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Tag: appointments

  • Rakuten India hires Jay Swamidass & Subhash Chandra to lead SixthSense

    Rakuten India hires Jay Swamidass & Subhash Chandra to lead SixthSense

    Mumbai: Rakuten India has announced the appointment of two senior executives: Jay Swamidass as VP and global head of sales and Subhash Chandra as head of global partnerships & alliances. These leadership appointments represent a significant step in Rakuten India’s ongoing efforts to expand its global footprint and enhance its enterprise software offerings.

    In recent years, Rakuten SixthSense has witnessed impressive growth, broadening its reach and becoming a key player in the global technology space. This success has been fueled by the platform’s dedication to innovation, its capacity to tackle complex enterprise challenges, and its focus on cultivating strong strategic partnerships. With the appointment of Jay Swamidass and Subhash Chandra to the leadership team, Rakuten SixthSense is poised to accelerate its growth and drive further advancements in the industry.

    Jay Swamidass brings over two decades of experience in enterprise software sales, having held key positions and leadership roles at Hewlett Packard, Commvault Systems, Veeam Software, and most recently, Apica. At Rakuten India, Jay will lead the sales strategy for Rakuten SixthSense, focusing on delivering innovative solutions to enterprise customers. His expertise in analytics, cloud, AI, and enterprise infrastructure will support the company’s goal of further expanding its footprint in this critical market.

    “I am thrilled to join Rakuten India at such an exciting time,” said Rakuten SixthSense VP and global head of sales Jay Swamidass. “The company’s focus on cutting-edge observability solutions and its commitment to solving complex enterprise challenges align perfectly with my passion for leveraging technology to drive operational excellence and business resilience. I’m excited to work alongside this talented team to strengthen our market presence and deliver real value to our clients through unparalleled visibility and performance insights.”

    Subhash Chandra, appointed as Rakuten SixthSense’s head of global partnerships & alliances brings 23 years of experience in building strategic partnerships across the technology sector, with prior leadership roles at AWS, Google Cloud, SAP, and IBM. Subhash will focus on expanding Rakuten India’s global partner network to enhance its technological capabilities and market reach, which will further fuel the company’s rapid growth.

    “Rakuten India’s vision of innovation through collaboration is truly inspiring,” said Chandra. “I am eager to lead the global partnerships efforts and work closely with our partners to create synergies that empower our clients and elevate Rakuten India’s solutions on a global scale.”

    Commenting on the appointments, Rakuten India CEO Sunil Gopinath said, “We are delighted to welcome Jay and Subhash to the Rakuten India leadership team. Their expertise and leadership will be pivotal as we continue to innovate and expand our global presence in enterprise software and observability. With their strategic insights and operational excellence, I am confident we will achieve new milestones and continue our significant growth trajectory for our Rakuten SixthSense business.”

  • Mindshare names Sam Thomas as head – performance & product

    Mindshare names Sam Thomas as head – performance & product

    Mumbai: Mindshare India, the flagship agency from GroupM, has announced the appointment of Sam Thomas as the head of performance & product in India.

    Rehan Ali as partner – performance (North and East), Atishay Agrawal as senior director – performance (South), and Pratishtha Dehariya as partner – performance (West) are the other key appointments. They will be based out of Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Bangalore, respectively, and will report to Sam.

    Sam will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Mindshare South Asia digital head Gopa Menon. He will look after the performance business, productizing services and building enhanced capabilities for clients. With over 16 years of experience in digital marketing, Sam has a hands-on approach to setting practices, building teams, promoting innovation, and growing client businesses. Sam is an internal and external specialist as an expert in data-driven marketing and analytics. He will continue to have a strong focus on performance and measures effectiveness.

    Rehan will bring in more efficiencies for an existing set of clients and grow the performance marketing portfolio as well as support teams to bring on board new clients in the northern and eastern markets. Atishay will help grow the existing business efficiently and grow the performance portfolio for Mindshare in the South, while Pratishtha will lead the performance business for Mindshare West.

    A crucial aspect for the team will be to work with various departments within GroupM and help fill in gaps wherever necessary. They will also collaborate with teams to understand the existing business and provide performance-driven solutions for existing clients and create performance strategies for new businesses.

    Mindshare South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani said, “As we observe massive acceleration of digital adoption by consumers, it is imperative for us to deliver full funnel integrated products for our clients. Strengthening our performance capability further is a step in right direction. The expertise Sam and his team bring to Mindshare will allow us to continue supporting clients with their digital capabilities and performance excellence. I am certain that this team will play a pivotal role in the brand transformation journey for our clients and will drive Mindshare’s ‘Good Growth’ proposition for them.’’

    Mindshare South Asia digital head Gopa Menon said, “Performance marketing is becoming increasingly important to marketers and Sam and his team brings in-depth knowledge of how brands can revamp their digital and performance strategies. We look forward to continuing enriching digital experiences for our clients.”

    Sam Thomas said, “I’m excited to join an agency like Mindshare, which has been at the forefront of performance marketing to help companies reach their business targets. Performance marketing is the backbone of brands’ transformation as digital adoption takes over. I am looking forward to contributing to Mindshare’s ‘good growth’ journey by bridging the gap between seamless digital activation and implementation for its clients.”

  • Nissan strengthens India leadership; announces senior management appointments

    Nissan strengthens India leadership; announces senior management appointments

    Mumbai: Nissan India has announced senior management appointments to strengthen its management structure. The leadership changes are effective from 1 September 2022.

    Amit Magoo, currently general manager, zonal head (south & west), has been appointed as director of sales for Nissan Motor India. He will report to Nissan Motor India managing director Rakesh Srivastava and will be based out of Gurgaon, India. In his new role, Amit will be responsible for leading business operations. Nissan India’s regional sales managers will report to Amit Magoo.

    Ashish Anand, currently general manager, zonal head (north & east), has been appointed as director of dealer network development, customer quality, and training for Nissan Motor India. He will also report to Rakesh Srivastava and will be based out of Gurgaon, India. In the new structure, the functional heads of dealer development, customer quality, and training leads will report to Ashish.

    Commenting on their appointments, Srivastava said, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Amit and Ashish to the senior leadership team as part of the transformation and growth strategy of Nissan India. Amit and Ashish bring strong experience of multiple functions in Nissan over many years, and have been instrumental in Nissan India’s growth journey with the launch of the big, bold, beautiful Nissan Magnite. We welcome them to their new roles, which are focused on enabling Nissan to exceed customer expectations and strengthen Nissan’s presence in India”

    Amit joined Nissan in 2016 as general manager of sales and has managed different roles in the past six years, including corporate and institutional sales, dealer network development, and channel finance. He played a key role in Nissan’s sales division, with a focus on enhancing customer experience and dealer profitability.

    Ashish has been associated with Nissan Motor India for over eight years and has managed different roles, including those of head of India sales and head of Project Phoenix.

    Nissan India also recently announced the appointment of Keerthi Prakash as managing director, Renault Nissan Automotive India, to lead operations at the company’s Alliance plant in Chennai, India, from 1 September 2022, and also of Mohan Wilson as director of marketing for Nissan Motor India based in Gurugram from July’22.

  • Interbrand strengthens India leadership; announces new appointments and elevations

    Interbrand strengthens India leadership; announces new appointments and elevations

    Mumbai: Brand consultancy – Interbrand has bolstered its leadership team by appointing four executives in elevated and new roles, with the goal in mind to drive strategic partnerships, accelerate growth, and burgeon overall enterprise value.

    Satish Krishnamurthy assumes the role of chief strategy officer. Ameya Kapnadak takes on the role of chief growth officer and head of consulting – Interbrand India. Payal Shah has been named the strategy director and head – human truths, India. Rahul Bansal will function as the strategy director and head of brand economics, India.

    Speaking about the new leadership team, Interbrand India, India & South Asia CEO Ashish Mishra said, “We had a late entry into the Indian market but were able to achieve local leadership for the world’s leading brand consultancy in a very short span. We have the top five branding projects of the decade as our showreel. Winning and delivering these iconic brand transformations, including Godrej, Jio, Britannia, Infosys, Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp, and Nerolac, took brilliant and committed talent.”

    “Most of whom have been the core of our team for most of our history. Our people have grown with the firm and are poised well to create the next generation of icons. At Interbrand, our priority is to nurture a global community of thinkers and makers with the curiosity and confidence to create iconic work,” he added.

    Satish Krishnamurthy brings 21 years of global strategic experience to Interbrand, having worked across brand consulting, creative strategy, and design thinking. His diverse experience straddles from driving strategic mandates for large agencies in the US and India, to being a behavioural architect, and also being a Ted X speaker. Satish has crafted unique ways to solve problems by taking inspiration from various disciplines. He has impacted successful outcomes for large clients across positioning, service and experience design, and opportunity consulting.

    Ameya Kapnadak leads the growth and consulting teams at Interbrand’s India office. Over the last 25 years, he has worked on and built some of India’s most iconic brands. Ameya has a wide and deep experience across diverse industries, including technology, banking and finance, automotives, consumer goods, food, and fashion and retail. He started his branding career at J Walter Thompson, and has since worked at Mudra, ICICI Bank, and The Times Group, before joining Interbrand in 2011. Ameya is a pharmacist by qualification and holds a master’s degree in management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.

    As a strategy director at Interbrand, Payal Shah’s approach is to help brands rise to meaningful arenas for growth and sustainable iconic leadership. Possessing a multi-faceted personality and more than 15 years of experience in USA and India, she has been working across categories such as spirits, FMCG, technology and fashion. Some of her clients in the past were Pernod Ricard, Britannia and Gucci. Payal believes in the power of storytelling and delves into experiences for brands that inhabit them. She believes in purposeful innovation that harnesses behavioural data in order to amplify brand growth and value creation. Beyond creating brands, she’s a brand mentor at Ecole Intuit-Lab and the host of ‘Design Rendezvous’.

    Rahul Bansal joined Interbrand India in 2016 in their strategy vertical. In this role, he has helped with the expansion of Interbrand’s footprint in South Asia across Sri Lanka, UAE, and Bangladesh while also leading projects for some of the largest public and private sector brands in India. Prior to Interbrand, Rahul has worked across a diverse range of functions and sectors, including business consulting to help bring global consumer brands into India, gaming, and e-commerce in Southeast Asia.

  • GroupM APAC senior leadership rejig: Arshan Saha named Nexus APAC CEO

    GroupM APAC senior leadership rejig: Arshan Saha named Nexus APAC CEO

    Mumbai: GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has unveiled a roster of C-suite appointments in Asia Pacific who will lead the regional transformation of GroupM Nexus – the global performance organisation that unites the network’s performance talent and technologies into one single outfit.

    Arshan Saha, formerly CEO of Xaxis & Specialty Businesses APAC, has been named GroupM Nexus APAC CEO.

    Jon Thurlow has been appointed GroupM Nexus APAC COO; this is an additional appointment to his corporate remit as COO of GroupM APAC.

    Xaxis—GroupM’s outcome-driven programmatic brand—has promoted former Xaxis APAC senior vice president Deepika Nikhilender to the chief executive officer role at Xaxis APAC.

    Completing the Nexus APAC leadership line-up, former managing director of Finecast Australia, Brett Poole, has been appointed the chief executive officer of Finecast APAC & AUNZ.

    Arshan Saha said, “GroupM Nexus is a cross-channel performance-led organisation that unites our expertise in service excellence, AI-technology, and the most advanced solutions. This is the future of marketing, and we are poised to offer our clients and agencies the most powerful performance engine that will accelerate their growth. I’m honoured to be working alongside some of the world’s best specialists at GroupM Nexus to collectively cultivate a better media ecosystem.”

    A founding member of Xaxis APAC, Saha rose through the ranks to become Asia-Pacific CEO of Xaxis & GroupM’s data-driven specialty businesses, including INCA, Finecast, Sightline, and Acceleration. For over a decade, he led the expansion of Xaxis—an A.I. powered programmatic engine—into 16 markets and multiplied its revenue by 20-fold.

    Having orchestrated ad-tech innovation for over 300 brands, large and mid-sized publishers as well as tech vendors across Southeast Asia, Saha was the youngest leader to be voted into the IAB Southeast Asia Leadership Council. He was also the winner of the Best Young Talent Below 30 Award (2012) and a nominee for Campaign Asia’s 40 under 40 Most Talented Individuals in APAC (2015).

    As the chief operating officer of GroupM Nexus APAC, Jon Thurlow will be driving the transformation of Nexus alongside Saha.

    One of the region’s most accomplished practitioners across the breadth of the network’s business, Jon architected the consolidation of GroupM’s search, social, commerce, programmatic, and addressable practices in Asia Pacific. For almost three years, he oversaw the complex integration of inter-network systems and structures across 16 markets into a unified campaign delivery platform.

    Jon Thurlow said, “I’m very excited about the launch of GroupM Nexus across the region. Building on the success of the past years, the expanded service and solutions offering that GroupM Nexus will create represents a wonderful opportunity to deliver genuine market-leading innovation and produce a positive business impact for our clients. For our people, it unlocks new career pathways in data, technology, and practices, giving them immense scope for new learning and development experiences.”

    Armed with over two decades of marketing and data science experience, Deepika Nikhilender steered Xaxis’ A.I. and machine-learning ambitions in the region while leading the design of marketing solutions, supply strategy, trading and operations excellence, as well as ad-tech and platforms strategy.

    Nikhilender said, “I’m thrilled to embark on this exciting challenge to lead Xaxis APAC into new frontiers where we can break new ground for our clients and agencies with our A.I. differentiated initiatives and solutions. With the digital ecosystem evolving at an unparalleled pace, Xaxis’ armoury of data intelligence and outcome-driven technologies will help future-proof our clients’ businesses. Together with the team, I look forward to cultivating a culture where our talents will continue to thrive as well as strengthening Xaxis’ capabilities to achieve our clients’ desired outcomes.”

    With over two decades of experience in product development, tech commercialisation, publishing and advertising platforms, Brett Poole has launched and built profitable businesses across native advertising (plista), data tech (mPLATFORM), programmatic trading (Xaxis), and most recently, television transformation in Australia, where his team grew the Finecast brand to become synonymous with addressable TV and TV innovation.

    On joining this new role, Brett Poole said, “I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to continue growing Finecast across APAC as part of GroupM Nexus. Television is experiencing tremendous metamorphosis throughout the world and there is huge potential to further our TV transformation efforts in APAC, which is well-known for its diversity, talent, and innovative spirit—all the things that are close to my heart. I look forward to working closely with Nexus APAC leaders to build on the outstanding work of our Finecast APAC team.”

  • KFC elevates Samir Menon as MD for MENAPakT & India; Moksh Chopra becomes GM

    KFC elevates Samir Menon as MD for MENAPakT & India; Moksh Chopra becomes GM

    New Delhi: Leading QSR brand, KFC India announced key changes to its leadership in India. Moksh Chopra has been elevated as the General Manager for KFC India BMU (Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives), effective 15 July 2022.

    He succeeds Samir Menon, who will take on the regional role of Managing Director of MENAPakT (Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, Turkey) and India. Samir and Moksh, along with the robust leadership team, have been instrumental in driving the stellar performance of KFC in India.

    On assuming the new role, Moksh Chopra said, “We are famous for serving Finger Lickin’ good food, that’s done the right way. I’m privileged & honoured to be leading the mandate for the brand in India. We have been driving significant growth in the Indian market with disruptive products, expanding our footprint with more than 600 restaurants, strengthening our regional outreach, increasing access and enhancing customer experience. I look forward to deepening KFC’s relevance, while retaining the distinctiveness KFC is known for – in India, with India.”

    Speaking about his move Samir Menon said, “I am honoured and excited to be able to galvanize the strategy for KFC’s next chapter of growth for the MENAPakT & India region. While we continue to build on the strategic roadmap for India, I look forward to driving our global strategy and delivering long-term, sustainable growth for the brand, our teams, franchisee partners and customers. With Moksh’s rich experiences and excellence in strategic thinking, he has proven to be an incredible leader for KFC India BMU; and would continue to unlock potential for the brand.”

    The KFC India BMU witnessed breakthrough growth under Samir’s stewardship. Thanks to his heart-led leadership and drive for performance, the brand has emerged as a leading QSR player in every country in the region.

    During his tenure as chief marketing officer, Moksh Chopra has led and executed a winning formula for success for the brand across all the markets in the region, consistently delivering sales and category-leading brand metrics. Both Samir & Moksh have been associated with the brand for over a decade now and partnering closely with the forward-thinking leadership team, they have crafted the go-forward strategy for the India business, creating the roadmap for continued growth.

  • Havas CX announces key appointments, bolsters leadership in India

    Havas CX announces key appointments, bolsters leadership in India

    Mumbai: Havas CX, the specialized customer experience unit of Havas Creative Group India, has strengthened its leadership team with key appointments to build on the vertical’s existing momentum in India.

    Arunima Singh has been appointed as vice president – customer success and Ashtad Gandhi has been roped in as associate vice president – data & analytics. Both Singh and Gandhi will report to Havas CX India managing partner Prashant Tekwani.

    Havas Group India Group CEO Rana Barua said, “Havas CX India has witnessed exponential growth in less than two years through massive business wins across Mumbai and New Delhi. In addition, it has successfully built resonance in the industry through its annual report X Index. We understand that brands that get CX right will be the ones that stay relevant in the future, and therefore, our aim now is to scale up Havas CX to the next level and further expand both its expertise and our teams.”

    Speaking about the appointments, Havas CX India managing partner Prashant Tekwani said, “Over the past few years, we have partnered with brands to create business solutions with data and technology playing an integral role. As Arunima and Ashtad come on board, we’re embarking on the next phase of our rapid growth. The experience and expertise that both bring to the table will help us strengthen our offering further and empower us with the necessary tools to provide strong, strategic counsel to our clients.”

    With over two decades of experience, Singh has been instrumental in creating award-winning effective campaigns for brands including Pidilite, Godrej Group, Parle, Kotak Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, Kellogg’s, and Colgate, among others. In her current role, Singh will head the business operations to streamline the process and work closely with the India Havas Creative team/Havas Village India to expand Havas CX’s scope across the group. She moves into Havas CX from Havas Life Sorento.

    Gandhi has over a decade of experience in solving business problems with solutions that connect with their customers. At Havas CX, he will lead the data and analytics wing to build and develop the practice and enhance the customer-centricity of all offerings through data-led processes that’ll help clients arrive at better decisions. Through his career, Gandhi has managed an array of brands, including Škoda, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Pfizer, GSK, TCS and ITC foods, amongst others. He moved to Havas CX from Publicis.

    Singh and Gandhi will be further supported by the creative duo, Sarthak Ghose and Amarttya Majumdar along with Siddhant Natarajan who is a part of the customer success team. While Sarthak and Amarttya join Havas CX from WATConsult and AutumnGrey (Grey Group), Siddhant was previously a part of Publicis.

    Part of the Havas CX global network, Havas CX India combines the power of data, technology, and design to create meaningful experiences and deliver value across the entire customer journey. Launched globally in 2020, Havas CX network spans across 18 major Havas Villages around the world with India as one of the key focus markets globally.

  • Abhishek Grover joins L’oreal as Chief Digital Officer-consumer products

    Abhishek Grover joins L’oreal as Chief Digital Officer-consumer products

    L’oreal has appointed Abhishek Grover as the chief digital officer-consumer products, according to his Linkedin profile post.

    He will oversee the operations of the south-east Asia pacific, middle-east and North African regions. Earlier, he was heading the digital marketing portfolio at Samsung for the south-east Asia and Oceania (SEAO) region where he was leading the digital marketing strategies and implementing the best practices.

    Grover said via his post on LinkedIn recently while announcing his exit from Samsung, “As a digital marketing group in SEAO, we have come a long way! It gives me a great sense of pride that we built a strong and highly capable team that is leading Samsung’s global digital transformation agenda.”

    “Whether it was setting up digital shared service operations or building industry first attribution models, it was the innovative and courageous thinking of the team that helped us leap forward,” he added.

  • Modenik Lifestyle strengthens its leadership team

    Modenik Lifestyle strengthens its leadership team

    Mumbai: Modenik Lifestyle has announced the expansion of its management team with the joining of Suryanarayana GV as its chief information officer (CIO) and Utkarsh Thakur as the head of marketing for the men’s Category. 

    The new CIO, Suryanarayana GV, an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, has over two decades of industry experience in Oil, Gas, Power & Renewables, where he successfully implemented IT Strategies, Business Transformation, and has rolled out large scale IT projects to drive business-focused success. Over the years he has worked with various renowned brands including Cairn Energy India and Tata Power. At Modenik, he will be responsible for driving effective digital transformation enabling a future-ready organisation.

    Utkarsh Thakur joins Modenik as the head of marketing for the men’s category. He comes with a diverse experience of 20 years in marketing and has expertise in consumer understanding, brand management, product portfolio management, sales management, communication, and media along with exposure to Asian markets. Over the years he has worked for the WPP Group, the Bennett Coleman Group and Titan Company Limited. At Modenik Lifestyle, he will be helming marketing for the men’s brands – Dixcy Scott & Levi’s and Dixcy Scott’s women’s product Slimz. He will help the brands accelerate their growth across categories and geographies.

    Commenting on the appointments, Modenik Lifestyle Executive Chairman Sunil Sethi said, “We are pleased to welcome both Suryanarayana and Utkarsh to our management team. Their joining comes at a pivotal moment in our journey as we aim to accelerate our growth into a sustainable and collaborative ecosystem.” Sunil further said, “Suryanarayana’s decades of expertise in the technology sector is of immense value to us enabling us to accelerate both the innovation and impact of seamless integration of IT. Utkarsh has a wide array of experience in the consumer marketing domain, making him an invaluable asset to our leadership team.”

    The newly appointed Modenik’s CIO, Suryanarayana GV said, “It gives me immense pleasure to be joining Modenik’s leadership team at a pivotal time for the brand. I look forward to working with the team to deliver innovative business IT solutions that not only meet the needs of customers and consumers today, but also give Modenik the platform to support future business growth.”

    On joining Modenik as the new Head of Marketing – Men’s category, Utkarsh Thakur said, “I am excited to join the talented team at Modenik and work towards realising the ambition of making our brands the preferred choice in essential clothing. We have strong brands that can leverage the opportunity in the essential wear segment to deliver significant growth – my team and I are committed to making this happen through consumer-driven marketing.”

  • ASCI appoints Manisha Kapoor as CEO

    ASCI appoints Manisha Kapoor as CEO

    Mumbai: Manisha Kapoor has been elevated as the new chief executive officer of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), according to her Linkedin profile.

    Kapoor has been serving as secretary general at ASCI since 2020. “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at The Advertising Standards Council of India!,” reads her LinkedIn post.

    Kapoor has been working in the industry for 25 years now. Over the years, she has worked with many notable brands such as Hindustan Unilever, Johnson & Johnson India and Kotak Mahindra Bank.  

    She has helped many companies to establish their brand. Her expertise includes brand building, new product development, marketing and strategy development.

    She said in her post,  “It is my absolute privilege to lead a rocking team that has relentlessly pushed itself to deliver better, and adapted itself to the transformation we are in the midst of at ASCI.”