ITV

Tag: Swatch Group

  • Victorinox elevates Sengupta to top sales and marketing post

    Victorinox elevates Sengupta to top sales and marketing post

    MUMBAI:  Victorinox, the Swiss firm best known for its pocket knives and premium watches, has promoted Debraj Sengupta to managing director of sales and marketing, capping his impressive 15-year tenure with the company.

    Sengupta, who was previously country head for watches and chief marketing officer across four product categories, steps into his new role with over three decades of experience in the luxury watch industry under his belt.

    The promotion marks a crowning achievement for the executive who during his stint at Victorinox, has carved out an enviable position for the Swiss company in India’s premium watch segment, slicing through competition with a precision that would make one of the firm’s famous Swiss Army knives proud.

    Sengupta’s track record at Victorinox includes expanding the company’s distribution network to more than 150 multi-brand watch stores across India, forging partnerships with major retailers including Helios and Ethos.

    After joining Victorinox in 2010, he oversaw the successful launch and repositioning of the Swiss watch brand in the Indian market. His performance eventually earned him a promotion to chief marketing officer in 2016, adding responsibility for the firm’s travel gear, Swiss Army knives and cutlery divisions to his watch duties.

    Before joining Victorinox, Sengupta spent three years at LVMH Watch and Jewelry, where he managed the Tag Heuer and Dior watch brands. Prior to that, he put in nearly seven years at Swatch Group, working with its Rado and Balmain brands.

    In his LinkedIn profile—which reads like a luxury brand roll call—Sengupta describes himself as a “P&L maestro” and “market expansion specialist” who has “mastered the strategic oversight and development of elite watch brands.”

    Victorinox, which opened its first flagship store in Mumbai in 2011, now operates six exclusive boutiques across major Indian cities, selling everything from its iconic red pocket knives to high-end chronographs. 

    With Sengupta at the helm of sales and marketing, the Swiss firm appears poised to cut deeper into India’s luxury retail market.

  • Cheil Worldwide SW Asia appoints Saurabh Mathur as senior VP

    MUMBAI: Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has brought on board Saurabh Mathur as senior vice president – client servicing as part of the agency’s strategy of building a strong integrated local team. He will be leading Cheil India’s client servicing team and working closely with Cheil Worldwide SW Asia president and head of regional headquarters John Koo.

    Before joining Cheil, Mathur was with Dentsu, where he led the agency’s efforts on all key businesses including Aircel’s Wifi and 3G campaigns, Panasonic business and launch of the Ingersoll Rand group in India.

    Koo said, “Cheil’s SW Asia’s operations are growing at an extraordinary pace. Saurabh’s rich experience and stellar track record makes him ideal to lead the client servicing team. He is highly energetic and is well aligned with the agency vision and philosophy Cheil India to manage the growing business.”

    Mathur said, “Cheil is leading the change with its new model of communication that is holistic in its approach and with a greater degree of integration across disciplines. This represents a great opportunity and I believe it is the right time for me to be at Cheil and drive the change.”

    Mathur has 20 years experience in advertising and has worked with ad agencies like JWT, Contract and Grey. Prior to joining Dentsu, Mathur was at Contract where he was involved with brands like DelMonte in India besides leading the communication efforts for Dabur’s Hair Care and Glucose businesses, Spice Group’s mobile handsets and retail business. At Grey, he launched Suzuki Motorcycles and Ebony Gautier apart from handling other businesses like Wrigley-JoyCo, India Today group, Ranbaxy, Haier, Genpact and Halonix. During his eight-year stint at JWT, he worked on some iconic brands like Pepsico’s Kurkure, Nestle’s Maggi, Reebok, HT, ITC Hotels, Swatch Group and Hero Honda.