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Tag: P&G

  • Publicis brings Ravi Bhaya home to script client-first transformation

    Publicis brings Ravi Bhaya home to script client-first transformation

    MUMBAI: Talk about a full-circle moment, Ravi Bhaya is back at Publicis, this time to steer the ship as chief client officer at Publicis Media India. Based in Mumbai and reporting to Lalatendu Das, CEO of Publicis Media South Asia, Bhaya’s brief is crystal clear: transform client partnerships with a mix of data, AI and creativity that sets the group apart in what it calls a “Category of One.”

    It’s a homecoming for Bhaya, who spent over two decades shaping global media strategies across India, Germany, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and North America. His CV reads like a travelogue of transformation leading mandates for marquee brands including P&G, Samsung, Coca-Cola, BMW and Mondelez, expanding agency capabilities in new markets, and driving growth strategies rooted in performance-led marketing.

    Bhaya also dabbled in the startup world, co-founding Rsquared Global Ventures (R2GV) to advise Martech, Adtech, data and commerce ventures on scaling strategies, while working closely with VCs to spot high-growth bets in emerging tech. Before that, as managing director for global growth at Munich-based Serviceplan Group, he was instrumental in driving alliances, partnerships and international expansion.

    His return to Publicis signals a sharper client-first agenda. With Starcom, Zenith and Performics under his wing, Bhaya is tasked with deepening partnerships and pushing integrated, future-ready solutions in India’s rapidly shifting media landscape. For Publicis Groupe, which has doubled down on data-led and AI-powered offerings, the appointment underscores its ambition to blend global expertise with local impact.

    Or as Bhaya himself put it, coming back feels both “familiar and fresh” rooted in trust, fuelled by renewed ambition, and very much tuned to what’s next for clients in an industry where data, creativity and AI are increasingly inseparable.

  • Sachin Salian takes the marketing hot seat at Aurionpro

    Sachin Salian takes the marketing hot seat at Aurionpro

    MUMBAI: Advanced technical solutions provider Aurionpro has just made a power move in the marketing game—roping in Sachin Salian as its new chief marketing officer. With more than 22 years of globe-trotting experience in growth marketing, brand leadership, and digital transformation, Salian isn’t just bringing muscle—he’s bringing marketing mojo.

    From crafting campaigns for the likes of American Express and P&G to transforming banking brands at Intellect Design Arena, Salian’s track record reads like a digital playbook for success. At Intellect, he snagged multiple chairman’s excellence awards for market expansions and cutting-edge platform launches—making him the marketer’s equivalent of a hat-trick hero.

    An IIM Lucknow grad, Salian has worked the full B2B spectrum—from digital ads and SEO to product launches and partnerships. Now, he’s set to lead Aurionpro’s global marketing and brand strategy, with one mission: to build a future-ready, digital-first enterprise brand that turns heads and wins markets.

    “We’re excited to have Sachin lead our global marketing efforts as we take a bold step toward building a future-ready, digital-first enterprise brand,” the company said in a statement. “Sachin will spearhead our global marketing & brand strategy—to accelerate growth across key markets.”

    With stints at Infosys, Cognizant, and Netcore under his belt, Salian’s no stranger to the tech hustle. As Aurionpro ramps up its transformation drive, the CMO’s chair has just been handed to someone who knows how to turn data into demand—and strategy into sizzle

  • Marketing maestro plugs into EV future at Astro Motors

    Marketing maestro plugs into EV future at Astro Motors

    MUMBAI: Aniruddha Khandekar, a true grand fromage in the marketing consultancy world, has just revved up his career with a cracking new gig. He’s been tapped as the fresh-faced marketing director at Astro Motors IN, an emerging electric vehicle manufacturer looking to absolutely revolutionise the industry. He’s only been on the job since March 2025, but one expects he’s already hitting the ground running in Pune, Maharashtra.

    Astro Motors isn’t just another tin box on wheels; it’s a disruption-focused outfit intent on combining sheer innovation with a dollop of education to cut through the noise in India’s bewildering EV marketplace. Its advanced vehicle design, superior performance, and integrated management systems are built to meet the demands of everyone from your individual punter to the largest fleet operators. It sounds like the folks there are not just selling cars, they’re selling a vision – and a very British one at that.

    Khandekar brings a truly impressive pedigree to the role, having clocked up over 20 years in the cut-throat advertising and media trenches. The strategy consultant and fractional CMO, formerly of G-S-D Consulting, has been a marketing gun-for-hire, delivering impact for a stellar roster of clients. He’s previously steered the strategic ship for heavy hitters like Marico, Colgate Palmolive, Dell, and Lenovo during his VMLY&R days. Before that, his brainy insights bolstered giants such as Bajaj Auto, P&G, Oreo, Asian Paints, and Tata Sky during stints at Leo Burnett and Ogilvy. He’s consulted for everyone from EdTech startups like Accreda to Web3 MarTech platforms such as Cultos, even dabbling in market entry strategy for an electric commuter motorcycle – quite the pre-nup for his current role, one might say!

    With a track record of shaping consumer insights and crafting go-to-market strategies, Khandekar’s arrival promises to inject a serious jolt of marketing wizardry into Astro Motors. The EV space just got a bit more exciting, and rather stylishly so.

  • Shamik Guha takes charge at EssenceMediacom: From baby oils to big brands

    Shamik Guha takes charge at EssenceMediacom: From baby oils to big brands

    MUMBAI: Shamik Guha has swapped healthcare for high-stakes hygiene as he steps into the role of general manager – client services at EssenceMediacom, where he’ll now steer the media strategy for FMCG titan P&G.
    From baby oils to baby steps in data science, Guha’s journey reads like a masterclass in media evolution. With over 18 years of industry hustle—spanning Emami, Lintas, OMD, Dabur, Abbott, and now EssenceMediacom—he’s worn every media hat from planner to P&L boss.

    At Abbott, he helped nutritional juggernauts like Pediasure and Ensure bulk up in market share, while tightening cost controls and orchestrating full-funnel media. Before that, his time at Dabur saw him blend Ayurveda with mass-market savvy, launching new SKUs and managing crores in baby and women’s health categories.

    From pushing IPL impact buys at Freecharge to stoking strategy at Dabur and crunching data at Seagull, Guha’s career has been one long pitch-perfect campaign. Now, with P&G’s mighty portfolio on his media menu, expect the playbook to only get sharper
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    New gig, same hustle. Shamik Guha’s back on the agency side—and he’s not playing small.

  • Anymind adds horsepower with five senior hires to supercharge AI-native BPaaS transformation

    Anymind adds horsepower with five senior hires to supercharge AI-native BPaaS transformation

    MUMBAI: Anymind Group just hit the gas pedal on its AI-native ambitions and they didn’t stop for speed limits. In one of its biggest leadership reshuffles yet, the Singapore- and India-headquartered BPaaS (Business process as a service) player has appointed five heavy-hitters to steer its next-gen business engine into high gear. With talent sourced from Google, P&G, and its own rising stars, Anymind’s management garage is now fully tuned for the next leg of digital transformation.

    Announced on 16 April 2025, the appointments reflect the company’s aggressive pivot toward an AI-native BPaaS model essentially, AI meets ops meets scalability. With a focus on marketing, e-commerce, creator economy, and fulfillment, the company is throwing every tool in the tech shed at building a future-ready, hyper-scalable engine for growth.

    CEO & co-founder Kosuke Sogo put it plainly, “These appointments mark a significant step forward as we scale our solutions across Asia and beyond. With deep expertise in technology, digital commerce, and fulfillment, we’re strengthening the leadership we need to navigate the next phase of our growth and shape the future of how business is done.”

    Ryuji Takemoto takes charge as chief product officer, The company’s first-ever CPO, Takemoto has been with Anymind since day one, literally he was their first engineer in 2016. Now, he will embed AI across the company’s operations, lead the AI App Studio, and integrate next-gen product development across five engineering hubs in Tokyo, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangalore, and Hangzhou.

    “As Anymind advances our transformation to become an AI-native company, I am committed to accelerating this journey by deepening the implementation of AI technologies into our platforms and enhance feature sets,” said Takemoto.

    Shodai Fujita becomes country manager, Japan, Fujita started as a fresh grad with Anymind, cut his teeth in Thailand and Vietnam, then launched influencer marketing in Japan. After co-leading the Japanese market, he now takes full control of the company’s business in one of Asia’s biggest consumer markets.

    “Having started my career at Anymind and grown alongside the company, I’m deeply honoured to now lead our Japan business,” said Fujita, ready to ride the AI wave with local precision.

    Kiatisak Watcharapruk joins as MD of creator growth, Fresh out of Google’s Asia-Pacific HQ, where he spearheaded the launch of Gemini and other AI products, Kiatisak steps in to replace Moindy founder Punsak Limvatanayingyong. He now leads the creator growth division, which supports over 2,900 content creators globally.

    “I’m thrilled to join Anymind Group at such a pivotal time for the creator economy,” he said. “I’m particularly excited to harness the power of AI to optimise content creation, distribution, and monetisation.”

    Masaki Okawa joins as MD of strategy, Ex-P&G exec and Logipeace strategist, Okawa will be driving business across e-commerce, emerging markets, and revenue-scale initiatives. With 16 years of global FMCG experience, he’s got just the toolkit to make spreadsheets and storytelling work together. “I aspire to be a catalyst to take Anymind to the next level,” he said, adding that AI + BPaaS + business dev = his new formula for success.

    Steven Tan becomes MD of fulfillment, keeps CEO hat at Arche Digital, Having joined via the acquisition of Malaysia-based Arche Digital, Tan now expands his remit across warehousing, shipping, and Anylogi Anymind’s international logistics platform.

    “We’re taking a strategic step to drive further operational excellence and sustainable scalability,” said Tan, looking to connect the dots between offline grit and online smarts. This management power-up follows closely on the heels of Lan Anh Nguyen’s appointment as country manager for Vietnam earlier this year. With a roster this stacked, Anymind seems more than ready to drive their BPaaS machine into uncharted and AI-automated territory.
     

  • P&G Hygiene to see change in leadership in personal health care

    P&G Hygiene to see change in leadership in personal health care

    MUMBAI: There’s change at the top in Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care. The FMCG major informed the stock exchange yesterday that come 1 January 2025, Maithreyi Jagannathan will take over as vice president & category leader – personal health care.

    The reason: senior marketing director & current category leader Sahil Sethi whose tenure gets over on 31 December 2024 will not be continuing in that post.

    P&G is bringing in Maithreyi from Jakarta where she is general manager & commercial leader, consumer healthcare in the company’s Indonesian unit as Sethi’s replacement.

    Maithreyi is a bachelor of computer science engineering, from the National Institute of Technology – Surathkal, Mangaluru, India and a master of business administration (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India.

    With a rich and diverse experience in various commercial roles across a career spanning almost 20 years, she joined P&G India in 2005 as an assistant brand manager. She  has since worked across various roles and geographies, including the US, Singapore, Indonesia, contributing to the growth of business and people across roles. 

  • TAM AdEx: Reflections of 2023 for advertising in movies genre

    TAM AdEx: Reflections of 2023 for advertising in movies genre

    Mumbai: TAM AdEx India has released a report on television medium – reflections of 2023 for advertising in movies genre.

    Trends in ad volumes of movie genre: 27 per cent rise in 2023 as compared to 2019. In 2023, there was a four per cent increase in advertising volumes compared to 2022. Advertising volumes in the second quarter of 2023 were five per cent higher than those in the fourth quarter of the same year.

    In 2024, the movies channel genre secured the second-highest share of advertising volumes among various channel genres.

    Hindi movies maintained their dominance in terms of ad volumes, holding a share of over 40 per cent in both 2023 and 2022. The top four sub-genres maintained their positions from 2022 to 2023. In 2023, the top five sub-genres collectively accounted for 77 per cent of the advertising share.

    The count of categories, advertisers and brands consistently increased over the period, but, it was seen highest during Q’4 of 2023.

    During 2023, the top four sectors retained their respective positions compared to 2022. The combined contribution of the top 10 sectors accounted for 93 per cent of the advertising volumes in 2023. Among top 10 sectors, the BFSI sector was the sole newcomer in 2023 compared to 2022.

    Toilet soaps retained its first position with nine per cent share of ad volumes in 2023 compared to 2022. Washing powders/liquids ascended to second position with four per cent share of ad volumes compared to its third position in 2022. Together, the top 10 categories covered 38 per cent share of ad volumes in 2023. In 2023, biscuits was the only new entrant with three per cent share of ad volumes over 2022.

    During 2023, toilet soaps saw the highest increase in ad secondages as compared to 2022, followed by washing powders/liquids with 54 per cent and 15 per cent ad volumes growth respectively. In terms of growth percentage among the top 10 categories, air fresheners topped with the highest growth of three times.

    Top 10 advertisers contributed 57 per cent share of movies genre’s ad volumes. HUL was the leading advertiser with 22 per cent share of ad volumes in 2023. Along with HUL, Reckitt Benckiser (India) and P&G retained their respective positions in 2023 over 2022. Nestle India was a new entrant and secured the 10th position in 2023 compared to its 11th position in 2022.

    In the movie genre, Devdarshan Dhoop Industries stood out as the primary exclusive advertiser among the 35 plus advertisers prominently featured in the 2023.

    The top 10 brands contributed 11 per cent share of movies ad volumes. Compared to 2022, Dettol Toilet Soaps retained its first position in 2023.

    Sandoor Sandal and Turmeric, Lifebouy Toilet Soap and Colgate Dental Cream were new entrants during 2023 over 2022. Out of the top 10 brands present in 2023, four of them belonged to Reckitt Benckiser (India) and four belonged to Hindustan Unilever.

    470 plus advertisers & 1.4K plus brands exclusively advertised in movie genre during 2023 as compared to 2022. Piramal Capital & Housing Finance and Lux Jasmine & Vitamin C+E were the top exclusive advertisers and brands respectively during 2023 as compared to 2022.

    Prime time was the most preferred time band on movie genre followed by afternoon and morning time bands. Primetime, afternoon & morning time bands together added more than 70 per cent share of ad volumes.

    In both 2023 and 2022, ads lasting for 20-40 seconds dominated the advertising landscape of the movie genre on TV, accounting for over half of the total ad volumes. Following closely, commercials lasting less than 20 seconds emerged as the second most favored choice for advertising on movie channels in both years.

  • Vicks Cough Drops collabs with Yuvraj Singh for #VicksKholIndiaBol cheer anthem

    Vicks Cough Drops collabs with Yuvraj Singh for #VicksKholIndiaBol cheer anthem

    Mumbai: Vicks Cough Drops, the trusted brand known for its commitment to giving India a khich-khich free voice, joined hands with cricket icon Yuvraj Singh to unveil its new #VicksKholIndiaBol cheer anthem. The #VicksKholIndiaBol cheer anthem celebrates our nation’s boundless enthusiasm for cricket and aims to enable 142 crore Voice champions to cheer for their team this cricket season.

    Vicks Cough Drops has always been known for its iconic campaigns highlighting how it has enabled Indians to speak up in critical moments of life without any khich-khich. This cricket season, Vicks Cough Drops presents a fresh musical take on keeping the cricket fans at the center and giving them a khich-khich free voice to cheer for their team.

    P&G India category leader – personal healthcare Sahil Sethi stated, ” This cricket season, Vicks cough drops is delighted to launch the #VicksKholIndiaBol anthem in collaboration with Yuvraj Singh, to inspire millions to cheer aloud with a khich khich free voice and support their team with a josh like never before. The lyrics of the anthem reveal how voices have the power to make the loudest cheer, how cheers can turn tables during a match, and multifold the passion of cricket fans from every nook and corner of our country. To ensure that no cheer goes unheard, we have also partnered with India Signing Hands to create a fun-filled version of this anthem in Indian sign language for the estimated 6.3 crore strong hearing impaired community, who share the same passion and enthusiasm for the game. With this anthem, Vicks cough drops are celebrating the unity in diversity that defines our nation and its love for the game.”

    Speaking about the anthem cricket icon Yuvraj Singh shared, “There is nothing more motivating for a player than the encouraging cheers of our fans. I am thrilled to be a part of the #VicksKholIndiaBol anthem as we call on cricket lovers to become Voice champions and cheer out loud. The #VicksKholIndiaBol Cricket anthem not only promotes unity and inclusivity in cheering for India but serves as a powerful reminder that when we unite our voices, there is nothing we cannot achieve. I also enjoyed learning and performing the anthem in Indian sign language and thank Vicks and India Signing hands for this opportunity to connect with this very special community of cricket fans.”

    Although India is home to a remarkable 142 crore cheers, approximately 6.3 crore cheers remain unheard, and this significant fraction belongs to the hearing-impaired community. Hence, this cricket season, Vicks Cough Drops has collaborated with India Signing Hands – an organization dedicated to promoting Education, Awareness, and Accessibility for the Deaf Community in India – for a specially curated Indian sign language version featuring passionate fans from the community and Yuvraj himself grooving to it.

    India Signing Hands founder & CEO Alok Kejriwal shared, “As a deaf individual I faced difficulties in acquiring news from channels or communicating with hearing people due to lack of accessibility tools such as interpreters and subtitles. Realising that many deaf persons would also be facing the same issues, a group of us came together to start India Signing Hands (ISH) with the goal of providing solutions to “Accessibility” issues faced by deaf people in India. Vicks has been a household brand for many of us, and we were so excited to be approached by Vicks to create this one-of-its-kind fun anthem in Indian sign language to enable the deaf to also join in to cheer during this cricket season. The anthem will soon be released on our social channels reaching over six lakh members of the community. We applaud Vicks Cough Drops for this inclusive effort and thank Yuvraj for his enthusiastic support.”

    This iconic #VicksKholIndiaBol anthem has been curated and conceptualised by Vicks India in partnership with LK Saatchi & Saatchi. “For generations, Vicks Cough drops have been getting rid of your khich-khich and soothing itchy throats. But this time around, the challenge to us was slightly different. With the cricket season around the corner, Vicks wanted to create noise (pun intended!) in an unconventional way. The cheering/voice connect to the brand was obvious. But how do we slice this one differently? How do we avoid getting lost in the slew of cricket anthems? Multiple jamming sessions later, the team began the search for India’s ‘Voice Champions’, garnering support from 142 crore Indians through a rousing anthem that features the ‘six sixes’ man himself Yuvraj Singh and over 220 cast members! It’s been a long and satisfying ride for us, partnering with Vicks team who have indulged and rooted for us all the way” said  L&K Saatchi & Saatchi Jt. national creative director Rohit Malkani.

    Vicks Cough Drops can be purchased across all grocery and pharmacy stores near you.

  • P&G Health raises awareness on Anaemia with a Guinness World Record

    P&G Health raises awareness on Anaemia with a Guinness World Record

    Mumbai:  Procter & Gamble (P&G) Health & the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (Fogsi) have created a unique world record for the largest number of videos of people saying the same sentence uploaded to Facebook in one hour.

    The campaign was planned to raise awareness on Iron Deficiency Anaemia. Over 2000 people participated in this video series and uploaded their version of the video on social media, said the company.

    Guinness World Records official adjudicator Rishi Nath shared that the record for Most videos of people saying the same sentence uploaded to Facebook in one hour was never attempted before.  

    P&G is raising awareness about iron deficiency in India, which is carrying the largest burden of anaemia globally, contributing to an estimated 80 per cent of maternal deaths with almost 53 per cent of pregnant women being anemic, according to National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4).

    Iron deficiency is a leading cause of anaemia, especially among women and adolescent girls, leading to stunted growth, irregular menstrual cycles, fatigue, and loss of energy among other issues.  Further, seven out of every 10 children aged 6-59 months in India are anaemic.

    Procter & Gamble Health managing director Milind Thatte said, “By doing this we aim to raise awareness on iron deficiency anaemia, help people identify early symptoms, and take measures to overcome them. We are committed to continued efforts towards the day when we, as a country, will be free from Anaemia.”

    FOGSI president Dr Shantha Kumari said it was an important milestone, wherein people and medical practitioners from across the country have come together to contribute towards creating awareness on Iron Deficiency Anaemia and its associated problems.

  • Sundar Raman elevated to global CEO of P&G’s fabric and home care division

    Sundar Raman elevated to global CEO of P&G’s fabric and home care division

    Mumbai: Procter & Gamble (P&G) has announced the appointment of Sundar Raman as global CEO of the company’s fabric and home care division which includes P&G brands like Ariel, Tide, Ambipur and Downy. He steps into the role subsequent to Shailesh Jejurikar’s elevation to chief operating officer.

     

    Raman began his career as a market analyst in India in 1998 straight from campus and soon moved to the US where he worked in a variety of roles from business intelligence to marketing in P&G Beauty. A visionary leader with broad expertise and a passion for innovation, he was involved in the launch of new products such as Tide Pods and Downy Unstoppables, said the company in a statement. He also leads equality inclusion for Fabric Home Care reflecting his passion for diversity, inclusion, and the company’s citizenship agenda.

     

    He has earned his degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (1996), and a post-graduate diploma from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (1998).

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    India has been a talent factory for P&G worldwide and one of the largest exporters of top talent to P&G globally, shared the company. The company has approximately 350 Indian expats in roles across the company with the recent being Shailesh Jejurikar becoming the first Indian to be elevated to COO of the company.