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Tag: Mahesh Chauhan

  • Salt just got tastier as Sudeep Puthyathaya steps in as executive creative director

    Salt just got tastier as Sudeep Puthyathaya steps in as executive creative director

    MUMBAI: Just when you thought salt was merely seasoning your fries, along comes Salt Brand Solutions, sprinkling some creative magic into its leadership pot. Picture this: seasoned storyteller Sudeep Puthyathaya struts into Salt’s Mumbai office, bringing with him over 23 years of crafting iconic brand stories and enough creative spice to make even a bland briefing taste delicious. Could this be the recipe for ‘Salt 2.0’ we’ve all been waiting for?

    On 11 March 2025, Salt Brand Solutions announced the hiring of Puthyathaya as its new executive creative director, joining the existing duo—executive director Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar and director Mahesh Chauhan (Mash)—who’ve been shaking things up for quite some time.

    Welcoming the newest spice in Salt’s creative curry, Mash said, “This is a significant step towards further strengthening Salt’s creative leadership.” He further added, “with Sagar, Sudeep, and me coming together, it definitely will add great value to our clients, and this makes me truly excited for Salt 2.0.” Indeed, what good is curry without the right spices?

    Echoing his sentiments, Mahabaleshwarkar remarked, “Sudeep brings a deep understanding of storytelling that connects with real people. His craft in creating human insight-led narratives perfectly complements the creative force we are building at Salt.” Translation? Expect ads that tug at your heartstrings—or at least your purse strings.

    Puthyathaya isn’t exactly new to the storytelling circus. Having juggled creative campaigns for bigwigs like Mercedes-Benz India, Taj Hotels, Royal Enfield, J&J, and Citibank, he’s now ready to spice things up at Salt. With a passion for ‘human-centred narratives’, his style is less boardroom monotony and more Netflix binge-worthy storytelling.

    “I’ve always believed that the most powerful brands are built on stories that resonate at a human level,” Puthyathaya said. “Salt’s culture of bold, insight-driven thinking is a perfect fit for the kind of work I want to create. I’m excited to collaborate with Mash and Sagar to craft narratives that strengthens brand narratives and leave a lasting impact.” Forget salt bae; it’s story bae season now.

    Adding credibility to his creative cooking skills, Puthyathaya has judged the prestigious New York Festivals and Abby’s, proving he’s not just here to cook up stories—he knows how to taste-test them too.

    Founded in 2011 by Mash, Salt Brand Solutions prides itself on being the invisible yet indispensable seasoning of the branding world. With Sudeep now joining Mash and Sagar, expect the creativity (and the seasoning) to be dialled up to eleven, turning more heads, breaking more norms, and making brand storytelling anything but bland.

  • Salt Brands Solutions appoints Namrata Nandan as chief business officer

    MUMBAI: Salt Brand Solutions has announced the appointment of Namrata Nandan as its chief business officer. Nandan comes on board with the mandate to manage all existing businesses and drive growth for the organization.

    Salt Brand Solutions founder Mahesh Chauhan said, “As we now gear up for the next stage of our evolution as an organization totally invested in building successful businesses, we felt the need to get another like-minded and driven leader. Namrata’s utopian world-view, love for building powerful brands and desire to succeed reverberated with us. I have known her for a couple of decades and have always wanted to work with her. The journey just got more exciting.”

    Nandan joins Salt Brand Solutions with over 23 years of experience in advertising industry.

    Nandan added, “Salt Brand Solutions is an essential ingredient in my quest to follow my heart. Mahesh Chauhan is one of those inspirational people I met in my journey of advertising and having this opportunity to work closely with him and his young, raring to go team is something I look forward to”

    Prior to her stint at Salt, she served as the co-founder of Conviction Brandworks. She has also worked with leading advertisement and marketing firms like McCann Mumbai as senior vice president and G.M, McCann Erickson India as vice president and G.M, J Walter Thompson as account director, O & M Advertising as group account manager and Y & R Brands as account manager.

    The other key to her love and passion for this business has been the rich and diverse range of businesses and brands she has been fortunate to have partnered with Colgate, Unilever, TVS, Britannia, Marico, L’Oreal, Radio Mirchi, Piramal, Bombay Dyeing, etc.

  • Salt Brand Solutions promotes Siddhartha Singh as CEO, Arun Divakar as NCD

    Salt Brand Solutions promotes Siddhartha Singh as CEO, Arun Divakar as NCD

    MUMBAI: Salt Brand Solutions has rejigged its top management. The company has promoted Siddhartha Singh as CEO and Arun Divakar as national creative director (NCD).

     

    Singh is one of the founder members of Salt and till now was executive vice president (EVP). He has almost two decades of experience across agencies like Leo Burnett, Ambience Publicis and Rediffusion – Y&R.

     

    Singh said, “I plan to up the ante on product delivery, ensuring it is above industry standard and pushes the agenda of being best new-age business partners to our clients. This is something we have practiced for the last four years and today feel confident and capable of delivering. In addition, I want to instil brand thinking that cuts through the jargon, brings in simplicity and germinates from a client’s business problem rather than lofty brand ideologies.”

     

    On the other end of the spectrum is Divakar, who will now be responsible for the complete creative portfolio of Salt. “I want to create an environment where people contribute and come up with ideas fearlessly and frequently in a manner that is fun, for I believe that Happy People create Happy Work and that is something that we want to stand for,” he said.

     

    Divakar started his career as an account executive, but quickly realised he was a better art director than the ones he was listening to! He has worked with Flagship and Saatchi & Saatchi in Mumbai, and Classic Partnership, O&M, Y&R and TBWA in the U.A.E, before taking on the role of regional creative director, Pirana which he helped set up in the U.A.E. In 2014 he moved back to India and joined Salt Brand Solutions.

     

    Defining the road ahead, Salt Brand Solutions founder Mahesh Chauhan added, “Divakar has been the proverbial madman of Salt. His talent coupled with his joie de vivre has transformed our work and culture beautifully. Sid, on the other hand, has been a pillar over the past four years of Salt and has seamlessly transitioned into this role. He is widely respected and brings great gravitas to our offering as an organisation.”

     

    “With these elevations, I will now be spending my time driving ideas for our clients. This will involve working seamlessly with both the strategy and creative teams. The end objective being consistently superior work for all our partners as well as properties that we develop for ourselves,” he added.

  • “Our focus will be on digital, mobile & activation”: Dhunji Wadia

    “Our focus will be on digital, mobile & activation”: Dhunji Wadia

    Regarded as someone with strong business acumen, great entrepreneurial instincts and affinity towards clients’ businesses, Dhunji Wadia was anointed as Rediffusion-Y&R president in December last year.

     

    With the Rediffusion-Y&R Group since 2010, Wadia had moved from JWT after spending 18 years there. Helming Everest Brand Solutions, he will now have greater responsibilities on his shoulders as he steps into the shoes of predecessors like Mahesh Chauhan, D Rajappa and Sam Ahmed.

     

    The 40-year-old company surfaced from choppy waters by reinventing itself. The years 2014 saw the agency bag a number of new accounts, including Videocon, Virgin Atlantic and Biba Fashions in Delhi; PC Chandra Jewellers and Cordlife in Kolkata; and Revtron in Mumbai.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma spoke to the man, who has over 25 years of industry experience and has worked closely on brands like Parle, Tata, Unilever and Nike amongst others, to know his plans for the agency.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    A new year, a new beginning. What will be on your agenda for 2015 for Rediffusion Y&R and Everest Brand Solutions?

     

    2015 will be the year of focus. The number one priority is to focus on the creative work. Creative work is the whole agency. Of course, creative and strategic thinking are interlinked. But it’s the final output that moves the consumer. Once the creative work is in place, all good things will start to happen. It will positively impact the health of our brands, the agency’s fortunes, new business acquisitions and taking better care of our people.

     

    Having understood the destination, we are working on the strategy to get there. In the process, people who are excited about the opportunities will make it big rather than people who are happy to sit back and wait for things to happen. The results will speak for themselves.

     

    The year 2014 saw Rediffusion Y&R bagging new accounts like Videocon, Virgin Atlantic and Biba amongst others. The agency also regained its spot amongst the 10 advertising agencies in the country. What does this mean for the agency and how will this impact the future?

     

    Winning new business is always great. It gives us a chance to showcase new work. Regaining our spot in the top 10 was a great moral booster. It fills us with the confidence and enthusiasm to go further.

     

    What were the key lessons learnt from 2014 for you and the agency? And how will you implement those learnings in 2015?

     

    Today, the size of the agency makes no difference at all. Neither does the scope or the geographic reach of the agency. The difference for any client is really in the people. Do they bring the experience, knowledge and insight to a client that will make a big impact in that organisation’s results and bottom line?

     

    People are going to be the key going forward. We have a promising lot with immense potential and unleashing this potential will be a priority in 2015.

     

    What are the key areas that the agency has been working on?

     

    We have been focusing on our existing clients. Last year, more than half of our new business came from existing clients. It feels terrific when your existing clients trust you with their critical new brand launches. It’s a responsibility we cherish and specialise in.

     

    We are living in a ‘Breaking News’ world where what’s trending today is forgotten tomorrow, so we need to be in the news for the right reasons. We not only need to do the work but we also will have to come out and tell the world ‘Hey look, here’s what we’ve been doing.’

     

    According to you, what will be the highlights for the coming years?

     

    We hope to make our work the single biggest highlight of 2015 and beyond.

     

    What is your take on digital video format becoming a go to formula for advertising? Why are brands as well as advertising agencies opting for it?

     

    This is going to become a key differentiator in content marketing – one will be able to cut through online clutter to attract customers, increase engagement and guide customers throughout their buying journey. This would be possible on any screen, anytime, anywhere.

     

    Since brands are banking on creating films for digital platforms what do you enjoy the 30-second clip for TV or the long ones for digital?

     

    As opposed to bombarding the viewer with repeat telecasts of TV commercials, this is an option where you create a long duration commercial and hope the viewer likes, comments and shares the video.

     

    Going forward, clients won’t care about web hits because majority of the hits are now just bots. The main parameter for them will be sales. That’s what it was supposed to be in the first case.

     

    What are the plans lined up for the digital side of your business?

     

    We have done quite a few award-winning digital initiatives for our clients – SAB TV, Ranbaxy Volini and TATA Housing to name a few. Going forward there will be additional drive and focus on digital, mobile marketing and activation.

     

    How has storytelling evolved over the years?

     

    Thanks to the advancement in technology, storytelling is becoming increasingly compelling over the years. The recent Honda Type R commercial is a good example.

     

    One mandate which you are really proud of and why?

     

    Every mandate comes with its own unique challenges. And our credo is – To Resist The Usual. It would be impossible to isolate any one instance.

     

    Everest has won the Brand Revitalisation Award for Brand Everest, at the ‘Global Excellence Awards’ by World Brand Congress and also adjudged the ‘Happiest Agency in India’. What initiatives do you take to make sure employees are happy? And how productive are happy people?

     

    Happy people make a happy agency and in turn happy clients. It’s a happy circle. Most people join advertising in order to follow their passion. Majority of the work related grievances turn out to be minor issues when there is a common consensus. You need to have your heart in the right place.

  • Salt Brand Solutions adds Sidharth Singh to its team

    Salt Brand Solutions adds Sidharth Singh to its team

    MUMBAI: Salt Brand Solutions, known for offering holistic brand solutions, has added Sidharth Singh to its team. Since the company does not believe in assigning designationS, his addition is being termed as ‘a new addition to its society of members‘.

    At Salt brand solutions, Singh will take charge of shaping the design capabilities of the company. He will work along with co-founder Mahesh Chauhan to manage business and build client portfolio.
     
    Salt Brand Solutions co-founder Mahesh Chauhan said, “In line with the holistic approach of the company, we understand the need for design to be a key element of any communication offering. Sidharth brings with him not only extensive experience in managing client businesses, but a
    keen insight into product and communication design. He is also a perfect fit into our culture, with his incredible people skills and relationship with clients.”

    Singh said, “For any organisation to succeed, clarity of intent and action are vital. At Salt, there are diverse people coming together, but each member of its team is anchored by a common, distinctive belief and work ethic. To be a part of a set-up and a team that is so completely in unison about what it is driven towards is a dream for any professional.”

    Singh, who has 15 years of experience, was earlier the national head of WHO!, Rediffusion- Y&R‘s design arm. Besides, he has worked with agencies like Leo Burnett and Publicis. He has worked on brands like Rasna, Union, Nerolac Paints and DHFC Mutual Funds.
     

  • Rediffusion DY&R ropes in Mahesh Chauhan as president

    Announcing the change Rediffusion DY&R chairman Diwan Arun said, “I am absolutely delighted to have Mahesh at the helm of affairs at Rediffusion. He is one of the finest advertising professionals in the industry today, and the ease with which he turned around Everest in a short span of three years, is indeed remarkable. Mahesh not only brings with him leadership and dynamism, but also youth, vitality and a fresh perspective – just the qualities we were looking for in a person who would lead Rediffusion in the years to come.”

    With fifteen years of advertising experience, Mahesh has worked in agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and Rediffusion DY&R, before taking over as president of Everest Brand Communications.

    Under his three year leadership, Everest has not only grown but also bagged creative recognition both in India and worldwide. Besides winning businesses such as Hitachi, LIC, Kinetic, ING Vyasa, MIRC Electronics and Elder Pharma, Chauhan was also responsible for turning around the creative product of the agency during his tenure. Everest was ranked No2 at the Abby’s in 2005 and No 3 this year. It was also ranked in the top 5 in the AAAI, and recently did India proud by winning a Bronze this year at Cannes and a Silver at the One Show, informs an official release.

    Commenting on his new role, Chauhan said, “Rediffusion DY&R is one of the most exciting brands in the industry today. What perhaps stands out is the agency’s philosophy toward advertising – Not puffery under the garb of creativity, but creating advertising that works! The fact that the agency has partnered some of the most elite set of corporates in their path toward growth is no coincidence. I am hence extremely excited at this opportunity.

    “Human Capital is the only asset in this business. Identifying it, channelizing it in the right direction and nurturing it, hold key. Sensitivity and seriousness in managing Human Capital, will be the foundation on which Rediffusion DY&R will create its competitive advantage in the years to come,” adds Chauhan.

    This change has been necessitated due to the movement of Preet Bedi, who led the agency for three years prior to moving out in pursuance of otheropportunities. “Under Preet, Rediffusion DY&R had resurrected itself to emerge as one of India’s foremost agencies both in terms of strategy and creative output. While we will be loosing an immense valuable resource in Preet, we respect his decision to reinvent himself,” added Nanda.