Tag: COO

  • Siddharth Chopra joins Pen Music as COO

    Siddharth Chopra joins Pen Music as COO

    Mumbai: Siddharth Chopra has joined Pen Music as chief operating officer. Pen Music owns TV channels BFLIX+ Movies, iLove Music and MTunes+.

    In his new role, Chopra will not only lead top-line growth but will also be responsible for scaling up business operations across functions and forming synergies to work towards organisational objectives, said the statement.

    He comes with over 16 years of experience and has led teams across the spectrum of established brands and newer products over his career. He has demonstrated successful revenue and business growth in his previous assignments. 

    Chopra joins from Goldmines Telefilms where he was responsible for scaling up revenue from scratch to scale over his last tenure. Prior to that, he was with the Times TV Network, where he was vice president and national revenue head for the English entertainment channels cluster. He has also worked with Turner International India – HBO and The Times of India.

    Pen Music’s BFLIX+ and iLove have been the fastest growing TV channels in the last two years delivering over 1.5 billion tune-ins every month, said the statement.

  • Ankur Madan named as COO and co-founder at Chargeup

    Ankur Madan named as COO and co-founder at Chargeup

    Mumbai: Chargeup, the homegrown battery-swapping network for e-rickshaws, has announced the joining of Ankur Madan as COO and co-founder of the company.

    At Chargeup, Madan will head operations and technology and lead the company’s product strategy, said the statement.

    Madan has over 15 years of market experience in multiple industries and is proficient in building businesses from scratch. Prior to Chargeup, he held key positions in Ubico Networks, Bharti Airtel, Haier Appliances, and Spectra.

    “Ankur is vastly experienced in product strategy and development, and managing various commercial aspects in the customer as well as business-facing arenas. With his expertise, I foresee Chargeup moving faster towards its next step of product development and market expansion across India,” said Chargeup CEO and co-founder Varun Goenka. “We are aiming to leverage best-in-class technologies to constantly improve our battery services, and Ankur’s joining augurs well for our plans on this front as well.”

    Madan has a bachelor’s degree in information technology with a master’s in management from the London School of Economics. He has also studied ‘design thinking and innovation’ as part of the MIT Sloan Executive Education programme.

    Chargeup is an advanced technology-driven solution provider that offers Battery as a Service (BaaS) support to EV drivers in India. By facilitating easy battery swapping, Chargeup is enabling electric two and three-wheeler drivers to overcome range anxiety through standardised battery technology and robust execution capabilities, said the statement. 

  • LML appoints Partha Choudhary as COO

    LML appoints Partha Choudhary as COO

    Mumbai: Two-wheeler manufacturer LML on Tuesday announced the appointment of e-mobility expert Partha Choudhary as its chief operating officer (COO). Choudhary was previously associated with LML as sales and marketing head between 2006 and 2017. 

    In this new role, Choudhary is tasked with the rapid expansion of the brand in the national and international markets. As COO, he will be responsible for leading the operations functions at a time of major business growth and transformation. Hoping to further promote the growth of the LML brand, Choudhary will spearhead new initiatives as part of his role in ensuring that LML is a leading force in every aspect of e-mobility, said the company in a statement.

    The announcement comes as LML is gearing up to make a series of strategic developments in the EV space with a mission to hit the Indian and global markets with its highly innovative products. “We are thrilled to welcome Choudhary at such a dynamic time as our brand is being reinvigorated to capture the phenomenal growth opportunity ahead in the global EV industry,” said LML CEO and MD Yogesh Bhatia. “His flair for driving innovation and scaling high growth will help us deliver game-changing solutions to catalyse the EV industry. He is well acquainted with the working culture of global brands, which puts him in the right position to take charge of strengthening LML’s position as the market leader.”

    In his previous stints, Choudhary has successfully led the growth of Hero Lectro (a division of Hero Cycles Ltd), Yamaha, 22 Kymco, and Nilkamal Plastics.

    “I’m looking forward to returning to LML because I sense a genuine ambition led by Dr Bhatia. This is backed by my long-standing personal connection to the brand because I worked here for over a decade,” said Partha Choudhary on his new assignment. “With the world’s growing need for all manner of mobility solutions, e-mobility is the ideal solution for our future and we are confident to set up new dimensions to the EV revolution globally.”

  • Ants Digital strengthens leadership team with Faisal Haq as COO

    Ants Digital strengthens leadership team with Faisal Haq as COO

    Mumbai: Ants Digital, a tech-led marketing agency based out of Gurgaon, has appointed Faisal Haq as chief operating officer.  

    Haq comes with over 21 years of experience and has joined Ants after working for WATConsult-Dentsu International for over 6.5 years in the capacity of EVP operations and business development. In his two decades of rich experience, he has worked in different positions with Roshcomm (Kingdom of Bahrain), Askme.com, Crosshairs Communication, and Avian Media. He brings with him a very good experience of digital and technology in both domestic and international markets.

    “Faisal comes with a great understanding of different markets which will hugely help Ants in strengthening its footprint across the globe. Our bullish approach in getting great clients onboard has served us well as we have acquired some noteworthy clients in the space of infrastructure, health and wellness, defence, and insurance sector,” stated Ants Digital CEO Sanjay Arora. “With Faisal joining Ants, the team is excited to serve more extensive mandates even in the International markets. By investing heavily in technology and hiring good talent, we have been working towards scaling our operations across Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.”

    Haq comes with over 21 years of experience in integrated marketing, digital media marketing, social media, data-driven marketing, and advertising with domain exposure with various startups, emerging tech, technology, mobile media, programmatic, consulting, regional and global market.

    “Ants has been scaling ideas and its business pan India, and I am excited to build and grow this further,” said Haq on his new role. “The online prowess and unique mix of service offerings, including digital, brand building, creatives and content and technology, make the whole offering more future-ready and agile. I am really excited to be part of the team and look forward to this challenge.”

  • Tilt Brand Solutions appoints Michelle Suradkar as COO

    Tilt Brand Solutions appoints Michelle Suradkar as COO

    Mumbai: Brand and communications consultancy Tilt Brand Solutions has announced the appointment of Michelle Suradkar as chief operating officer, effective 15 November. In her new role, she will report to founder and CMD Joseph George, said the agency in a statement.

    ”We have been fortunate to have had a terrific run the first three years of our existence, and this has given us the confidence to shift gears as we ready up to manage scale and the accompanying complexities,” stated George. “Michelle is someone whom I have worked with very closely for almost a decade when at Lintas; and her competencies, interests, work ethic and energy is just what we all at Tilt need as we embark on the next phase of our journey at Tilt.”

    An MBA from Bajaj, Suradkar started out with The Coca-Cola Company before joining Lintas, where she was, for almost 20 years. She was previously associated with MullenLowe Lintas Group up until 2020 as group chief HR officer. She was also part of the group’s managing committee.

    An active advocate for gender equity in the workplace, Suradkar was a co-founder of IPG’s Women’s Leadership Network in India, running initiatives for greater gender balance and enhancing gender sensitivity across all levels in the organisation. She co-founded and ran several agency-wide initiatives to further improve the group’s governance and build future-facing capabilities.

    She also co-founded the crisis response and management team which worked towards preparing the organisation’s response to a wide variety of man-made and natural crises situations. She created and ran the Lowe Lintas apprenticeship program, an industry first, reaching out to the untapped potential of students across India beyond metro cities.

    Suradkar has been awarded the ‘Most Influential HR Leader’ award by the World HRD Congress and has also been counted among the ‘100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals’ by CHRO Asia. She is also a certified extended DISC administrator and a certified POSH trainer.

    “I have watched with admiration how Tilt has gone about building itself these past three years, and I am not surprised with what they believe they can achieve from here on,” said Suradkar. “Scaling up while continuing to deliver to clients the brave and effective work they have come to expect from Tilt is a task that is as exhilarating as it is challenging. I am looking forward to us building a world-class, made-in-India model which becomes the benchmark for our industry.”

  • Wadhwani Foundation names Sanjay Shah as COO, India & SE Asia

    Wadhwani Foundation names Sanjay Shah as COO, India & SE Asia

    Mumbai: Wadhwani Foundation has announced the appointment of Sanjay Shah as chief operating officer (COO) for India and SE Asia.

    Shah has over three decades of experience in founding and steering software product companies to the global market. His last stint was with iManage as managing director for Asia responsible for business development of its solutions in Asia. He founded Zapty, Instavans Logistics, Skelta, Everest Software and Accel Computers, some of which were successfully acquired.

    With MS in computer science from Virginia Tech and a B Tech in aeronautical engineering from IIT, Bombay, Shah sits on the board of Sasken Technologies and Instavans Logistics as independent director, and on the advisory board of Avo Automation.

    “My experience in building multiple technology startups, working with entrepreneurs and helping businesses to scale using technology has inspired me to embrace the mission of Wadhwani Foundation,” said Shah on his new role.

    Wadhwani Foundation was founded in 2003 by Dr Romesh Wadhwani, with the primary mission of accelerating job creation in India and other emerging economies through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and skilling. It operates in 20 countries.

  • Newgen Software elevates Virender Jeet to CEO

    Newgen Software elevates Virender Jeet to CEO

    Newgen Software, a global provider of digital transformation platform, has elevated its senior VP- sales, marketing, & products, Virender Jeet to the position of chief executive officer (CEO). The company has also announced the promotion of senior VP- business management, Tarun Nandwani as chief operating officer (COO). The changes have been effective from 1 September.

    “Jeet and Nandwani have been integral to the Newgen growth story and have left no stone unturned in bringing us to an enviable position in the industry,” said Newgen Software, chairman & MD, Diwakar Nigam. “With their experience and able leadership, we look forward to achieving newer heights.”

    Jeet has been with Newgen since its inception in 1992. He has been closely associated with the complete lifecycle of product development, sales & marketing, patents, and various other strategic functions at Newgen, thereby significantly contributing to the business growth in the last 29+ years.

    “With low code- and cloud-based digital transformation taking center stage, we, with our recently unveiled NewgenONE platform, are well-positioned to help enterprises across industries accelerate their digital initiatives and achieve their business goals,” said Jeet. “I look forward to working closely with our SI and consulting partners, and establishing Newgen as the world’s leading platform company.”

    Nandwani has been with Newgen for over 27 years and has been successfully spearheading customer relationship management, commercial activities, new solution, and application development. He has been instrumental in driving business from the install base.

    “Industry analysts have consistently recognised us for our technology and innovation. With digital becoming a priority for every enterprise, we are poised for even greater success,” said Nandwani.

  • Entropy onboards former Fox Star exec Nidhi Bubna as COO

    Entropy onboards former Fox Star exec Nidhi Bubna as COO

    Mumbai: Nidhi Bubna, who is known to have driven end to end film marketing, strategy and media for blockbuster Bollywood films at Fox Star Studios will be joining the entertainment digital marketing agency, Entropy as a chief operating officer (COO), effective September. Founded by Prabhat Choudhary, Entropy manages the digital accounts of the country’s major celebrities.

    Bubna comes with a diverse experience in the field of media and entertainment of over 10 years. She has worked on several blockbuster films at Fox Star Studios like “Sanju”, “Housefull 4”, “Mission Mangal”, “Chhapaak”, “Baaghi 2”, among others.

    Previously, Bubna was associated with Star India, as part of Hotstar and later worked on Star network channels.

  • Saif Shaikh elevated as COO, Madison Media Pinnacle

    Saif Shaikh elevated as COO, Madison Media Pinnacle

    Mumbai: Homegrown media agency Madison Media on Tuesday announced that it has elevated Saif Shaikh to the position of chief operating officer (COO), Madison Media Pinnacle. The unit will house the agency’s first and leading account, Godrej Consumer Products for traditional and digital media, it said in a statement.

    Shaikh comes with an overall experience of over 19 years in strategy, planning implementation and buying, having joined Madison Media in 2017, he has led the AOR for Godrej across the company’s larger portfolios such as Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Godrej Properties and other businesses like frozen foods and has managed media campaigns for almost 20 brands across portfolios such as hair colour, soaps, handwash, home insecticides, car and room freshener along with real estate.  

    Madison Media & OOH, partner & group CEO, Vikram Sakhuja said, “Over the past few years Saif has consistently delivered on the biggest challenges given to him thanks to his hands on, passionate, inclusive and never say die approach. We congratulate Saif on his promotion.”

    On his new role, Shaikh said, “I’m happy to lead Madison’s foremost client, Godrej. I look forward to leading the integrated account and further strengthening the brand and helping it achieve its outcomes.”

  • MullenLowe Lintas elevates Naveen Gaur as Group COO, growth & innovation

    MullenLowe Lintas elevates Naveen Gaur as Group COO, growth & innovation

    Mumbai: In view of the ever-changing marketing landscape, MullenLowe Lintas Group plans to further consolidate its offering beyond strategy and creative. To this end, Naveen Gaur has been elevated as Group COO – growth and innovation, MullenLowe Lintas Group.

    Gaur’s mandate will be to strengthen the areas of marketing services that agencies within the Group offer – such as PR, digital, content creation and production, experiential, design, analytics, and MarTech. In addition to this, Gaur will also lead the marketing, reputation, and strategic growth initiatives for the Group.

    In his previous role as the deputy CEO of Lowe Lintas, he was overseeing the existing key business relationships and founding new ones. Gaur’s association with Lintas goes back to 2010 when he was branch head of Lowe Lintas Delhi where he encouraged an entrepreneurial culture of growth and business excellence. Under his leadership, the agency added large mandates that are a healthy mix of start-ups and established brands. He is also credited with deepening the agency’s relationship with Google, Pernod Ricard, Nestle, and Cargill foods.

    MullenLowe Lintas Group – Group CCO and chairman, Amer Jaleel, who has worked closely with Gaur on marquee brands of the Group like Havells, Google and OLX amongst others, said: “I’ve worked with Naveen as a partner for over 10 eventful years. He stands firmly proud of owning the intersection on brand and business. And would be fearless in pointing out the lack of either in a piece of work he would be judging. And that shows his innate understanding of both. Naveen remains oddly unserious despite having seen through hundreds of crises. He switches seamlessly and this quality is what Lintas wants to capitalise on to ride into its most transformative phase ever. Naveen will help broaden the scope of what it means to be a brand in the new age.”

    After leading Lowe Lintas into its next phase of growth as its deputy CEO, he will now be tasked with replicating the success for marketing services of the Group – Lintas Live, dCell, LinEngage, Lintas C:EX, and LinConsult. Naveen will aggressively grow these already strong suite of specialist services as well as develop new ones through an effective combination of build, acquire and collaborate.

    Commenting on the elevation, MullenLowe Lintas Group- Group CEO, Virat Tandon said, “We are living in very exciting times as we see shifts in the entire marketing landscape. This presents us with a great opportunity to extend our services across the spectrum of creative solutions eco-system. Naveen is a stalwart in the advertising business and is an entrepreneur at heart. There can be no one better to lead the agencies in developing and growing this ecosystem. We will be looking at serving our existing clients better by using our ‘Hyperbundled’ creative solutions process to bring all the specialist services around the client goals. At the same time, this eco-system will also develop their own independent clients and growth agenda. I am very excited to see Naveen take up this role.”

    Talking about the elevation, Naveen Gaur said, “Growth and value creation drive me. I am honored that the Group has entrusted me with this role and responsibility to make some bold moves and create future leading offerings and take the Group to the next level. I am looking forward to doing new things that will make me sleepless again.”

    Gaur assumes the new role from 1 September and he will be handing over his current responsibilities over the next few months to the new leadership at Lowe Lintas which will be announced soon. This transition will be completed by the end of 2021, the organisation said.