Joji George has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Percept Live, with effect from March 15, 2023.

As CEO, Joji will be responsible for leading the Vision and Strategic direction of Percept Live encompassing R&D, charting global market trends to ascertain new business and brand extension opportunities, monetization of all the Percept Live IPs, exploring opportunities for synergy with other brands, managing the P&L, profitability, enhancing revenue both organically and inorganically, sourcing new areas, brand extensions and plotting the roadmap for each unique IP across India and overseas. He will work closely with the CXOs of the various business units across the Percept Group to herald the next growth phase for all the IPs under the Percept Live umbrella.

Joji has managed cross-functional teams across South East Asia and South Asia, worked on turnarounds and transforming companies.

Prior to joining Percept Live, Joji was the Co-Founder of GoNuts.com.

He also previously worked with Beacon Advisory, served as Vice President & General Manager/Country Head at World Wrestling Entertainment, India, Managing Director at UBM (now Informa) and EVP at The Global Brand Forum, Singapore. He has also worked with leading global organizations like ASTRO (Astro All Asia Networks Plc), Malaysia, Yahoo! Asia, Singapore, MTV Asia, Singapore and SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, India.

Joji also previously served at Percept in the capacity as CEO, Percept Sports & Entertainment, where he built and scaled the Sports and Entertainment IPs, launched new businesses and consolidated the Talent Management division. Over the past two decades Joji has conceptualized many unique ideas and identified many opportunities in the Media & Entertainment domain to curate them into valuable IPs.

Joji George, Chief Executive Officer, Percept Live, said: “Having worked with leading entertainment and media brands across Asia, I am excited about working with India’s leading EMC conglomerate that has transformed thousands of brands by offering unique “Integrated Marketing Solutions” and spearheaded the Intellectual Property space by creating an iconic global IP like Sunburn. My aim is to make Percept Live a highly dynamic, and progressive company, both with consumers and brands across demographics and psychographics, connecting our live and digital platforms to create memorable experiences that help brands connect stronger with their customers. Sunburn is a stunning example of how a simple idea transformed music tourism in India and emerged as Asia’s largest Live Media Asset. I am excited to merge my experience with global brands and reinvent the Sunburn learning curve to expand five more stellar IPs from the Percept Live stable, to offer a bespoke experience to brands and consumers, and create immense value for our investors.”

Mullen Lintas has appointed Sharon Picardo as Executive Director and Head of Mumbai operations.

Sharon brings in 22 years of experience as a P&L Head and Brand Strategist.

Hari Krishnan, CEO of Mullen Lintas, said, “Mullen Lintas is one of the youngest creative agency brands in India’s top 10. Building brands using the ‘Challenger’ framework, we have managed to create a quiet revolution in terms of creative reputation and growth. Mumbai being our flagship operation, this is a very coveted role in that sense. In Sharon, we found a perfect leader and team player. She has the right blend of experience, knowledge to be able to lead the fabulously talented Mumbai team and consolidate & grow the operations of Mullen Lintas, Mumbai”

Sharon Picardo expressed her excitement about joining the team, “Mullen Lintas has been making quite an impact over the last few years with their brand of creativity and also in terms of growth, the no: of new brands and categories they’ve added is quite impressive. So, when this opportunity came up, I felt that it would be an exciting challenge to take up, to team up with some of the best talent, maintain the pace and consolidate on the success. My interactions with the leadership team regarding the vision and plans for Mullen Lintas also gave me further confidence. I look forward to this exciting journey.”

SBI General Insurance has appointed Rathin Lahiri as Head-Marketing and CSR.

Lahiri has over 30 years of experience in the financial services and consumer industries.

"As Head of Brand & Marketing, Rathin will play a crucial role in developing and implementing strategies to enhance our brand identity and drive business growth. We are confident that his leadership and vision will help us achieve our goals and take our business to new heights," the company statement read.

Lahiri was earlier with Seed Investor and prior to that with Mahindra Maulife Mutual Fund.

He was also with DBS Bank for nearly 4 years as SVP and Head Strategic Alliances.

The Board of Directors of CEAT Limited, an RPG Group company, at its meeting held on 20th March 2023, named Anant Goenka as the Vice Chairman of the tyre major. This appointment, effective 1^st April 2023, follows Anant Goenka’s decade-long stint as MD & CEO of CEAT, a phase that witnessed a significant transformation of the tyre major, in technology, branding and production capabilities.

The move also progresses the Board’s succession plan for the company with Arnab Banerjee, currently Chief Operating Officer, taking charge as the new MD and CEO.

Anant Goenka, son of RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka, will now take up strategic functions at the group level for its next stage of growth. Anant is an MBA from Kellogg School of Management and a graduate in Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He was recognised by Forbes magazine as the ‘Next Generation Business Leader of the Year’ in 2017 and as ‘India’s 40-under-40 Business Leaders’ by Economics Times-Spencer Stuart.

Anant led CEAT through a highly transformative ten-year period which saw the market capitalisation of the company grow from Rs 370 crore to Rs 5800 crore. The Company became the only tyre maker outside Japan to receive the coveted Deming Prize and is now the only tyre facility in the world to receive the Lighthouse certification by the World Economic Forum.

“Anant has had an exciting time at CEAT and has been able to lead the company through a transformative phase where technology, brand-building and capacity-creation have been the key themes. As Vice Chairman of the Company, I am sure he will be able to focus more on specific subjects besides his deeper engagement in driving new businesses at the group level. I wish Arnab and his team success as they take CEAT to a new phase of growth and excellence”, said Harsh Goenka, Chairman of CEAT and RPG Enterprises.

Arnab Banerjee has executive experience of over 30 years during which he has worked in CEAT, Marico and Berger Paints. Arnab is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, IIM Kolkata and IIT Kharagpur. He joined CEAT in 2005 as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Under his leadership, CEAT has seen innovation in marketing, digital capabilities, sales and distribution strategy, manufacturing flexibility and seamless supply chain processes. The Board of the Company had been grooming Arnab to take over the top post at the company, giving him company-wide exposure as its Chief Operating Officer.

Simantini Ghosh has joined Carat India as Vice President – Content. Ghosh made the announcement on LinkedIn. “As I embark on an exciting new journey at one of the fastest growing and buzziest agency networks, I can already feel an infectious energy on my day 4 here. I thank Anita Kotwani for giving me such an exciting assignment and I cannot wait to sprint in swag again! I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President - Content at Carat!’, her post read.

Ghosh is a seasoned content marketeer helping brands chart a creative journey built on strong insights, media, and measurement fundamentals. Prior to this, she was with Wavemaker for over 3 years.

Previously, Ghosh had been associated with Essence for nearly six years. In her last role at Essence, she held the position of Associate Director for Content and Innovation. Her key responsibility was to drive business for the content practice of the South and evangelise the use of content in brand media plans.

Ghosh has authored several noteworthy content & digital creative initiatives for brands across categories like FMCG, E-Commerce, BFSI, Edu-tech and Lifestyle. 

Shemaroo has announced the appointment of  Arpit Mankar as Head - Non-Bollywood Category. Earlier, we reported that Abhishek Joshi will be the Head of ShemarooMe, the OTT platform of Shemaroo.

As Head of Non-Bollywood Category, Arpit Mankar will be responsible for developing an overarching content strategy for various regions in India and abroad. Arpit comes with over 20 years of experience in the Media & Entertainment industry, having worked in leadership roles at Star India Pvt. Ltd., Sony - AXN Networks and Reliance group. In his last stint at Disney-Star, he served in key positions including Head of Programming Strategy for Star Plus and General Manager - Star Bharat, responsible for delivering viewership and profitability targets for the Hindi GEC. In this new role, he will be reporting to Arghya Chakravarty, COO – Shemaroo and will be a part of the executive committee.

Abhishek Joshi as Head of ShemarooMe will be overseeing the strategy, planning and operations of the platform. He will be responsible for driving revenue, subscriber acquisition and will be leading a team of cross-functional executives to maximize growth. In his last role, Abhishek was the Business Head of SVOD & Head of Business Partnerships at MX Player. Through his career spanning more than two decades he has worked with leading M&E players like Sony Pictures Networks India, Zenga Media Pvt Ltd (ZengaTV), Reliance Big Pictures, Sony Liv & ABP Group. He will be reporting into Zubin Dubash, COO – Digital Business.

Commenting on the new developments in the leadership team, Arghya Chakravarty, COO - Shemaroo said, "We are excited to onboard Abhishek and Arpit in our leadership team at Shemaroo. Their proven track record and diverse skill sets will be invaluable assets as we continue to drive growth and innovation across various B2C businesses. I extend my heartiest congratulations and wish them great success in their new roles."

Shemaroo is committed to fostering a culture of innovation and excellence, and these new seasoned industry leaders are a testament to that commitment. The company is excited to onboard Arpit and Abhishek and watch them thrive in their career at Shemaroo.

Westlife Foodworld Ltd. (formerly Westlife Development Ltd.) – owner and operator of McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, has announced the elevation of Saurabh Kalra as the Managing Director (MD) of its subsidiary. Prior to this, Saurabh was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the organization. In this new role, Saurabh will focus on the overall business strategy and growth opportunities, driving the company’s long-term success while continuing to remain deeply involved in day-to-day operations.

Saurabh brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge gathered over his twenty-year-plus career with Westlife. Having started his career as a Management Trainee in 2002, Saurabh became one of the youngest Restaurant Managers. Over the years, he straddled roles across operations, training, real estate, strategy, and development functions, gradually and successfully transitioning from a restaurant-facing role to a CXO role. Saurabh was instrumental in launching and growing McCafé and the Experience of The Future (EOTF) restaurants in India. He was also an integral part of the team that established the McDonald's brand in South India.

Saurabh has led several initiatives that have delivered significantly higher profitability and improved operational efficiencies. His deep commitment to excellence has helped Westlife to continue to be a leader in the QSR space even in a time of immense adversity brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Saurabh was also an active participant in crafting the 2022 Vision and has been playing a key role in operationalizing Vision 2027, along with Akshay Jatia, Executive Director, Westlife Foodworld.

Amit Jatia, Vice Chairman, Westlife Foodworld said, “We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Saurabh on his well-deserved promotion. It gives me great pride to see that, in keeping with our people philosophy, we have been able to develop careers and appoint someone internally for this critical role. Over the years, Saurabh has evolved as an incredible leader and a mentor within the organization. He is a motivated and passionate individual who always seeks to innovate and take on new challenges and we are confident that he will continue to lead Westlife to newer highs with his remarkable vision and strategy.

As we wish him the best, we would like to thank Smita Jatia, who has served as the organization's Managing Director since 2010. Smita played an instrumental role in the growth trajectory of the company, driving innovative formats, and most importantly was instrumental in reviving the brand during and after COVID. Smita would continue to be an active member of the Westlife board. We are confident that these moves will further strengthen McDonald's India (W&S) as the most loved and preferred QSR chain in the country.”

Saurabh Kalra, formerly Chief Operating Officer (COO), now Managing Director (MD) subsidiary of Westlife Foodworld said, “I am thrilled and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead the McDonald's India (W&S) family as MD. It is an exciting time for us as we continue to drive our growth agenda and build on the iconic brand's legacy. I am confident that I will leverage my commitment and industry experience to deliver best-in-class performance across business parameters that will enable us to take Westlife Foodworld to even greater heights.”

Westlife Foodworld Ltd. (formerly Westlife Development Ltd.) – owner and operator of McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, has announced the elevation of Saurabh Kalra as the Managing Director (MD) of its subsidiary. Prior to this, Saurabh was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the organization. In this new role, Saurabh will focus on the overall business strategy and growth opportunities, driving the company’s long-term success while continuing to remain deeply involved in day-to-day operations.

Saurabh brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge gathered over his twenty-year-plus career with Westlife. Having started his career as a Management Trainee in 2002, Saurabh became one of the youngest Restaurant Managers. Over the years, he straddled roles across operations, training, real estate, strategy, and development functions, gradually and successfully transitioning from a restaurant-facing role to a CXO role. Saurabh was instrumental in launching and growing McCafé and the Experience of The Future (EOTF) restaurants in India. He was also an integral part of the team that established the McDonald's brand in South India.

Saurabh has led several initiatives that have delivered significantly higher profitability and improved operational efficiencies. His deep commitment to excellence has helped Westlife to continue to be a leader in the QSR space even in a time of immense adversity brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Saurabh was also an active participant in crafting the 2022 Vision and has been playing a key role in operationalizing Vision 2027, along with Akshay Jatia, Executive Director, Westlife Foodworld.

Amit Jatia, Vice Chairman, Westlife Foodworld said, “We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Saurabh on his well-deserved promotion. It gives me great pride to see that, in keeping with our people philosophy, we have been able to develop careers and appoint someone internally for this critical role. Over the years, Saurabh has evolved as an incredible leader and a mentor within the organization. He is a motivated and passionate individual who always seeks to innovate and take on new challenges and we are confident that he will continue to lead Westlife to newer highs with his remarkable vision and strategy.

As we wish him the best, we would like to thank Smita Jatia, who has served as the organization's Managing Director since 2010. Smita played an instrumental role in the growth trajectory of the company, driving innovative formats, and most importantly was instrumental in reviving the brand during and after COVID. Smita would continue to be an active member of the Westlife board. We are confident that these moves will further strengthen McDonald's India (W&S) as the most loved and preferred QSR chain in the country.”

Saurabh Kalra, formerly Chief Operating Officer (COO), now Managing Director (MD) subsidiary of Westlife Foodworld said, “I am thrilled and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead the McDonald's India (W&S) family as MD. It is an exciting time for us as we continue to drive our growth agenda and build on the iconic brand's legacy. I am confident that I will leverage my commitment and industry experience to deliver best-in-class performance across business parameters that will enable us to take Westlife Foodworld to even greater heights.”