Mullen Lintas has appointed Ram Jayaraman of Meta as the new Chief Creative Officer (CCO).

Ram Jayaraman, better known as Ram Cobain, joins Mullen Lintas from Meta’s Creative Shop, where he was a Creative Strategist for over six years. His time at Meta has been creatively rich and full of learning across all its platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.

Ram will report to Subbu, as he takes on the role previously held by Garima Khandelwal. Garima has decided to move on and will be announcing her next move shortly.

With over 22 years of experience in the industry, Jayaraman is a renowned and celebrated creative leader who has worked with some of the world's leading brands. Prior to Meta, Ram spent over 15 years at leading agencies such as Wunderman Thompson and Grey Worldwide, playing leadership roles in Creative and working on a diverse set of brands like Pepsi, Dell, Unilever, Nestle, GSK, ESPN Star Sports, 3M, Sony, Hero, ITC, Britannia, Fortis, and Set MAX, amongst others.

Commenting on Ram’s appointment, S. Subramanyeswar (Subbu), Group CEO – India & Chief Strategy Officer – APAC MullenLowe Group said, “In our fierce quest to become a digital-first brand building company, we wanted to place some bold bets on the kind of creative leader who could come on board to lead our decisive agenda at Mullen Lintas. In Ram, we found a partner whose idea of technology for humanity – how humans will interact with experiences that span a multitude of devices and senses, and the creative possibilities those lend in the fiery cauldron of quantum or fifth paradigm of marketing impressed us the most. He is irrefutably curious about life in all of its aspects and is excited to take on new and formidable challenges as we strive to bring innovative solutions to our client’s business problems of all kinds.

We also want to take this opportunity to thank Garima Khandelwal, the founding member of Mullen Lintas for her amazing contribution over the years in making the agency one of the top 10. We wish her the very best in the world for her future endeavours.”

Excited about the new role, Ram Jayaraman said, "I believe technology is a new canvas to tell old human truths and stories. And that creativity today is shape-shifting; it looks different depending on the medium it talks through. With the explosion of surfaces and opportunities to collaborate with external talent, there has never been a better time to be a creative professional. After Meta, along with the kind of work I’d want to do, I was very clear about the kind of people I’d want to work with. At Mullen Lintas, I found a kindred bunch who are unfettered by legacy, excited only by the laurels yet to be earned. Hari and I’ve partnered extremely well in the past, and in Subbu, I see much to learn from in the future. Having worked deeply across the traditional and the tech-driven, I’m excited to bring my experience and my best to our teams and bold clients."

82.5 Communications, an Ogilvy Group company, has onboarded Bhavneet Bhalla to lead its strategic planning function. 

Bhavneet is a seasoned planning leader with over 27 years of experience in agencies like WT and Lowe, in India and in Muscat. 

Extremely passionate about leading transformation experiences across categories, he has worked on brands like Hero Honda, Ford Motors, Shell Retail, Britannia - Rural Markets, Future Group, TI Cycles, Wockhardt Hospital, US Polo, Flying Machine and ShareChat. 

He is also a published author and has worked with various government departments including the Ministry of Tourism - for developing the blueprint of Indian Tourism in the Metaverse and in the product design of Indiagram, a PPP model for an NRI outreach. 

Bhavneet will be based in Mumbai and will report into Kapil Arora, CEO & Co-Chairman, 82.5 Communications India (an Ogilvy Group Company). On his appointment, Bhavneet stated, “82.5 Communications, is all about enriching brands with Indianness - that too at a time when India and Indianness are shining like never before. The agency has already built a reputation of delivering formidable solutions for brands. And I am super excited to be partnering Kapil, Anuraag, and Mayur, in building on that foundation and helping our clients win through meaningful communications and experience interventions.”

Kapil added, “Bhavneet is a planner at the intersections. Of people and technology. Of geographies and functions. Of categories and culture. Of business and the environment. His rich experience, spark and ground-up perspective are the fuel that will help us deliver more compelling work on our brands and add to the elbows-in counsel our clients have come to expect from 82.5 Communications.”

Vivek Sinha has moved back as the Editor of VCCircle along with his team at The Capital Quest.

He announced the move via a social media post in which he spoke of the challenges ahead.

Sinha stepped down as Managing Editor of VCCircle in January 2021 after a stint of nearly 10 years.

He was earlier with The Economic Times. Sinha left ET after a 10-year stint as Head ET Intelligence Group(Delhi) & Senior Assistant Editor.  

InMobi has reportedly appointed Aditya Varadarajan as the regional head for its partnership with Microsoft Advertising in Southeast Asia.

According to media reports, Varadarajan will be based in Singapore and expand the regional sales team across the key markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. His team will also be responsible for sales, account management, client servicing, and billing in the region.

On the appointment, Rohit Dosi, vice president and general manager for Microsoft Advertising business at InMobi reportedly said that they are delighted to welcome Varadarajan as their regional head in the newly expanded business whilst looking forward to enabling the advertising ecosystem across Southeast Asia.

YAAP, a content and influencer marketing company, announced the appointment of Nandita Saggu as a Partner to expand the company's footprints in the Middle East.

With over 18 years of experience, Saggu has worked across sectors such as healthcare, retail, hospitality, FinTech, e-learning, SaaS tech, AI, custom web and mobile development, and performance and social media marketing.

Prior to joining YAAP, she was the Chief Growth Officer at DViO leading its Middle East operations.

Junglee Games, has announced the elevation of Kapil Rathee to the position of Co-Founder. The elevation recognizes Kapil’s exceptional contribution to the business as he continues to be an integral part of the company’s executive leadership team. 

Having joined the team in 2015 as VP of Product, Kapil was promoted to Junglee’s Chief Product Officer in 2017 and President in 2018. Previously, he held strategy & business consultant roles in his career and also founded TapAndEat, a F&B tech startup. Kapil has helped Junglee scale new heights with his growth mindset, strategic data-driven solutions and strong leadership abilities. 

Speaking about the announcement, Ankush Gera, Founder and CEO of Junglee Games said, "Kapil and I have been working together for the last 8 years and have been looking to build upon opportunities to further strengthen our partnership, and collective impact. Kapil’s contribution to Junglee Games has been phenomenal and his dedication deserves this recognition. I couldn’t be happier for him and I look forward to seeing him grow in this new role. With the industry witnessing rapid growth, at Junglee we are confident about our approach towards investing and rewarding exceptional human capital within the organization.” 

Kapil Rathee added, "I’m excited and privileged to continue my incredible journey at Junglee Games in this new role.  While I’ve always operated from an ownership mindset, it is heartening to see the growth-centric culture in the organization. This elevation is an opportunity to build from a more strategic vantage point.  As we continue to see incredible scale in the business, my focus is to accelerate our current trajectory and make Junglee’s brand synonymous with skill gaming.”

Mars Wrigley India has promoted Kalpesh Parmar as General Manager of Mars Wrigley Asia and Tamer Kadry as the new Country General Manager of India.

In his new role, Kalpesh will oversee 20 diverse markets in the Mars Wrigley Asia portfolio. He will lead business operations of the chocolate, gum, and fruity confections segments across all Asia markets as well as the pet nutrition segment in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He joined the India business in January 2020.

Tamer Kadry is currently the Vice President of New Markets & Future Growth, Global Emerging Markets (GEM) region, Mars Wrigley, and was formerly the CFO of GEM. He has spent more than two decades in Mars Incorporated and brings immense diverse experience, having worked across multiple geographies in Europe, CIS, APAC, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and lived in Dubai, Milan and Brussels.

Kalpesh and Tamer are currently transitioning into their respective roles.

Kalpesh Parmar, Outgoing Country General Manager, Mars Wrigley India, said, “India will always remain an important part of my leadership journey. Over the years, I have witnessed Mars Wrigley India grow from strength to strength and I am fortunate to have been a part of its Purpose-led growth culture. Guided by Mars’ Five Principles and led by a highly capable leadership team and exceptional talent, the business turned around marking double-digit growth. I am delighted to hand over the reins to my dear friend and colleague Tamer Kadry, a long-time Mars Associate and a great business and people leader, who I am confident will take the business to greater heights. I wish him the very best and look forward to my assignment in Asia.”

Incoming General Manager for Mars Wrigley India, Tamer Kadry said, “India is one the fastest growing markets for Mars and I am looking forward to leading Mars Wrigley’s India business and delivering on our sustainability commitments along with an incredible India Leadership Team and passionate Associates. I thank Kalpesh for building a legacy of Purpose-driven growth momentum while nurturing world-class talent and laying a strong foundation of future-ready capabilities. I am looking forward to inspiring moments of everyday happiness for our Indian consumers and shoppers with our iconic global brands, and for our communities.”