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Tag: Vandana Tilwani

  • Havas India goes green with swanky eco-certification

    Havas India goes green with swanky eco-certification

    MUMBAI:  Havas India has polished its environmental halo after scooping the coveted ISO 14001:2015 certification, positioning itself as the advertising world’s unlikely eco-warrior in a notoriously wasteful industry.
    The certification – which required a full year of scrutiny by the rather stern-faced British Standards Institution (BSI) – covers six agencies under the Havas umbrella, including its creative, media and design outfits across multiple locations.

    “We believe the future of business lies in responsible and sustainable growth,” declared Havas India group chief executive SEA & North Asia Rana Barua presumably while sitting under an energy-efficient light bulb. “This milestone sets a new benchmark in the industry, reinforcing our position as the most future-ready advertising network in India.”

    The rigorous certification process subjected the agency to a forensic examination of its environmental policies, carbon footprint and sustainable resource management – a far cry from the champagne-soaked, private-jet lifestyle traditionally associated with advertising bigwigs.

    Havas India chief HR officer & Havas APAC chief inclusion officer Vandana Tilwani was quick to emphasise this wasn’t just a “tick-box exercise” – corporate speak for “we’re actually serious about this” – while hinting at even more ambitious green plans ahead.

    Industry insiders suggest the eco-certification could give Havas a competitive edge when pitching to increasingly environmentally conscious clients, allowing them to smugly flaunt their green credentials while rivals desperately recycle their plastic water bottles in meetings.

    “Reducing environmental impact not only contributes to a healthier planet, but also inspires stakeholder trust,” said BSI India managing director Theuns Kotze carefully avoiding mention of the mountains of foam board, vinyl banners and promotional material that advertising agencies typically churn out.

    With this certification, Havas has thrown down the biodegradable gauntlet to competitors, suggesting that in tomorrow’s advertising world, the ability to save the planet might be just as important as the ability to sell fizzy drinks and luxury watches.

  • Havas India launches incubation programme – EmpowHers

    Havas India launches incubation programme – EmpowHers

    Mumbai: Havas India, the India operations of Paris-headquartered communications network Havas, has launched a one-of-a-kind incubation program for women entrepreneurs called EmpowHers, in collaboration with Her Entrepreneurial Network (H.E.N), a community for women entrepreneurs.

    The inaugural 6-month program has been flagged off with 22 mentees and 11 mentors comprising senior leaders from across the Havas India network agencies. The program aims to propel these business leaders in the field of marketing, branding, and business development through effective training and mentorship.

    The program also aligns with several key Havas ethos like championing women leaders, inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship, DE&I, and making a meaningful difference to the larger community.

    Havas India invited applications from H.E.N members to define their business challenges. These challenges were mapped with the expertise of Havas India and its agencies, and how its leaders could help these entrepreneurs in their business journey.

    These 22 businesses represent a wide spectrum of sectors including retail, health and wellness, food, and beverage, advisory, fashion, and lifestyle. Interestingly, each business has an inspiring story behind its inception that demonstrates the resilience of these entrepreneurs. Be it the 63-year-old Dr. Sarah, founder of Eevolve, a holistic healing center, or Shikha’s undertaking Shikha’s Kitchen that started during Covid to support her family, or the Shark Tank-famed Kirty Datar, founder of CaneBOT, make an eclectic first batch of EmpowHers. Through this program, the mentors and mentees not only exchange technical knowledge but are also deeply invested in building these brands ground up.

    EmpowHers is also offering Havas India invaluable insight into these sectors, businesses, and the challenges they pose, hence, giving the network an incredible opportunity to innovate and offer business solutions.

    Havas India CHRO Vandana Tilwani said, “As we embark on the inaugural EmpowHers mentorship program, we embrace the entrepreneurial spirit that defines us at Havas India. As a family-run business, we understand the transformative power of nurturing initiatives from their inception. EmpowHers embodies our commitment to fostering growth, innovation, and empowerment, reflecting our dedication to see the growth of women in business and in entrepreneurship. We are proud to partner with H.E.N, and work with our leadership team in this journey of providing meaningful solutions, guidance, and mentorship to aspiring women who want to propel their business to the next phase.”

    Her Entrepreneurial Network co-founder Priyanka Changia added, “A shared vision to make an impact in the entrepreneurial journey of women brings Havas and HEN together. This collaboration brings the expertise of senior leaders to HEN members. The biggest challenge for any entrepreneur is marketing… the leadership of Havas brings immense experience and insight in marketing communication along with industry expertise. It has been a fabulous opportunity for 23 Hen members to get mentoring from such industry stalwarts. I am sure each of them will benefit greatly from their support and guidance.”

  • Havas India companies are a Great Place To Work Certified, second year in a row

    Havas India companies are a Great Place To Work Certified, second year in a row

    Mumbai: All companies under Havas India (creative, media and health), part of Paris-headquartered Havas, are now Great Place To Work Certified in India from December 2023 to December 2024. The certificate is also applicable to Havas India’s newly acquired digital agency, PivotRoots. This is a testament to Havas India’s enhancing culture as the network has received this certification for the second consecutive year.

    Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. In India, the Great Place To Work Institute partners with more than 1400 organisations annually across over 22 industries to help them build High-Trust, High-Performance Cultures designed to deliver sustained business results. The Institute’s research shows that great workplaces are characterized by great leadership, consistent employee experience, and sustainable financial performance. These organizations can deliver a consistent experience to all their employees irrespective of their role, gender, tenure, or level. Their leaders believe in the vision of creating and sustaining a great place to work for all and role models for all leaders.

    As the country’s fastest-growing advertising conglomerate, Havas India has undergone an unparalleled transformation over the last five years. The network grew from 3 to 18 companies and 200 to 2000 employees through global launches, joint ventures, acquisitions and strategic tie-ups. But despite this massive growth in scale and size, the network is deeply invested in its biggest asset – its people.

    As per the Great Place to Work Trust Index Model, Havas India scored high on the following parameters: Credibility of management, Respect for people, Fairness at the workplace, Pride, Camaraderie between people, Equity, Competence and integrity.  

    Havas India CHRO Vandana Tilwani said, “Being Great Place To Work Certified™ is a very significant step for us in understanding how our employees perceive the culture we have built over the years at Havas India. I am immensely proud that our efforts at building a workplace where each person at Havas India feels valued has borne fruit. This Certification for the second time in a row comes as an added source of encouragement not just for our past efforts but also for our future endeavours. I look forward to a year where we can strengthen the foundations we have laid and be consistently recognized as a workplace that is equitable and growth-oriented for all involved.”

    In an industry as dynamic as advertising, where people movement is rampant, Havas India has over the years taken concrete steps to ensure talent retention and development across the various stages of one’s professional journey, resulting in a refreshing cultural transformation. The holistic and customised initiatives of Havas India including Havas BOLT, Havas SPARK, EmpowHers, Women Who Inspire committee, Flex Your Lexi, and Bounce Back program, ensure the development, progression and well-being of all its people. These sustained efforts have resulted in improving the gender ratio from 19 per cent to 41 per cent (as of November 2023), with strong visibility of female leaders in the C-suite.

  • GroupM appoints Vandana Tilwani as head – talent acquisition and performance

    GroupM appoints Vandana Tilwani as head – talent acquisition and performance

    MUMBAI: GroupM has appointed Vandana Tilwani as head – talent acquisition and performance, India. Based out of the agency’s Mumbai office, Tilwani will report in to GroupM South Asia chief talent officer Gaurav Hirey.

     

    Hirey said, “As we leap into a challenging and exciting media environment, GroupM is making large investments in what matters most, our people. The talent function takes a new direction at GroupM in 2015. We are delighted to welcome Vandana on board, who, brings with her a wealth of not just domain knowledge on human resourcing, but functions in the media industry as well. Coupled with her appreciation for the changes technology brings to this function, we look forward to building a strong acquisition and performance team at GroupM.”

     

    Tilwani added, “I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of India’s biggest and best media agency with strong HR principles. There are huge opportunities for our businesses to realize the benefits of managing talent and hence I am looking forward to providing successful motivation to our employees to achieve its aims. I have always been an enthusiast of work and culture of GroupM and I feel privileged to be a part of this agency.”

     

    Prior to joining, she was heading the HR function at Condé Nast, India. She has worked with leading companies such as Wipro, Ugam Solutions, Sitel India, WNS Global Service, Hilton Mumbai and Conde Nast India.

     

    With over 17 years of experience, Tilwani has worked in the BPO/KPO, media-publishing, service and hospitality industry as HR generalist, she has extensive experience in talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management and organizational development.