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.

Ogilvy India has announced a series of leadership changes that will take effect from January 1, 2024.

The transition will involve senior Ogilvy India veterans taking the next steps in their long tenure with the agency.

As Chief Advisor, Piyush Pandey, currently Chairman Global Creative & Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India and one of India's and the global industry's leading creative figures, will work closely with the leadership team to ensure the impact and richness of the Ogilvy legacy transcends all functions and levels of Ogilvy in India.

Hephzibah Pathak

In this role, Piyush will continue to work closely with major clients and the agency's executive team to ensure that Ogilvy India maintains its important leadership role in India. Along with the leadership team, Piyush will be involved with key Ogilvy clients and new business prospects and the creative product of the agency. He will also continue to participate in various industry bodies and award forums.

SN Rane, Group Executive Co-Chairman India & COO South Asia, will work as Business Advisor to Ogilvy Asia Pacific. In his new role, Rane will work closely with Ogilvy Asia- Pacific to ensure that Ogilvy India has a smooth transition under the new management and to advise on various business operations and planning issues.

Hephzibah Pathak will take on the role of Executive Chairperson of Ogilvy India. She will be Ogilvy India's first ever woman in this role. Hephzibah has been the most trusted partner for many of Ogilvy's key clients. She has played an integral role in creating iconic, category defining transformative work on many of their brands. mportantly, Hephzibah has been an inspiring mentor to many current leaders and emerging talent in Ogilvy India. In this role, Hephzibah will lead and drive the strategic irection, growth and transformation agenda of the company.

VR Rajesh will move from his current role as Group President of Ogilvy India to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the agency.

In his role, he will partner Hephzibah in further accelerating the transformation agenda of the company. He will also be responsible for running the operations of the agency across offices in India and all its business units.

He will also work closely with Hufrish Birdy, who will continue in her current role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO), on various financial, commercial, and compliance issues for Ogilvy India.

Further, Ogilvy India’s leadership transition will also involve important new appointments to the Ogilvy Board.

Joining the Ogilvy India Board will be the agency’s three Chief Creative Officers (CCO’s) – Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar and Sukesh Nayak.

The creative trio of Sukesh, Kainaz and Harshad are amongst the most awarded and celebrated in the country and have led the charge in creating industry defining modern work on many of Ogilvy’s valued clients.

The agency’s Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Prem Narayan also joins the board. Prem has been a strategic partner to many of Ogilvy’s key clients and creative partners. He has championed the effectiveness culture at Ogilvy, making Ogilvy India one of the most effective agencies in the world.

All four of them will continue in their current, vital roles in the agency, leading the creative and strategic work of the agency.

These four executives will be joining Hephzibah, VR and Hufrish, who are already on the Board. All of these executives, working closely as a combined leadership team, will provide important continuity, experience, and commitment to the next phase of growth and Ogilvy India excellence for its clients.

Devika Seth Bulchandani, Global Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy adds, “Piyush has done what true legends do. Nurtured and groomed a class of leaders who can assume the day to day running of the Ogilvy machine which will give him time to focus simply on the magic he has been so legendary in creating for our clients. Together I trust the new leadership to take this iconic agency to new heights.”

Piyush Pandey, Chairman Global Creative & Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India said, “Creativity and its impact on our client’s businesses is at the heart of Ogilvy. In keeping with my passion, I will continue to partner and guide the new leadership as always. Our joint purpose is to ensure that we not only maintain but also better our core strengths.”

Shivani Behl, the Chief Marketing Officer of Pureplay Skin Sciences, has quit after a 2-year stint.

She was handling the company's brands like Plum, Plum Body Lovin and PHY.

Prior to Pureplay, she was Head of Marketing at Shoppers Stop.

Behl has earlier worked with Lakme and Reliance Brands.