ITV

Tag: director

  • H+K India onboards Srinivas Vunnava as director of public affairs & gov relations

    H+K India onboards Srinivas Vunnava as director of public affairs & gov relations

    Mumbai: Public relations firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has strengthened its leadership in India by appointing Srinivas (Srini) Vunnava as director of public affairs and government relations.

    With over 15 years of experience, Vunnava brings in-depth expertise within the intersection of market research & insights, data analytics, strategy consulting, advocacy, public policy, and building strategic partnerships and alliances.

    Working closely with H+K India CEO Abhishek Gulyani, Vunnava will lead the domestic public affairs and government relations practice and build on H+K’s integrated communications expertise to help clients manage potential legislative, regulatory, and public policy dynamics in India, said the firm in a statement. “He will drive the growth of the practice through innovative policy advocacy, research and enterprise sustainability service offerings,” it added.

    “Srini’s extensive experience with leading corporates as well as central and state government departments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, and policy think tanks adds strategic value and contributes immensely to our India growth story,” said Abhishek Gulyani.

    Prior to joining H+K, Vunnava was SAĆIT Research and Consulting’s co-founder and managing director and he has previously worked with organisations including IQVIA Public Health Consulting, Deloitte Consulting, Novartis, KPMG, Piramal Swasthya, and Dr Reddy’s Foundation on multiregional assignments. Throughout his career, Srini has guided reputed entities to manage high stakes business implications due to critical legal, regulatory and political developments, and advised corporates to redefine market access strategies, corporate social responsibility initiatives and enterprise sustainability with a strong emphasis on social return on investment.

    The addition of Srinivas Vunnava follows an acceleration of high-profile hires as H+K India continues its growth agenda with recent senior appointments includingRitika Jauhari as Healthcare Practice Lead, and Shubhreet Kaur as Director of Creative Services.

    Commenting on the new role, Srinivas Vunnava, Director, Public Affairs and Government Relations, Hill+Knowlton Strategies India, said, “I am very excited to be joining H+K India at a time when India is amidst systemic transformation. Businesses, especially foreign-owned entities are seeking a trusted partner to help them mitigate risk, build reputation, and accelerate growth. I look forward to leveraging my experience andH+K’s impressive expertise to enhance clients’ business outcomes through an integrated communications and public affairs approach.”

  • Adloid appoints Syed Faiz Husain as director of sales

    Adloid appoints Syed Faiz Husain as director of sales

    Mumbai: Tech firm Adloid has announced the appointment of Syed Faiz Husain as director of sales. In his new role, Husain would be heading the sales department, managing P&L, and forging growth partnerships.

    An alumnus of IIM Lucknow MDP, Husain is an accomplished sales strategist with proven acumen in leading teams, instituting the sales functions, GTM & scaling businesses from the ground up, especially in the digital domain.

    “We as a company are pioneering the next phase of digital transformation, moving from digitalisation to virtualisation,” said Adloid co-founder Shorya Mahajan. “Husain’s extensive sales experience and domain knowledge across the digital landscape will add tremendous value to the growth of the company.”

    Prior to Adloid, Husain was associated with Network 18 handling the role of sales for Moneycontrol and CNBC TV18. With over 13 years of experience in the digital media landscape, he has worked with media companies such as Hindustan Times, STAR India, NDTV, The Quint and Network 18. During his career span, Husain gained expertise in digital transformation with the new-age digital landscape.

    “Adloid is one of the leading platforms in the AR space backed by robust technology and some of the brilliant minds in the industry working for it,” Husain said ton his new role. “I am excited to work with such a passionate team that has charted an unprecedented growth story for the company.” 

  • Facebook taps Sanjay Gupta for director of int’l marketing role

    Facebook taps Sanjay Gupta for director of int’l marketing role

    Mumbai: Facebook has appointed Uber’s former executive Sanjay Gupta as director of international marketing, as per his updated Linkedln profile. In his current role, Gupta will be based out of San Francisco, California.

    Gupta commands experience across diverse sectors, including tech, e-commerce, and consumer goods. He has worked in global, regional, as well as, local marketing roles.

    He started his journey with Uber in 2017 as marketing head, India, South Asia. He was promoted to the position of global brand director in 2019 after working as marketing director in the US and Canada for a brief period. Later, he was named marketing director, APAC in July 2020.

    During his two-decade-long career, Gupta worked with many other renowned brands. Prior to Uber, he was at Urban Ladder as chief marketing officer. He spent nearly a decade at Marico which includes nearly three years as marketing lead for its wellness and youth section. He was also associated with Accenture.

    Gupta holds a PGDM in marketing from Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce.

  • ShareChat appoints Akshat Sahu as director of marketing

    ShareChat appoints Akshat Sahu as director of marketing

    Mumbai: Homegrown social media platform ShareChat has brought on board Akshat Sahu as director of marketing. He will report to Moj and ShareChat chief commercial officer Ajit Varghese.

    Sahu will be at the helm of all the marketing efforts and drive the platform towards a more accelerated growth among the user community and build top-of-the-mind recall in the branding and advertising community, the platform said in a statement on Monday.

    Prior to ShareChat, Sahu was heading marketing for emerging sports at Star Sports. He led the marketing strategy for diverse Indian sports, including football, kabaddi, hockey, and badminton. He also led the entire marketing and strategy of Channel [V] India in his earlier role at Star India.  

    Commenting on the new appointment, Ajit Varghese said, “Akshat brings in a strong set of skills and his expertise in branding and marketing will add a lot of value to our team. He is a proven marketing leader with strong strategic acumen, in-depth consumer insights, and a highly efficient operational focus. We hope he will bring immense value and spread our brand reputation across the diverse group of stakeholders as we continue to build ShareChat on our long-term strategy.”

    An alumnus of MICA Ahmedabad, Sahu commands over 15 years of experience in branding, marketing, consumer research, strategy, sales, and P&L management.

    Speaking on his new role, Sahu said, “I have always been intrigued by the diversity of India and it is a special opportunity to be working with a company that is pioneering the Indic language conversations in the internet space. I am looking forward to contributing to the company’s growth with my core area of expertise and making ShareChat a household name in India.”

  • Coca-Cola appoints Ruchira Bhattacharya as director, marketing – emerging categories

    Coca-Cola appoints Ruchira Bhattacharya as director, marketing – emerging categories

    Mumbai: The Coca-Cola Company has recently appointed former Tata Consumer Products executive Ruchira Bhattacharya as its new marketing director for emerging categories. Bhattacharya confirmed the development in a LinkedIn post.

    Bhattacharya is an experienced marketer with over 13 years of experience in the consumer goods industry. She worked with Tata Consumer Products as director of innovation, packaged beverages for around two years. Prior to that, she was with Tata Global Beverages for nine years. Her past stints also include Hindustan Unilever, KPMG.

    “Ending a fantastic 11-year run with Tata Consumer Products. Privileged to have been part of the Tata culture working alongside wonderful colleagues, partners, and mentors. Loved being a part of some incredible brands, campaigns, and innovations. Grateful for it all. Excited to start my chapter with The Coca-Cola Company today. Looking forward to this new adventure,” she wrote.

  • Isobar India appoints Aalap Desai as national creative director

    MUMBAI: Isobar, the digital agency from the house of dentsu India, has roped in Aalap Desai as National creative director (NCD). In his new role, Aalap will lead the agency’s creative team and report to COO Gopa Kumar.

    Aalap was previously associated with dentsumcgarrybowen (dentsuMB) India where he held the position of NCD. In addition to this, he also co-headed the creative team at Mumbai-based Dentsu Webchutney and was behind some of the agency’s most notable works. Aalap’s professional stints also include Disney+ Hotstar, Leo Burnett, JWT, DDB Mudra, Ogilvy, and Publicis Ambience.  

    Speaking on the appointment, Isobar South Asia managing director Shamsuddin Jasani said, “At Isobar, our motto is to ‘Invent, Make, Change’. We are striving to deliver innovative creative experience-led solutions for our brands in India. Aalap looks at tech as not something dry and lifeless but as something that can change lives and makes it work harder for brands. That’s a perfect fit with our philosophy and is the apt approach we need to make Isobar future-proof as a leader in innovations in India.”

    Gopa Kumar said, “We live in an age of clutter coupled with shrunken attention spans. For brands to rip through the noise and stand out is of paramount importance. Creativity is the only thing that can make that possible. It is not garnishing anymore. It is the meat. It is the substance, and it is the only way brands can take a leap. Aalap’s brand of creativity is just what Isobar India needs. Enjoyable and meaningful. I couldn’t think of anyone else better than Aalap to partner us in our next phase of growth.”

    Desai has won over 150 International & National awards and has also written feature film scripts, web series, and TV shows.

    Commenting on his joining, Desai said, “Digital is a creative mine that is still hugely under-explored. Solving brand challenges with a proper insight that is supplemented by digital intuition is an explosive combination that very few people are aware of and something that even fewer choose to tap into. This combination has always been part of the Isobar DNA, and I will work towards hyper-charging it. Also, the past year has been tiring. Work pressure has eclipsed the joy we derived from work. One of my top agendas will be to reverse that because I genuinely believe that a tiny, seemingly insignificant thing as joy is actually the only key that opens up many locks. It unlocks creativity, leading to unlocking fame, awards, and a thriving creative culture because all of these follow. Isobar has phenomenal energy and a brilliant set of people. I’m looking forward to having tons of fun.”

  • Dinesh Nair appointed Director of Consumer Business for Lenovo India

    Dinesh Nair appointed Director of Consumer Business for Lenovo India

    Mumbai: Chinese technology major Lenovo has appointed Dinesh Nair as the director of consumer business for the India region.

    Nair succeeds Shailendra Katyal, who was recently elevated as site leader for Lenovo India and managing director of Lenovo’s PC and Smart Device business in India.

    Nair has been associated with Lenovo India’s consumer business for over 11 years in various roles. Most recently, he was the sales and channel management lead for the company’s consumer segment in India.

    He has handled leadership responsibilities across offline general trade retail, distribution management, field sales, e-commerce, large format retail, and category management.

    “I am proud to hand over the reins of the consumer business to Dinesh. At the same time, this is a demonstration of our commitment to developing talent internally. I am sure he, along with the consumer leadership team, will propel the business to new heights,” said Lenovo India managing director Shailendra Katyal.

  • CEAT appoints HUL’s Priya Nair as additional director

    CEAT appoints HUL’s Priya Nair as additional director

    KOLKATA: Tyre manufacturer CEAT has appointed Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Priya Nair as additional director in the capacity of independent director. Her appointment is effective from 27 October, for a tenure of five years.

    Nair is vice president – beauty and personal care at Unilever South Asia, where she's responsible for the business across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Her duties include business delivery on top line and bottom line by creating and delivering a strategic plan for the business. She has also served as executive director of the home care segment at HUL.

    She has led sustainability initiatives for HUL with a focus on the WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) programme for the company. Reaching over 140 million people under the Swachh Aadat Swachh Bharat initiative, it educates consumers to adopt three clean habits of washing hands with soap, drinking clean purified water and using a clean toilet.

    One of the most influential women marketeers in India, Nair was invited by Niti Aayog to participate in the Champions of Change programme.

  • Iravati Damle joins Zoom to lead public policy in India

    Iravati Damle joins Zoom to lead public policy in India

    MUMBAI: Zoom has hired Iravati Damle as head of public policy in India. In her new role, she will lead policy strategy, government affairs and advocacy for India.

    Damle will be reporting to Jonathan Kallmer, head of global public policy and government relations at Zoom. She will be based out of India.

    Before joining Zoom, Damle worked with Uber for more than three years as public policy manager (Central US) during which she oversaw regulatory and policy strategy and advocacy for the rideshare app in the Midwest.

    “I am thrilled to be at Zoom at a time when the business and the policy environment it operates in are so dynamic, with so much at stake for the productivity of businesses and the happiness of people,” Damle said in a post on LinkedIn.

    Prior to that, she was head of public policy (West India, East India & Bangladesh) at Uber between November 2018-January 2020. She used to look after secured licences or favourable regulations in five Indian states and in Bangladesh, legitimizing and stabilizing Uber’s business through sustained engagement and negotiation.

    She has also worked as a consultant at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. As part of the core team, she contributed in developing research and legislative proposals for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on network neutrality.

    While working with MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda’s office, Damle designed campaign strategy for general elections in Kendrapara, Odisha in 2014. She also led a team producing legislative proposals on themes such as electoral reform and free speech, introduced in Parliament by the MP.

    Zoom had a meteoric rise following the onset of the Covid2019 pandemic, with the service being adopted across sectors for online classes, meetings and remote hosting. However, the videoconferencing service has had a rough few months thanks to concerns surrounding the privacy of its service. In India, Zoom has been the subject of government advisories advising against its use, and a petition was filed in the Supreme Court accusing it of being a risk to national security.

    Recently, Zoom rolled out a major new security upgrade for users: end-to-end encryption. But the extra protection against hackers won’t be offered by default, meaning users will have to take several steps to turn it on.

  • India lacks bandwidth, financial ability to work in sequences like Hollywood

    India lacks bandwidth, financial ability to work in sequences like Hollywood

    MUMBAI: The last session of The Content Hub 2020 organised by Indiantelevision.com was moderated by Suraj Wanvari with screenwriter-director Karan Anshuman and director Gurmmeet Singh. The duo spoke on their learning while making shows for OTT platforms and the development process of Inside Edge and Mirzapur.

    In conversation with Wanvari, Anshuman and Singh spoke about their journeys as a writer and film director, challenges they faced, development of Inside Edge and Mizapur, OTT platforms, and the genres that will work well on OTT.

    Anshuman said, “Writing is my favourite part of filmmaking. While writing, we have to let the big idea win and we should allow them to come. Hollywood works on sequences and we want to work in the same manner but we don’t have that bandwidth or money to work in a similar format.”

    Singh said, “While in writing best idea wins, but as a director there is always a chance of improvisation as new ideas are always welcomed; it depends from case to case. We keep ourselves creatively open and engaging within the team.”

    Anshuman said, “There is a rigour about how streaming platforms access a project. On OTT there is a proper way of accessibility; there are good creative people who take their decisions.”

    Asked about which genres OTT platforms are looking at and what genres new writers should focus on, Singh said, “Gangster kind of stories has come to a saturation level; platforms are looking at comedy genre but it’s difficult to make them in long format.”