Bharat Media & Entertainment Group, an integrated media & creative agency, has appointed Aatif Ali as the Business Lead- East. In this role, he will be responsible to carve out the next phase of growth for the Eastern India region.

Prior to joining BMEG, Aatif worked as Manager – Sales at Affinity Inc. (mCanvas), where he was responsible for revenue generation for the South region and was instrumental in significantly growing the South region + creating & growing top & mid funnel digital business for brands. Aatif is a professional and sales leader with an experience of more than 13 years in marketing, sales & operation.

His prior candidature includes Radio Mirchi, Ananda Bazar Patrika, iCubeswire, Housing.com & Mother Dairy.

Smita Murarka has joined Deloitte as Director.

Prior to this, she was doing brand consultancy work focused on D2C, after her close to 3-year stint with sleep solutions company Duroflex.

Murarka was the Chief Marketing Officer, Corporate & Brands, Digital at Duroflex. She joined the company as VP - Marketing & E-Commerce in Feb 2020. She was a key CXO in transforming a regional offline business in a fragmented industry, into a national omni multi-channel brand. With the digital-first approach under Murarka, Duroflex saw a 2.5X growth within 2 years.

She was also working on martech tools, CDP for consumer engagement, beyond managing full funnel marketing communication.

Before Duroflex, Murarka spent over 6 years at MAS Holdings, where she was the Marketing Head, amante lingerie. She has also worked with brands like the Landmark Group and Lifestyle International.

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed Saugata Gupta, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Marico Limited, as the new Chairman of the ASCI Board of Governors.

Gupta’s association with ASCI spans several years; two years on the Board of Governors and four years as a special invitee on the Board of Governors.

Partha Sinha, President, Response, Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, was elected Vice Chairman, and Mr. Sudhanshu Vats, Deputy Managing Director, Pidilite Industries Ltd., was appointed Honorary Treasurer.

In his role as ASCI's new Chairman, Gupta sharing his vision, stated, "Leading ASCI at this juncture is a privilege. We are in the midst of an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine what responsible advertising means and how consumers need protection in the digital age. ASCI is at the very forefront of this effort as it collaboratively shapes the industry.

With the advent of the ASCI Academy, we are active architects shaping a more responsible future. Our mission is to instil the principles of self-regulation into the very heart of the creative process. I eagerly look to take further the ambition we have drawn for ourselves. With the support of my board colleagues and ASCI's exceptional team, we are all set to raise the standards of responsible advertising."

Recalling his tenure at ASCI, the outgoing Chairman, NS Rajan said, "Leading ASCI over the past year has been an immensely fulfilling journey. I am proud that, as a collective team, we have strengthened our abilities to be ready for the future. The launch of the ASCI Academy is a significant event that I am sure will yield positive results.

In an environment of rapid technological advancements and shifting consumer expectations, ASCI has remained agile and forward-thinking. The complaints management part is now highly streamlined and efficient, and we are developing significant expertise in digital monitoring.

I have no doubt that Team ASCI will continue to shape policies, drive innovation, and champion causes that are not only important to the industry but also to our society at large.”

After 12 years at Viacom18, Ravish Kumar has decided to move on from his role as Head - Regional Entertainment (Kannada and Marathi Clusters).

Kumar joined Viacom18 Media in 2011 as General Manager and Head of its Hindi movie channel.

“After more than a decade of driving Colors Kannada and Colors Marathi to be the preferred television destinations of Regional Entertainment within their respective markets and demographics, Ravish Kumar will be moving on from Viacom18 to pursue his individual aspirations. We thank him for his services and wish him all the best in his future endeavours," a Viacom18 spokesperson said.

Prior to joining Viacom18, Kumar was associated with Star India as the Executive Vice President and General Manager for regional channels where he was responsible for managing Star Jalsha and Star Pravah - GECs in Bengal and Maharashtra, respectively.

He has also worked with Reckitt Benckiser as Global Category Director for three years. In the past, he was associated with companies like McCormick &Co, Bristol-Myers Squibb, ConAgra Foods and ITC Agri Businesses Division.

JSW Group has elevated Divyanshu Singh as Chief Operating Officer of JSW Sports.

Divyanshu, a former professional tennis player comes with a decade of experience across sports sponsorships and marketing, talent management, new business development, and specializing in unlocking commercial value in Sport.

Prior to joining JSW Sports in 2017 to set up the sales and marketing function at India’s largest pure-play Sports Management Company, he had worked at IMG Reliance and Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment

Parth Jindal, Founder of JSW Sports said, “Divyanshu’s elevation is in line with our Group’s strategy to scale-up high high-performing employees to enable them to contribute to business strategies at scale. Our Sports business is at a pivotal point as we continue to scale up our sports investments in Indian and international leagues and focus on new business avenues including talent management, consulting, licensing, and merchandise. I am confident that Divyanshu's extensive experience and understanding of the Sports avenues will enable us to scale new horizons.”

On his new responsibility, Divyanshu Singh said, “As I continue my journey at JSW Sports, I am really excited to be leading an organisation which has made such a massive impact on professionalising and developing Indian sport, which is currently at an inflexion point.. I am grateful to be working under such vision and leadership along with a team whose singular mission is to realise the sporting potential of India from both from a development and commercial lens.”

The Editorial Director of the Economic Times, Bodhisatva Ganguli will step back from the operational and administrative responsibilities at the organisation in order to assume a more strategic role as a Mentor and guide to ET’s Leadership Team.

Sruthijith K K has joined as Executive Editor- ET. He has previously worked with the publication on two separate occasions, including most recently as the editor of ET Magazine. exchange4media previously reported about him stepping down from Mint as its Editor-in-Chief.

"Sruthijith brings a wealth of experience & a strong track record in the Media Industry, having worked across Print and digital platforms. His deep understanding of the evolving media landscape & his ability to successfully navigate the challenges & leverage the opportunities of digitalisation of the media ecosystem makes him a valuable addition to our ET leadership team. Prior to joining us, Sruthijith served as the Editor in Chief, Mint, where he showcased exceptional editorial skills & leadership abilities," said S Sivakumar Chief Executive Officer (Publishing).

Sruthijith has also held several prominent positions in organizations like Mint, The Economic Times, HuffPost India, Apple Inc, Quartz (Atlantic Media) & PaidContent (Guardian News & Media), where he has been able to provide insightful analysis and commentary on the economic landscape through high-quality content and engaging storytelling.

"As The Economic Times embarks on its next phase of Innovation, Growth and journalistic excellence under Sruthijith’s leadership, I would like to thank Bodhi for his commendable contribution in ET's stellar journey so far & his willingness to continue as a mentor & guide in his new strategic role," said Sivakumar.

Home-grown OTT app Ullu has appointed Avinash Dugar as its CEO.

Dugar, in his career spanning over two decades has held various leadership positions in major steel companies. He now joins the OTT platform to spear head its growth and diversification, stated a press release.

Ullu was founded by Vibhu Agarwal in December 2018 and was one of the first home grown OTT apps.

Speaking on the appointment, Vibhu Agarwal shared, “It is a strategic move in the continuous quest to drive growth. Avinash comes with a diverse and rich experience in sales, marketing and operations. His drive to achieve excellence and acumen to run a business makes him an ideal choice to steer ULLU into its next phase of growth. Our company is well-positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the content and production space, and I look forward to leading these efforts with my able team.”

Avinash Dugar, CEO ULLU app shared, "I am honoured to join the dynamic team during this transformative time in the OTT industry. We will continue to deliver exceptional content and user experiences while exploring new avenues for growth and expanding our subscriber base."

Vibhu Agarwal will continue to head his OTT platforms and GEC Channel “Atrangii” and will now steer towards expanding and exploring new revenue streams in the entertainment industry.