, where she currently leads digital planning as its general manager.

Further building upon elevations within the group, Kaul is yet another leader to be promoted within Omnicom Media Group, spotlighting the company’s sharp focus on driving growth for its people, stated the agency. “In her new role, she will be reporting to OMD India CEO Anisha Iyer,” it added.

“The story of OMD India’s growth and success is one that is driven by our people and their unwavering commitment to delivering better decisions for our clients, unapologetically and innovatively,” said Anisha Iyer. “Iti’s role will add significant leverage to our digital practice as we create the next wave of transformative experiences for our clients. We are thrilled to have her on board and are confident that her expertise and future-ready perspectives will elevate our work to drive greater impact and successes for client growth.”

Kaul has over 13 years of experience in the industry, having lent her digital strategies on global mandates across industries for Fortune 500 companies. She is adept at creating media plans that foster growth opportunities for brands – a practice she spearheaded at PHD’s digital planning division out of the Gurugram office.

March 14, 2022
Hathway Digital onboards industry veteran Tavinderjit Panesar

Mumbai: Industry veteran Tavinderjit Panesar has joined Hathway Digital as head of strategic initiative and broadcast partnerships.

In this role, he will be responsible for content buying and placement strategy, driving new strategic initiatives, managing operations in select markets, governance, and diligence.

Panesar commands more than three decades of experience across diverse industries in areas such as management, strategic planning, marketing, distribution, business development, media and entertainment, and broadcasting.

He was previously associated with Sundial Bizworkz as managing partner. His longest stint was with Star India for 17 years. He was in charge of distribution for DTH, cable, and commercial establishment verticals in the digital markets for Star India.

Panesar later joined Hathway Cable & Datacom in December 2014 and was elevated as director and CEO in November 2016. He was also president of DSports India between August 2017 and February 201. He started his career at JK Tyres and Apollo Tyres.

March 13, 2022
The Indus Valley onboards Khalid Kamal Rumi as CMO

Mumbai: Homegrown D2C kitchenware startup The Indus Valley has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Khalid Kamal Rumi as chief marketing officer.

Khalid has moved from Impex (KCM Appliances), where he held the P&L responsibility for India business as vice president of marketing & strategy of the company. Prior to Impex, he worked for V-Guard Industries – corporate strategy, Cognizant – management consulting, SAP Labs, and Accenture.

Founded in 2016, The Indus Valley offers a range of ‘healthy and toxin-free’ kitchenware. The brand aspires to provide compelling alternatives to health-compromising kitchenware products, made of unsafe metals, adulterated alloys, and chemically-loaded harmful coatings.

“In a post-pandemic world, we couldn’t be more grateful for the support our patronising customers have shown us,” commented The Indus Valley CEO Jagadeesh Kumar. “But, with so much support, also comes great responsibility, towards fulfilling our mission to disrupt the fragmented, heavily commoditised, and innovation stagnated kitchenware industry, with our healthy cookware range. This is why, we’re very pleased to have Khalid onboard, as he leads the brand onward while staying focused and driven to deliver success at scale.”

Khalid is an alumnus of IIM Indore with over 12 years of professional experience spanning marketing, brand & category management, corporate strategy, and management consulting. His vast exposure to businesses, clients, and teams in the US, Australia, Germany, the UK, the Philippines, and India.

“The brand has the health and well-being of its customers as its raison d’être. This resonates with my own personal values, and surely appeals to the millions in the country, who are aspiring to lead healthier and sustainable lifestyles,” said Khalid Kamal Rumi, on his decision to join the startup. “What I love most is that the brand takes inspiration from the wisdom of our ancient traditions in India and globally, while simultaneously embracing advancements in modern science & technology that protect, promote, and boost health. I am very glad and extremely honoured to have been presented this position and look forward to leading the team of brilliant minds at The Indus Valley.”

March 10, 2022