Mullen Lintas CCO Azazul Haque moves on

After a two-and-a-half-year-long stint as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Mullen Lintas, a role shared with Garima Khandelwal, Azazul Haque has decided to move on. 

Confirming the news, Haque says, “I want to take a break from traditional advertising firms as work is getting more and more boring and mundane. Even the quality of ad films has reached its abysmal lows. Most traditional advertising agencies are incapable of thinking beyond a TVC while the world is moving towards many more platforms. After creating more than a thousand TVCs in my career, I thought I must learn more. There are possibilities in communication beyond an ad film, be it content, technology, interactive, digital or social. There are many tools to talk to an audience that wasn't available before. I wish to explore many more ways to connect with the audience.”

“It’s not that I would quit writing or being a part of ad films but I want to know what I don't. Also, I think the future doesn't belong to traditional advertising agencies. If they won't adapt to newer ways to connect with an audience, they will soon become extinct.”

Talking about where he is headed next, Haque says, “About my next move, I am considering a few options. But none are traditional advertising agencies.”

Azazul Haque started his career with Lintas Group in 2001. In his career spanning over two decades, he has worked with Bates, Publicis, Lowe, Mudra, McCann, Contract and Ogilvy.

His best work includes campaigns like ‘Khushiyon ki home delivery’ and ‘Yeh hai rishto ka time’ for Dominos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism campaigns, which won accolades at Cannes, One Show, Spikes, D&AD, Titan Raga #FlauntYourFlaw, Rajasthan Tourism 'Jaane Kya Dikh Jaaye', Satyamev Jayate campaign with Aamir Khan, Amazon- Chonkpur Cheetahs, Milton, Tata Tea Premium Desh ki Chai, India's biggest hyper-local campaign, etc. 

In 2016, he was elevated to Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy South, and was the youngest CCO in India then. His MP Tourism’s ‘Toy’ campaign won a D&AD Graphite pencil and MP Tourism’s ‘The world most honest tourism film’ won a Silver and a Bronze Cannes Lion in 2017-2018. The same year Amazon IPL campaign ‘Chonkpur Cheetahs’ won a Gold at Effies.

Shivani Goel joins Forever New India as Vice-President, Marketing

Fashion brand Forever New has appointed Shivani Goel as Vice President, Marketing, starting April 2022.

She will spearhead brand communications across all channels, brand strategy, retail marketing & public relations with a focus on excellence in CRM, e-commerce dominance, influencer management, digital marketing, and the brand ambassador program, the company said.

Dhruv Bogra, Country Head, Forever New, says, “We are elated to have Shivani join our team at Forever New, and the experience and knowledge that she brings to the table is truly unparalleled. Influencers, as well as digital marketing, have become instrumental in the domain of marketing (more so, after the pandemic), and with Shivani’s prior expertise in these fields, it would undoubtedly be an added bonus for the brand.”

“With more than 18 years of exceptional prowess in the field of brand management, communication and PR, Shivani was serving as lead - marketing communications & international expansion at cosmetics brand, Colorbar. She led brand campaigns, designed, and implemented curated concepts for brand launches, led the influencer marketing program and partnered for brand expansion in international markets. Along with this, she has also steered the marketing forefront for organizations like Major Brands India Private Limited, whereupon she led marketing for a group of brands such as Mango, Aldo, La Senza, Nine West etc., Koovs.com, and more,” the company said.

Shivani says, “My love affair with fashion started 15 years ago and this relationship has only become stronger and my passion more fervent. I have been a brand advocate for Forever New for as long as I can remember and I am so excited to finally join the family. Forever New is known for its effortlessly wearable and timeless collections that celebrate modern femininity giving you the confidence to feel beautiful in every moment. I have many exciting plans and look forward to setting new benchmarks as we go along together with the team.”

Shoppers Stop appoints Madhavi Irani as Customer Care Associate and Chief Content and Webcom Officer

Shoppers Stop has named Madhavi Irani as Customer Care Associate and Chief of Content and Webcom Officer with effect from 1st April 2022 to curate and build out the brand’s content-to-commerce strategy.

Madhavi has more than 25 years of rich experience in content and website management. Her expertise lies in content-to-commerce, omnichannel strategies, user experience, and engagement to drive revenue growth. She is one of the founding members of Nykaa and has helped the brand define the onsite customer journey, guided selling formats, UGC-powered communities, and omnichannel content strategy. She was also working with “Times Group’ in her earlier stint. 

Speaking on the appointment, Venu Nair, Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are pleased to welcome Madhavi on board at Shoppers Stop. As we begin our journey in FY23, we are confident of continuing the progress that we have been achieving across each of our strategic pillars, especially in beauty and omnichannel. Customized content-to-commerce initiatives will drive customer engagement, loyalty, and revenue. Content is an integral tool for capitalizing on these elements to ensure we resonate with our target audience, and we believe Madhavi will add great value in enabling us to make a quantum leap in this area!”

Speaking on her appointment, Madhavi Irani as Customer Care Associate and Chief of Content and Webcom Officer said, “I am delighted and honoured to join Shoppers Stop and be a part of its stellar journey. The brand’s growth trajectory along with online and offline store expansion has been remarkable. I am looking forward to defining and building the content-to-commerce strategy, deepening the engagement, and connecting this iconic brand with the relevant target audience.”

S Shriram tees up as Vice President-Retail Business for Indian Terrain

S Shriram, who moved on from Specsmakers as Vice President – Sales & Marketing, has joined Indian Terrain as Vice President-Retail Business.

Shriram announced the move through a LinkedIn post.“After a gap of 17 years, I am back in the world of apparel retail. Much has changed, yet much hasn’t changed in this vertical all these years,” the post read.

‘As I enter a new phase in my life, I’m very excited to announce my joining Indian Terrain Fashions in a key leadership role today to augment the capabilities of the “Made in India” brand’, the post read.

An adage goes, “A lot was accomplished before you were born.” The same goes for me. Over its 20-year existence, the iconic brand, which once had Captain Cool MS Dhoni as its ambassador, has won the hearts of scores of customers across India. Yet, there is still so much headroom and opportunity to gallop forward,” said Shriram.

Indian Terrain is a 20-year-old, Made-In-India brand with 200 plus exclusive stores all over India.

During his stint with Levista Coffee, in the peak pandemic period, Shriram played a huge role in almost doubling the business of the packaged coffee brand and making it the people’s preferred choice in TN and KA. He had earlier held senior management roles at Royal Enfield and Café Coffee Day and had worked with The Future Group and RPG Retail. He was responsible for setting up India’s first travel retail opportunity at Bangalore International Airport in 2006.

Avinash Jakhalekar Joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as Group Creative Director

L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Avinash Jakhalekar as Group Creative Director. Jakhalekar joins the agency from Lowe Lintas and will be based out of Mumbai. He will report to Kartik Smetacek, Jt. NCD, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. Over his 14-year professional career stint, Jakhalekar has worked with some of the leading advertising host shops in India like Lowe Lintas, Publicis Ambience among others, helping them carve a niche with his creative ideas and solutions.

He has managed creative output and rendition for a host of brands across agencies including UltraTech, Mumbai Indians, ICIC Pru, Zee TV, Citibank, Skoda, MX Player, Brand Factory, Burger King, Nerolac Paints among others.

Welcoming him to the agency, Kartik Smetacek, Jt. NCD, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: “Avinash embodies the perfect qualities that I look for in creative person – equal parts talent, energy and resilience. We’re thrilled to have him aboard and look forward to him putting his amazing craft and can-do attitude to work on some of our key businesses.”

Speaking on his role and responsibility at L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Jakhalekar added, “It’s an exciting opportunity to be working for an agency that has been making heads turn with its noteworthy work over the past two years. The entrepreneurial spirit within the agency is one of the reasons that made me want to join. I can’t wait to get started and work alongside a fantastic team in producing some great work.”

Over the last 14 years, Jakhalekar has worked across Lowe Lintas, Publicis Ambience, DDB Mudra and Network Advertising in various creative roles. After spending three years at Network Advertising, he moved on to DDB Mudra where he managed creatives on brands like Top Gear & Lavasa. His next career move was with Publicis Ambience as Sr. Creative Director - Art where he worked on brands like Zee TV, Nerolac, Skoda, Citibank, SonyLIV, Brand Factory etc. He then moved on to Lowe Lintas where he was associated with brands like Mumbai Indians, Ultra Tech, Jameson Whiskey, ICICI Pru, Freecharge etc. Some of his work for brands like Lions Club, Yolo Homes, Natural Ice-cream, Zee TV etc. have gone on to win accolades at prominent award festivals like Goafest Abby, Effie India etc. 

Ex-Google Exec Alok Arya joins IIFL Securities as CMO

Broking and advisory firm, IIFL Securities Limited, has appointed Alok Arya as its Chief of Marketing. Prior to this, Alok, was the head of digital, integrated media, and public relations at Piramal Group. He has also been associated with Google, Future Group, and Tata Housing at senior positions. 

Sandeep Bhardwaj, chief executive officer - retail, IIFL Securities said, “We arre excited to have Alok with us. With his vast experience across diverse industries and work cultures, he will spearhead the next levels of growth at IIFL. His appointment reinforces IIFL’s vision to be a digital first leader with customer engagement & & empowerment at the helm of it.”

Digit Insurance escalates Kohli to MD and CEO

Private general insurer, Digit Insurance, escalated Jasleen Kohli to Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company effective from 20 April 2022. Kohli will take over the baton from Vijay Kumar who held the position since the company was founded in 2017, and will superannuate from the organisation on 19 April 2022. 

Speaking about the announcement, Jasleen Kohli, the newly appointed MD and CEO, said, “I am delighted about this new responsibility entrusted in me by the Digit team. While it will be hard to fill Vijay’s experienced shoes, I am excited about this challenge.” 

Prior to this, Kohli overlooked all sales and distribution channels of Digit as its Chief Distribution Officer (CDO). She has been with the company since its inception and is also the first employee of Digit. Kohli has nearly 19 years of experience in the life and general insurance industry. She last served as the Director at Allianz Technology before joining Digit as the CDO in 2017. At 42, Kohli will become one of the youngest CEOs in the insurance industry. 

Vijay Kumar, the outgoing CEO said, “I have had a fulfilling inning at Digit and I’m happy to see this baby grow into a giant player in such a short span of time. I am confident Jasleen will execute Digit's ambitious growth plans with ease and take the company to greater heights in the coming years. As a passionate veteran of this industry, I will keenly keep an eye on Digit as it transforms the insurance space through its tech capabilities in the coming years.”

Speaking about the appointment, Kamesh Goyal, Chairman, Digit Insurance, said, “The bold ideas that Vijay brought to the table and the guidance he provided across the board will surely be missed by all our colleagues including me. Jasleen’s agile market strategies and her prudent operational planning have aided the company in expanding its presence at an accelerated pace despite the pandemic. Her people and result-oriented focus will surely put Digit on the path of rapid growth that we have all envisioned.”