Axis Securities announced the appointment of Pranav Haridasan as its new Managing Director & CEO for a tenure of 3 years. This move follows the internal succession plan of Axis Group, with the current MD & CEO, B Gopkumar, transitioning to Axis Asset Management Company as MD & CEO.

Haridasan is currently Managing Director and Co-Head of Equities at Axis Capital. He comes with a rich experience of over 20 years in financial markets across different asset classes. Pranav has a proven track record in upscaling the equities business, focusing on technology, compliance, and operations to create a robust, top-rated research, sales, trading, and derivatives platform. Before Axis Capital, Pranav worked at Citigroup Global Markets as Director & Head of India/ ASEAN Execution Services.

Haridasan is an MBA from the Indian School of Business and has an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Christ University.

Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank said, “Over the years, Axis Securities has established itself as a leading player in the Indian broking industry. Pranav’s experience and technology acumen will play a pivotal role in driving our growth and expansion plans, while creating a more robust and differentiated franchise.”

Diageo, one of the biggest largest alcoholic drinks companies, has got its first female CEO. The company, which makes Guinness beer and Johnnie Walker whisky, has announced that its Chief Operating Officer Debra Crew would be the next CEO, according to media reports.

She will take over from Ivan Menezes, who will retire after 10 years in the role.

Crew will take charge on July 1, 2023, the company said in a statement. Her appointment means women will make up more than 50% of Diageo’s executive committee, it added.

Media reports quoted chairman Javier Ferrán as saying, “Ivan has transformed Diageo’s global footprint, brand portfolio and strategic focus, positioning our business as a clear leader in premium drinks,”

“The Board has diligently planned for Ivan’s successor, and we are delighted to have appointed a leader of Debra’s calibre to the role,” he reportedly added added. “I have no doubt that Diageo is in the right hands for the next phase of its growth.”

Hitachi Payment Services has announced the appointment of Sumil Vikamsey as its new Managing Director, in addition to his responsibilities as the Chief Executive Officer - Cash Business. He will also be inducted into the company’s Board effective 1^st April 2023. 

Rustom Irani has decided to retire as Managing Director effective 31^st March 2023 and will continue to be associated with Hitachi Payment Services as an advisor. Rustom has been an integral part of the organization since 2011 while holding various positions, including that of MD & CEO. 

Sumil’s tenure at Hitachi Payments began in early 2010, and since then, he has been an important part of the company's growth journey and has led functions spanning Finance, Strategy & Development, Analytics, White Label ATM programme and allied business domains. Sumil's wealth of experience and skills have played a crucial role in shaping Hitachi Payments' success story, cementing its position as a leading player in the payment industry. 

Anuj Khosla will continue as the Chief Executive Officer – Digital Business of Hitachi Payment Services 

Loney Antony, Vice Chairman, Hitachi Payment Services, said, “Sumil has been instrumental in shaping Hitachi Payments' growth from its early stages and will now be responsible to lead the company into its next phase of growth. He has played a pivotal role in leading the Cash Business for the company, strengthening its position as the market leader and successfully spearheading various strategic initiatives. People-centric by nature with an extensive knowledge of the payments domain, Sumil’s strengths give the company an added leverage.” 

Hitachi Payments is a pioneer in the payment industry in India, offering a comprehensive range of end-to-end payment solutions including ATM Services, Cash Recycling Machines, White Label ATMs, POS Solutions, Toll & Transit Solutions, Payment Gateway Solutions and innovative offerings such as SoftPOS, POS Value Added Services and Digital Merchant Onboarding. The company is committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences and driving financial inclusion across India. 

Sumil’s appointment comes as Hitachi Payments marks the completion of 15 years since formation and continues to maintain its leadership position in the payment business in India, with over 2 Mn POS devices (including Mobile POS and QR), 64,500 ATMs (including 27,500 Cash Recycling Machines) and 8,750 White Label ATMs under management till date. Financial Year 22-23 has also been transformational for the company as it received the in-principle approval from RBI to start its Payment Aggregator Business and also started its first in-house Cash Management unit at Noida

L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has announced the appointment of Pallavi Nayak as Executive Vice President – Strategy.

Pallavi joins the agency from DY Works where she was Senior Vice President – Business Design. She brings with her over 20 years of experience in the advertising and marketing industry, having worked with some of the top agencies across India and South Asia including Happy Creative Services, DY Works, Ogilvy, Contract Advertising & Lowe Lintas. She has executed campaigns for a diverse range of clients, including HUL, Titan, Godrej, ITC, Tata Sky, Pidilite, Ola, Asian Paints, Mondelez, Vodafone among others.

Welcoming her to the agency, Snehasis Bose, Chief Strategy Officer, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, said, “Pallavi’s passion for going deeper into the consumer psyche, her understanding of why and what of culture and clarity of strategic thinking sets her apart as a professional. Her inherent collaborative spirit, infectious energy, and lightness of being set her apart as a person. With this fortuitous combination, we look forward to Pallavi helping us accelerate our journey to deliver amazing growth solutions for clients.”

Commenting on her decision to join the agency, Pallavi said, "For a few years, I took a break from the advertising industry to pursue other passions. This gave me the time to observe and learn from various agencies from the outside. During this time, I was particularly impressed by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and its consistent growth as well as its youthful and energetic approach. What stood out the most to me was the company's strong focus on its people. I was drawn to the idea of being a part of such a dynamic, innovative, and fast-paced organization, and as I returned to the advertising industry, I knew that LKSS was the ideal company for me to join. As a result, LKSS was the only organization I applied to."

Reckitt has appointed Geetika Chadha as a Content Strategist. Chadha made the announcement on LinkedIn. “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Content Strategist at Reckitt!”, her LinkedIn post read. Prior to this role, she was working with Mindshare as a partner.

Chadha has an experience of more than 15 years in the business of understanding consumers, culture, and driving growth. Her key asset is to create business-oriented solutions for brands, media houses & agencies.

Her 7-year stint in Mindshare has been a journey of telling stories through a medium agnostic approach and generating revenue streams through various forms and formats of storytelling/content to accomplish brand objectives.

Previously, Chadha has also worked with GroupM, MindShare Worldwide, Havas Worldwide, iris worldwide, Webchutney, and Bates Enterprise.

Saad Khan has joined DDB Mudra as President and Managing Partner - Growth & Strategy. Khan will lead business and build on strategic capabilities for the West region of the Group.

With more than two decades of experience under his belt, Khan has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Amul, Reckitt Benckiser, Tata Motors, ITC Foods, Volvo Cars, Honda, and Nerolac. His strategic expertise in building the Tata Motors' brand has played a significant role in its success within the EV category.

Prior to joining the DDB Mudra Group, he worked with FCB Ulka overseeing strategy in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Commenting on the new appointment, Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group said, “For us, strategic thinking and creativity aren’t departmental functions. We’ve always believed our core to be great creativity built on strong thinking. And Saad embodies the same and will strengthen this belief; not just in the kind of work that we do, but in the conversations we have.”

Speaking on his role at DDB Mudra Group,Saad said, “It’s been around 21 years since Rahul and I worked together. My recent chats with him made me realise that we are still as passionate about advertising as we were a couple of decades ago. I am looking forward to hitting the road with him once more.”

In his leisure time, Saad enjoys reading and going on long runs.

Bajaj Financial Securities has appointed Vishesh Sharma as Chief Marketing Officer.

Sharma will be the company's first marketing officer.

He was earlier a journalist with The Hindu and some other publications.

Post that, he was with BNP Paribas and Angel One.

Apart from planning the marketing infra for the firm, he will be looking at brand campaigns too.