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Tag: Government Relations

  • Diageo India ropes in Devashish Dasgupta as corporate relations director

    Diageo India ropes in Devashish Dasgupta as corporate relations director

    MUMBAI: Devashish Dasgupta began his career at Arthur Andersen in the business a& tax advisory services in 1994. In 2024, he is corporate relations director & member of the executive committee at spirits major Diageo India, a position he took up in early December 2024.It his second innings with the firm.  He has been on the Ficci national executive committee for the past four years or so.

    Along the way, he has been mainly involved in corporate, government affairs and relations over the past 34 years. He even  founded a management and entry strategy consulting firm Corporate Catalyst which he ran for 10 years from 1995 to 2005.

    Dasgupta then moved on to APCO as managing director of the public affairs & government consulting firm for three years. What followed was a two-year stint with Diageo india as executive director corporate relations. The next placement was at Google India as country head public policy and advocacy for eight months.

    A little over two-year assignments each with MNCs like Yum Restaurants, SAB Miller, GSK Consumer Healthcare, came next in a corporate relations and government affairs role.

    Just prior to re-joining Diageo, Devashish was at Hindustan Unilever as corporate and government affairs head for a good five years.

     

  • Ather Energy announces key appointments to support next phase of growth

    Ather Energy announces key appointments to support next phase of growth

    Mumbai: Homegrown electric scooter brand Ather Energy has announced two key appointments with an aim to strengthen its leadership team as the company embarks on its next phase of growth. In view of its long term business objectives and goals, the company has appointed Gurinder Singh Sukhija as head of ownership management and Murali Sashidharan as head of communications and government relations.

    “‘Ownership experience’ is the part of the journey that starts once the customer takes delivery of the vehicle. I am delighted to welcome Gurinder. His rich experience across industries and functions will be super-useful in helping him take the Ather ownership experience to even greater heights. Functionally speaking, Gurinder will lead the Customer Service, Vehicle Service and Ownership Products verticals,” said Ather Energy chief business officer Ravneet Singh Phokela on the appointments.

    Sukhija comes with over 24 years of experience in diverse industries like banking, telecom, infrastructure (ATM) and transport networks. His core expertise lies in customer support management across geographies and managing in-house and outsourcing partners. 

    Prior to joining Ather, he was working with Ola as senior director and head-customer and partner support operations. He has held previous roles at CMS Infosystems, Transaction Solutions International, Mphasis among others.

    Announcing Sashidharan’s appointment at Ather Energy, Ravneet further said, “Murali, with his extensive experience in corporate communication will head the Public Relations function, leading media relations, influencer marketing and public affairs. He will also manage the interface with government and industry bodies. Murali brings a wealth of experience and will play a critical role in this high-growth phase for the brand. I am delighted to have both of them join us at this critical stage of our journey.”

    Sashidharan comes with 20 years of experience in goal-oriented communication strategies focussed on driving engagement with stakeholders and establishing strong brand recall across audiences. His last assignment was with Ola where he managed the communications strategy for their mobility and electric businesses. He has also led the communication mandate for Ola’s launch in London. Murali has also worked with Sony Pictures Network India, Adfactors PR, MSL 20:20, Royal Sundaram and Six Degrees PR.

    To cater to growing demand, Ather Energy has commissioned its second manufacturing facility in Hosur recently taking its manufacturing capacity to 400,000 units from its current capacity of 120,000 units. It has also invested heavily in the charging infrastructure to ensure a seamless and hassle-free transition to EVs, the company said.

    According to a statement, the company has registered strong year-on-year growth, and has expanded its retail footprint to 26 cities and plans to expand to around 150 Experience Centers in 100 cities by March 2023.

  • 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.”