Hires & Promotions: Metro Brands, GroupM, ICC

Quick look at new hirings, promotions and people movements this week

Metro Brands Appointes Nissan Joseph As CEO

Indian fashion footwear retailer Metro Brands has appointed Nissan Joseph as its Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2021. The Company, incorporated in 1977, will continue to be helmed by its founding members Farah Malik Bhanji, Managing Director and Rafique A. Malik, Chairman.

Nissan, who holds a degree in business administration from the University of Western Sydney, joins the Company from Philippines-based MAP Active & Planet Sports Inc., a lifestyle retailer in Southeast Asia, where he was the CEO since March 2020. During his 18 year-long experience in retail and brand management, he has held key roles for five years at Crocs, for which Metro Brands Ltd operates retail stores in India. He has also worked with firms including Payless Shoes Pty Ltd and Hickory Brands, Inc.


GroupM Names Atique Kazi As President- Data, Performance & Digital Products

GroupM India has appointed Atique Kazi as President - Data, Performance and Digital Products. Atique will also be joining the GroupM India Executive Committee.

In his new role, Atique will continue to build on GroupM’s best practices and technologies across the fields of data analytics, deep learning, process mining, performance marketing and business intelligence to create efficient, fast, and scalable value-added processes.

Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia, said: “At GroupM our focus is to continue evolving by offering flexible, scalable and innovative solutions. Atique joining the core team at GroupM India is the reflection of our commitment towards offering digital solutions that can create great value-add for brands in this ever-evolving market. I look forward to working closely with Atique and I am confident that he will continue to grow our digital offerings. His expertise of aiming at innovation and providing value-propositions will be key towards Digital Transformation of our clients and partners.”

Atique is a part of the GroupM family since 2013. He was integral in launching Xaxis in India before moving to Singapore to take over a regional role. Atique established GroupM’s AI-enabled influencer marketing solution, INCA across 10 key markets. Other key projects in which he is involved are a self-serve platform for mid-market clients, a data-enabled OOH planning solution and digital transformation services. He also brings with him the understanding and successful working practices of performance marketing and data specialism which is fundamental to the success of any digital strategy.

Arshan Saha, CEO Xaxis, APAC said, “The scale and speed of digital transformation and the fact that India as a market has demonstrated its leadership in this area means that we need to have our best talent to fulfil this demand. Atique is one of our very best with a proven track record locally and most recently regionally in APAC where he launched and scaled GroupM’s Influencer and content arm – INCA.  Having worked with Atique for over 8 years, I can attest to his leadership, curiosity, knowledge and drive which are invaluable in defining and determining client success.”

Atique Kazi, President Data, Performance and Digital Products GroupM India said, “I am excited by this role given the scale of the opportunity to drive further growth within GroupM. I strongly believe that digital acceleration provides agility to organizations. With the support of better data, analysis, innovation, stronger performance, and result orientation we can better respond to brand challenges and accelerate their transformation journeys and help them achieve faster business outcomes. India is a market of opportunities and by leveraging GroupM’s digital expertise we can redefine the ecosystem.

 Before joining GroupM Atique was a part of Yahoo! in London heading planning and strategy for emerging markets in EMEA. His career pedigree also spans The Economist, The Times Group, JVC etc over the past 18+ years.

Atique will take over the role from August 2nd and will be based out of the GroupM Mumbai office. He will report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia and Arshan Saha, CEO, Xaxis APAC.


Suspended ICC CEO Manu Sawhney To Leave With Immediate Effect

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Officer Manu Sawhney will vacate his post with immediate effect, according to media reports.

According to the reports, the global governing body for cricket, in a statement issued today, said that Geoff Allardice would continue to be the acting chief executive officer of ICC.

"The International Cricket Council today announced that Chief Executive Manu Sawhney will leave the organisation with immediate effect. Geoff Allardice will continue as Acting CEO supported by the Leadership Team working closely with the ICC Board," reports quoted the statement as reading.

Sawhney was sent on 'leave' in March pending an inquiry after he came under scrutiny for his "abrasive behaviour" with colleagues. The charges came up following an internal review conducted by audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Sawhney is the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and has also served as the Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports.

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