Mumbai: Anita Nayyar has resigned from her role at Patanjali Ayurved, where she served as the COO for media, branding, and communication since 2021.
Previously, she held positions such as head of customer strategy & relationships at ZEE5 and CEO for India and South East Asia at Havas Media Group, contributing thirteen years to the organisation.
With leadership roles at Ogilvy, Lintas-Initiative Media, Mediacom, and Mudra, Nayyar’s next career move is currently undisclosed.
Mumbai: Zoomcar Holdings, Inc (Nasdaq: ZCAR), the leading marketplace for car sharing in emerging markets, has announced the appointment of Adarsh Menon as its president to lead its business. This announcement follows Zoomcar’s recent listing on NASDAQ following closing of its business combination. In his new role, Adarsh will be responsible for all aspects of growth, operations, and customer experience for the company.
Adarsh is a seasoned industry leader with over 22 years of experience and has joined Zoomcar after an eight-and-a-half-year stint with Flipkart and a twelve-year stint with Hindustan Unilever. In his last role at Flipkart, Adarsh was heading all Flipkart’s new businesses – ClearTrip (Travel ECom), Shopsy (Hypervalue ECom) and ReCommerce (Used Goods ECom) – a new and high-growth mandate comprising of independent diverse businesses newly acquired or launched.
From leading M&A to scaling multi-billion-dollar businesses, Adarsh has a strong track record in leading businesses of various life stages by building strong revenue moats, profit pools and alliances.
He has built and led large high-performing, engaged and agile cross-functional teams and has mentored and groomed several industry leaders. He enjoys solving the complex problems associated with scaling up businesses to positions of dominance in India. He is passionate about leveraging technology to solve problems for India & Indian customers.
Zoomcar CEO and co-founder Greg Moran said “Adarsh’s diverse skillsets and seasoned leadership will play an instrumental role in continuing to scale our business. I am confident that in his new role he will help excellently position the company as we embark on reaching new heights for our emerging market-focused peer2peer car sharing platform.”
Zoomcar India president Adarsh Menon added “I am very excited to be leading Zoomcar’s business at this important new phase. At Zoomcar, we’re currently sitting on the cusp of a dramatic transformation within personal mobility, and I look forward to working closely with Greg and the broader Zoomcar team to help the company reach new heights.”
Mumbai: icogz Ltd, a data analytics company with operations across India, MENA, UK and Canada is delighted to announce the appointment of Ritesh Singh as the chief growth officer based in Canada. Ritesh, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in building high-growth businesses. As a digital transformation leader, he has led global teams and has been instrumental in growing brands across geographies & sectors. He will lead the icogz partnerships to drive the company’s vision.
Established by Amit Tripathi, icogz is a business intelligence platform empowering brand leaders in making meaningful decisions and fostering business growth. The BI platform facilitates informed decision-making by synthesising diverse and disparate data from diverse platforms and delivering real-time actionable insights.
Continuing his entrepreneurial spirit, Singh said, “I was inspired by Amit’s vision for icogz and with Stalwarts like Meenakshi Menon as the chairperson of icogz & Bicky Carlra as a leading partner of the business, there were no questions left on the table. Joining icogz as part of the leadership team with key responsibility of driving global business growth, I look forward to leveraging my entrepreneurial experience to drive innovation, expand market presence, and deliver exceptional value to all shareholders.”
icogz MD Amit Tripathi expressed his confidence in Ritesh’s appointment, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Ritesh in the leadership team. His extensive experience being one of the leaders in expanding the digital ecosystem in India, his entrepreneurial spirit aligns perfectly with our goals for icogz. I look forward to working closely with Ritesh as we undertake the journey to make icogz a leading BI company in the world.”
Before joining icogz, Ritesh spearheaded his own digital enterprise, where he continues to be an equity partner. Under his visionary leadership his enterprise emerged as a prominent player in the digital consulting space with over 170 team members, collaborating with national and multinational brands to achieve their growth objectives. Ritesh’s journey in the digital domain includes leadership roles at MEC Interaction and Starcom MediaVest Group, where he achieved remarkable milestones in business growth and global relationship management.
Mumbai: Tejus Jose has been appointed as the director of operations for ibis and ibis Styles India, a key portfolio within one of the top hospitality groups- Accor Hotels. Tejus will bring his expertise to guide and shape the operational landscape. This transition marks a significant chapter for both Tejus and the dynamic hospitality brand he is now a part of.
Tejus Jose will be overseeing operations for 21 hotels located across 14 cities in India. Notably, this announcement comes on the heels of the recent unveiling of ibis Styles Goa Vagator, the latest property under the collaboration between InterGlobe Hotels and Accor.
Bringing a wealth of experience to the role, Tejus Jose has had an impressive career in the hospitality sector spanning over 23 years. His expertise includes hotel management, sales and marketing, with notable contributions at premier hospitality companies and international brands. Prior to joining ibis, he served as the general manager at the first Hilton in Bengaluru, the Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks. Tejus was one of the first employees of Accor in India, starting at the iconic Hyderabad International Convention Centre and thereafter went on to manage a few Accor hotels as general manager.
Tejus Jose’s diverse professional journey has seen him take on various roles, from sales manager to leading operations at renowned hotels across various cities, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, majoring in strategy.
Tejus’s appointment signals a new era of leadership and growth for ibis & ibis Styles India, promising enhanced guest experiences and operational excellence.
Mumbai: Audio series platform Pocket FM has announced the appointment of Suyog Gothi as VP and India country head. In this role, Suyog will spearhead the company’s operations in India, working closely with co-founders Rohan Nayak and Nishanth KS.
Suyog joins Pocket FM with diverse experience, having previously served at PhonePe, where he last headed the merchant lending division. Suyog earlier played a pivotal role in scaling up PhonePe’s UPI payments business, showcasing his leadership and strategic acumen in launching and managing the business at scale.
In expressing his excitement about joining Pocket FM, Suyog Gothi stated, “I am thrilled to be part of Pocket FM, a company that is truly revolutionizing audio entertainment. I look forward to advancing our mission, fostering innovation, and empowering voices across the nation’s diverse auditory landscape.”
At Pocket FM, his responsibilities include overseeing operations in India and implementing strategic initiatives to further strengthen Pocket FM’s dominance in the market. He will play a crucial role in driving the company’s growth across India, with a focus on scaling up the user and writer community and driving sustainable growth.
Pocket FM co-founder and COO Nishanth KS commented on the appointment “We are delighted to welcome Suyog Gothi to the Pocket FM family. His proven track record and strategic vision align seamlessly with our goals for expansion and innovation. We are confident that Suyog will play a pivotal role in scaling up Pocket FM’s success in India.”
A graduate of IIT-Madras, Suyog has an impressive track record, having contributed significantly to the success stories of companies like Phonepe and Flipkart. His legacy in growth-focused responsibilities makes him a valuable addition to Pocket FM’s leadership team.
Suyog Gothi’s appointment reflects Pocket FM’s commitment to attracting industry-best talents and fostering continued growth in the rapidly evolving digital entertainment landscape.
Mumbai: In recent developments, Ashwani Gupta joins Adani Group and SEZ as chief executive officer. Ashwani Gupta is a globally recognised professional having more than 30 years of experience in automotive, manufacturing, and retail domains.
According to his LinkedIn post on 5 January 2024, Ashwani Gupta joins Adani Ports and SEZ (Special Economic Zone). Earlier he served at Nissan Motor Corporation as Director, Representative, and chief operating officer where he handled communication, strategy planning, project management, and other corporate functions.
While expressing his joy for a new position in the LinkedIn post said, ‘ I am delighted to announce that I have joined Adani Group whose vision is to be a world-class leader in businesses that enrich lives and contribute to nations building infrastructure through sustainable value creation, as CEO of Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (APSEZ).
APSEZ is the flagship business of the group whose target is to emerge as the world’s largest port company by 2030 with Strategic assets across the globe offering integrated logistics services with the value chain ecosystem.’
Mumbai: Publicis Groupe South Asia has announced the appointment of Amitesh Rao as the chief executive officer of Leo Burnett South Asia. In this role, Rao’s remit will include all operations of Leo Burnett India including Leo Burnett Orchard, across Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Chennai, and rest of South Asia. In addition, he will provide oversight on Publicis Health and Publicis Business. The role will report into Anupriya Acharya, CEO Publicis Groupe South Asia and will work closely with Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe India and chairman, Leo Burnett South Asia.
Leo Burnett India has been a premiere, creative powerhouse in the country, known for its iconic advertising and modern, human, and purposeful marketing solutions. Over the last many years, its meteoric rise and trailblazing performance on new business and new-age work has taken it to the top position.
Rao, with his cross-disciplinary and cross-category experience from various leadership roles, remarkable track record on client businesses and wealth of expertise across technology, data and creativity has been handpicked to lead Leo Burnett South Asia into its next stage of growth and creative ambitions.
An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, Rao comes with more than 25 years of leadership experience across advertising, marketing and technology entrepreneurship in gaming and simulation. He joins from McCann India where he was the executive director, heading North and West Operations. Prior to this, Rao has also held top positions at TBWA, Rediffusion, and JWT and in his advertising stints worked across markets with marquee clients such as PepsiCo, Airtel, Nestlé, Reckitt, Coke, Mastercard and Nissan. His marketing and sales experience has been in the Telco and Data space with MTS and RPG.
Publicis Groupe South Asia CEO Anupriya Acharya said, “I am delighted to welcome Amitesh Rao. We are in an age of constant invention and re-invention and in Amitesh, we found the perfect leader who brings both a thorough appreciation of the power of creativity in building strong brands and an intimate understanding and fluency in diverse languages of technology, gaming, data, and platforms. His easy demeanour and candid attitude are an added asset for clients, our teams and our Groupe’s Power of One agenda. I look forward to working with him.”
Amitesh Rao said, “I look forward to leading Leo Burnett South Asia in an era where the confluence of technology and creativity is redefining the playing field. With its outstanding creativity and top accolades, a remarkable roster of blue-chip clients and amazing talent pool, the agency offers an incredible canvas. I hope to bring new perspective on client businesses, strengthen seamless solutions and look forward to accelerating growth for Leo Burnett and its clients.”
Publicis Groupe India chief creative officer and Leo Burnett South Asia chairman Rajdeepak Das said, “Having built Leo Burnett South Asia over the last 10 years and making it synonymous with iconic, inspiring creativity that transforms brands and businesses, I am delighted to find in Amitesh a leader who resonates with LB’s ethos and brings with him strong and diverse experience that can take Leo Burnett South Asia to the next level of success and build on the agency’s stellar offerings. We all look forward to partnering him!”
Mumbai: 82.5 Communications CEO Kapil Arora announced on LinkedIn that he will be joining Ogilvy Indonesia.
With over 22 years at Ogilvy India, starting as an account executive, Arora played a pivotal role in launching Vodafone in India. He later became president of Ogilvy North before leading Ogilvy’s secondary agency.
Mumbai: Voyage Eyewear, the avant-garde direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand renowned for its premium sunglasses, is delighted to appoint Sahil Sharma as its director of marketing.
In this new position, Sahil Sharma will be responsible for driving Voyage Eyewear’s marketing strategies and expanding the brand’s reach on a local and global scale. His primary goal is to ensure sustainable growth for the brand while emphasizing its unique value proposition across various consumer segments. Additionally, Sahil aims to cultivate stronger connections with customers and deepen the engagement of Voyage Eyewear’s loyal patrons.
Voyage Eyewear co-founder Varun Agarwal said, “We are thrilled to welcome Sahil to Voyage Eyewear’s leadership team. As pioneers who revolutionized eyewear by embracing a digital-first approach through our omnichannel experiences, our commitment to placing the customer at the core of our innovations remains unwavering as we pursue accelerated growth. Sahil’s exceptional ability to fuse strategic vision with impeccable execution makes him the perfect fit to significantly amplify our marketing endeavors. We have full confidence that his leadership will unlock novel avenues such as social commerce and experiential consumer engagement, further realizing our founding vision of making premium eyewear not just visible but accessible across diverse demographics.”
Voyage Eyewear director of marketing Sahil Sharma said, “The prospect of shaping Voyage Eyewear’s trajectory to lead the future of eyewear fashion is incredibly invigorating. Having spearheaded impactful digital transformations that drove sustainable business impacts in my previous roles, I resonate deeply with Voyage Eyewear’s challenger mindset that disrupts conventional industry norms. My primary focus will revolve around pioneering innovative marketing strategies and models, positioning Voyage Eyewear as a household name that redefines consumers’ eyewear preferences.”
Operationally, Sahil Sharma will aim to create a flexible and agile performance marketing engine, utilizing analytics to drive consumer communication that is data-driven and insightful. With his proven track record and innovative mindset, Sahil Sharma will be well-equipped to usher Voyage Eyewear into a new phase of growth and success. His vision for the brand, coupled with his strategic marketing expertise, will surely propel Voyage Eyewear to new heights.
Mumbai: Sushma Rajesh has recently been appointed as the cluster head for Kannada and Marathi at Viacom18 Media. With a career spanning various key roles, Sushma previously served as Sr VP and business head – Kannada at The Walt Disney Company for nearly two years and three months. She shared this career move on her LinkedIn profile.
Beginning her journey in 2004 at Star India as a senior manager in research & strategic planning, Sushma has held significant positions, including vice president of marketing & channel Strategy at Life OK in 2014 and business head at Star Utsav. Prior to her tenure at Star India, she commenced her career at IMRB, a division of the Kantar Group.