Tag: Mihir Karkare

Meru Life announces leadership move as VML’s Kalpesh Patel charts transition to co-founder and COO role

MUMBAI: Meru Life announced the appointment of Kalpesh Patel as Co-Founder, COO, and Head of Technology. He will be overseeing technology and operations for Meru Life.

With close to three decades of experience leading cross-functional technology teams across services and product ecosystems, Kalpesh is joining Meru Life at a pivotal time in its journey. In his new role, he will be responsible for driving the company’s end-to-end technology vision, scaling platform capabilities, running operations, and building user-first digital products tailored for India’s growing 55+ demographic.

Before serving as head of operations at VML Enterprise Solutions (India), Kalpesh held the position of Senior Vice President – MarTech at Mirum India, a VML Company, where he led the company’s marketing technology vertical, overseeing software engineering teams and spearheading the execution of large-scale digital transformation projects. Under his leadership, Mirum’s MarTech practice evolved into a platform-agnostic delivery hub for international clients looking for expertise in customer experience, engineering, and CRM. He also helped with the evolution and operations of VML Enterprise Solutions India Hub.

Speaking on his appointment, Kalpesh Patel shared, “Technology, when built right, can unlock dignity, joy, and ease, especially in the later stages of life. Meru Life’s purpose of enabling Active Seniors to live empowered, independent lives resonates deeply with my belief that tech should serve people, not overwhelm them. I look forward to co-creating an ecosystem that is intuitive, scalable, and purpose-built to enhance the everyday experiences of our country’s Active Seniors.”

Welcoming him to the leadership team, Meru Life co-founder & CEO, Mihir Karkare noted, “Kalpesh brings the perfect blend of technical depth, product thinking, and purpose-driven leadership that we need at this stage of our growth. His ability to lead agile, scalable technology teams will be instrumental as we expand Meru Life’s platform and build products that truly serve the needs of India’s Active Seniors with clarity, accessibility, and care. We’re excited for this next chapter with him.”

Kalpesh’s appointment reflects Meru Life’s continued investment in building senior-first, future-ready products and services to support India’s active seniors in their journey toward better health, connection, and independence.

August 6, 2025
Mirum India bags digital mandate for ibis Hotels

Mumbai: Mirum India, a VML company, has won the digital mandate for ibis Hotels, a renowned brand under the Accor group. Under this mandate, Mirum India will be the digital and social media agency of record (AOR) for ibis Hotels.

ibis Hotels, known for its modern, comfortable, and well-designed rooms, caters to both business and leisure travellers. The brand now aims to strengthen its position in the market by reaching out to its audience more effectively through digital channels. With a focus on building a community for the brand on the digital front, Mirum India will play a strategic role in creating awareness and driving top-of-the-mind-recall for the brand.

Commenting on the partnership, ibis & ibis Styles India commercial head Animesh Kumar shared, “The partnership with Mirum India, marks a strategic move for ibis Hotels in our journey to reinforce our digital presence and connect more deeply with our audience. As we embark on this journey, we’re committed to leveraging innovative digital strategies not only to amplify our presence but also to cultivate a vibrant digital community. Together with Mirum India, we aim to create immersive experiences that resonate with our guests, fostering lasting connections, and enhancing the essence of ibis Hotels.”

Mirum India will play an important role in amplifying ibis Hotels’ digital presence through strategic planning, media, production, and execution of comprehensive digital marketing campaigns.

Mirum India MD Mihir Karkare expressed his excitement about the new partnership, “If we look at the recent stats, domestic tourism is expected to bounce back to the pre-pandemic levels by 2024–25, with foreign tourist arrivals increasing by 435 per cent over the next three years. With the opportunity that it presents for the Indian tourism sector, I believe this partnership couldn’t have happened at a better time. The team is fueled with determination to elevate ibis Hotels’ digital presence to even greater heights. Together, we’re set to create a captivating digital landscape that will enable ibis Hotels to foster deeper connections with its audience and build brand loyalty.”

With Mirum’s track record of delivering successful digital campaigns and ibis Hotels’ commitment to providing excellent hospitality, this partnership is set to take the hospitality industry by storm.

March 26, 2024
Shwapno makes Mirum India its marketing automation partner

MUMBAI: Mirum India has been appointed as the marketing automation partner by Shwapno, one of the largest grocery chains in Bangladesh. Shwapno operates over 60 physical outlets across Bangladesh and has an e-commerce portal for online ordering. Shwapno touches the lives of over 35,000 households each day. In 2016, Shwapno was recognised as the Best Retail Brand in the country, as awarded jointly by Kantar Millward Brown and Bangladesh Brand Forum.

Mirum is a Salesforce Gold Consulting partner, with expertise across the entire stack of marketing cloud suite such as Social Studio, ExactTarget, Pardot, Datorama and DMP. Mirum India has come on board as an implementation partner for Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform. Mirum will also facilitate integration of Marketing Cloud with other 3rd party systems.

Mirum India EVP Mihir Karkare said, “We are proud to be working with Shwapno, the largest grocery chain in Bangladesh. This is special for us, as it is our first assignment in Bangladesh market. We believe that with Marketing Cloud platform in place, Shwapno will see a positive impact on the customer engagement, online sales and an increased ROI on their marketing spends.”

March 23, 2020
Social Wavelength wins Ginger Hotels social media mandate

MUMBAI: Ginger Hotels, a TATA enterprise, has awarded the social media duties to social media agency Social Wavelength.

The chain of hotels is spread across 23 locations in India with 26 hotels launched on the concept of smart basics.

Ginger Hotels marketing manager Alisagar Merchant said, “Social media will help us connect with our prospective customers, understand our current audience more closely and enable us offer better products and services. With Social Wavelength‘s strength, expertise and experience in the field of social media communication and social media monitoring, we are sure they will help us listen to the customer‘s mind and also connect with them effectively.”

Social Wavelength vice president Mihir Karkare commented, “The concept of Smart Basics for a hotel is very unique and we are delighted to take this concept to the consumers. We are sure that social media will play a significant role in the audience interactions for Ginger Hotels”

The primary objective behind the concept of Ginger hotels is to provide a superior product offering and consistent experience to travellers, beyond the present offerings in the industry. Ginger Hotels have also recently won the ‘Best Budget Hotel‘ award by Outlook Traveller.

Social Wavelength has presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Its services include social media monitoring, online-reputation management, online PR, social media management and building online communities. Social Wavelength is also the authorised reseller for Radian6 for the Indian market.

February 26, 2013