MxMIndia

Tag: Lakshmi Narasimhan

  • Prasanth Kumar is COO – S Asia, Tushar Vyas, President Growth & Transformation, S Asia , MAPS is CEO, Mindshare & Amin Lakhani, COO, Mindshare

    On R-Day eve, GroupM rejigs top deck

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Okay, the Republic Day reference was just for effect. It’s just a coincidence. Also, the news has been doing the rounds for a bit.

     

    After announcing a new CEO in Sameer ‘Sam’ Singh last year, GroupM South Asia has announced a significant restructuring in its leadership. Effective immediately, Prasanth Kumar (PK) is named Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, and Tushar Vyas is named President Growth and Transformation, South Asia. Both are new roles in the organisation, notes a commuique.

     

    Meanwhile, Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps) is named Mindshare’s CEO for South Asia and Amin Lakhani is named Mindshare’s Chief Operating Officer in South Asia.

     

    Now here’s what the communique adds:

     

    As Chief Operating Officer, PK will be responsible for operational excellence, i.e. ensuring client expectations are reliably met by continuously improving processes ensuring clients are successful today. He will guide and lead the teams across OpCos, Trading and Specialised Units to execute the same more consistently and reliably to drive client delight while fortifying partnerships.

     

    Most recently as Mindshare’s CEO, PK oversaw Mindshare’s rapid expansion in the market, bringing it to a market-leading position and winning numerous global awards. During his tenure, he developed a record for the most number of new business wins by a single market and created a tradition of external accolades, including a Glass Lion at Cannes, a Grand Prix at WARC and an average of over 250 external awards per year. Mindshare India was also recognized globally as #2 in the Gunn report. Prior to Mindshare, he led the GroupM Central Trading Group across South Asia and championed exciting partnerships in digital and traditional media.

     

    Tushar Vyas will take over the role of President Growth and Transformation. In his new role, Tushar will drive digital transformation and focus on building GroupM wide capability focusing on Digital, Data, Analytics, and Content, and working across GroupM to ensure our clients are ahead of the curve for tomorrow.

     

    Before taking over his current role of the Chief Strategy Officer at GroupM, Tushar launched the Digital Media Agency business unit (Interaction) for GroupM India and built a 600+ member team by expanding services in areas like content, search, programmatic buying, mobile, digital activation, social insight and digital analytics. Today, GroupM’s digital media practice is the largest digital media solution provider with more than 500+ active clients. Under his leadership, the digital practice was a regular at all the major digital and media awards. He was also part of SureWaves start-up team focused on Media technology.

     

    Speaking on the new appointments, Sam Singh, CEO, GroupM South Asia said: “PK and Tushar are passionate leaders with high integrity and proven ability to envision and deliver successful outcomes in a challenging environment. As we become a more data-centric organization, there is a need to drive transformation and build future capabilities with a focus on Digital, Data, Analytics, and Content. We must work across GroupM to drive organizational transformation and operational excellence. The new team structure is another step in this direction.”

     

    He added, “I am also sad to announce that Lakshmi Narasimhan, our Chief Growth Officer for GroupM South Asia, has decided to step down from his current role effective January 31, 2019, to pursue personal interests. I thank him for his contributions over the years and wish him all the best. We will miss him as we continue to build upon his hard work and passion. Lakshmi was instrumental in building our strong trading community with solid practices”.

     

    Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps) will take over the role of Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Mindshare, South Asia effective February 1, 2019. Maps takes on the role from PK, who will be moving to his new role within GroupM.

     

    Maps has spent 10+ years with Mindshare in various leadership roles – Data, Insights, Analytics, Strategy, Client Leadership and Business Unit leadership. He will report into Sam Singh, CEO GroupM, South Asia, Prasanth Kumar – COO – GroupM South Asia and Amrita Randhawa, CEO Mindshare Asia Pacific.

     

    Going forward, Amin Lakhani will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Mindshare South Asia.

     

    Lakhani has over 20 years’ experience in various roles in Mindshare and GroupM and is currently leading Client leadership at Mindshare. He will continue to be based out of Mumbai.

     

    Talking on the latest developments, Prasanth Kumar, the new GroupM COO, said: “Our industry is an ever-mutating one, so we have to also continue to evolve and adapt. With Maps and Amin now at the helm of Mindshare, we have leaders with a proven track record of consistently achieving clients’ business goals. They will continue cultivating client relationships at the highest level and delivering great results.”

     

    With investment in data, technology, and diverse talent, GroupM aims to shape the future and transform business challenges into opportunities for clients.

     

     

  • Tushar Vyas is Chief Strategy Officer and Lakshmi Narasimhan is back in the fold as Chief Growth Officer

    GroupM restructures top deck, CFO Sridhar Ramasubramanian is COO

     

    A Correspondent

     

    Media agency network GroupM has announced a slew of top-level appointments to steer ahead in the race as the media agency space gets competitive with the appointment of Vikram Sakhuja as Madison World Group CEO.

     

    Chief Financial Officer Sridhar Ramasubramanian has been elevated as Chief Operating Officer of GroupM South Asia. In his new role, the GroupM veteran will also manage the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan markets.  The CEOs of these markets will report in to him.

     

    Lakshmi Narasimhan has been appointed as Chief Growth Officer for South Asia. Mr Narasimhan will take charge of the media partnerships and digital teams. With this appointment, GroupM has merged the erstwhile Central Trading Group  (CTG) with the GroupM digital platforms. Mr Narasimhan has prior experience with the group with stints at Mindshare Fulcrum and GroupM as Head of CTG. He was the CEO of Web18 till April 2014, the digital unit of the Network18 group. All the present CTG and digital teams will report into him..

     

    The third announcement concerns Tushar Vyas who has been promoted to the role of Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM South Asia.  Mr Vyas has been heading GroupM Interaction, the digital media arm of the network.

     

    Messrs Ramasubramanian, Vyas and Narasimhan will report into CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia. The current agency and specialist unit heads will continue reporting to Mr Srinivas.  While Ramasubramanian and Vyas assumed their new roles from May 1, Narasimhan was on board on May 4.

     

    Speaking on these developments, CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “We are fortunate to have a very strong leadership team across GroupM backed by solid support from our regional and global offices. Sridhar, Tushar and Lakshmi are outstanding professionals all of whom have played major roles in developing our network.”

     

  • In his new role, Lakshmi will be advancing Crayon's advertising, FMCG, media vertical along with its Mobile First initiative

    Lakshmi Narasimhan to lead mobile & data offering at Crayon Data

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big data company Crayon Data has appointed Lakshmi Narasimhan to lead, and further enhance the company’s mobile and data transformation offering. In his new role, Lakshmi will be advancing Crayon’s advertising, FMCG, media vertical along with its Mobile First initiative.

     

    With close to 20 years of media marketing experience, Narasimhan was previously the CEO of Network18 digital (previously known as web18). Prior to Network18 digital, Lakshmi was leading GroupM’s Central Trading Group during the company’s early days in India.

     

    Srikant Sastri, co-founder, Crayon Data said “Lakshmi brings with him extensive and in-depth knowledge of the data analytics and media spectrum which will add a new dimension to Crayon’s overall offering. As the company steps into one of the most exciting phases of growth, we look forward to having Lakshmi on-board to supplement and accelerate our efforts.”

     

    Lakshmi Narasimhan speaking on his new role shared, “The future of marketing lies in being mobile and digital, Crayon Data in a very short time has shown eminent growth within this space. I am delighted to come on-board and deliver on the company’s vision of being the most valued business partner for all its customers.”

     

  • She was earlier the CEO of Firstpost.com, the leading news and opinion portal from the group

    Durga Raghunath elevated at Network18 Digital

    By a correspondent

     

    Network18 Digital, the digital content arm of Network18 has strengthened its leadership structure by elevating Durga Raghunath to CEO. She was earlier the CEO of Firstpost.com, the leading news and opinion portal from the group. Lakshmi Narasimhan, the previous CEO for the group’s digital content business, is now moving onto a corporate role.

     

    Ajay Chacko

    Commenting on the development, Ajay Chacko, COO, Network18 said, “At Network18 Digital, we are proud to have built cult digital content brands which have had a defining influence on the space. As consumer internet in India undergoes a paradigm shift, we continue to be focused on leading this change from the front. Durga is well-equipped to lead this effort for us due to her strong understanding of the digital user, products and the opportunity.”

     

     

    Lakshmi Narasimhan added, “Durga has played a stellar role in transforming Firstpost from an innovative idea into a leader brand today. We are confident that in this expanded mandate, she will take Network18 Digital to newer heights.”

     

    Raghunath has over ten years experience in publishing – both books and digital. She previously worked with the Wall Street Journal, Mint and HarperCollins in New York.

     

  • It will draw on the local newsgathering expertise of the ETV network of news channels whose Hindi services cover seven states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

    News18.com launched aggregating ETV’s news

    By A Correspondent

     

    We had received an alert on Friday that Network18 was to make an “important announcement on Monday”. Given that there has been some significant news coming from the premier news media group over the last few months, we pushed aside all our appointments. And issued a ‘Red Alert’ in our newsroom.

     

    On Sunday (yesterday), we visited ibnlive.com to get our news updates only to find the homepage taken over by news18.com. The website had been launched. Regulars at ibnlive.com are familiar with news18 as it has been beta-ing on ibnlive for a while.

     

    And then we received this release from Network18 this morning announcing the launch of the online news website from Network18: News18.com. Billed as India’s first web, mobile and tablet service to focus on news at the state and city level.

     

    Available on the web, on mobile phones and tablets, and as downloadable apps for iOS and Android devices, News18.com currently covers seven states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It will expand to the remaining states of the country over the next 18 months, notes a communiqué.

     

    News18.com draws on the local newsgathering expertise of the ETV network of news channels, whose Hindi services cover these seven states. Highlighting the importance of local news, Lakshmi Narasimhan CEO, Web18 said, “News18 is a completely fresh approach to covering news online. With Internet penetration and smartphones users galloping in Tier2 and 3 towns, it is important to provide a convenient platform to consume news.”

     

    Arunava Sinha, Head, IBNLive.com and News18.com is confident that readers will enjoy the interactive user-experience of the site. “News18.com will give readers a totally fresh and unique content experience.”

     

    Meanwhile, the Red Alert in our newsroom has been called off. Enjoy the day, the boss just ordered.

  • The IBNLive CEO moves on, will announce next move in December

    Rajan Srinivasan bigs adieu to Web18

    By A Correspondent

     

    IBNLive CEO Rajan Srinivasan has decided to move on. During his stint with Web18, Srinivasan managed a variety of mandates including head of sales for moneycontrol, head of sales and marketing for Web18 and CEO, IBNLive. Mr Srinivasan has not revealed where he’s moving to, though he did mention he was planning to take a month-long break before he announces his next move in December.

     

    Speaking on the development, Lakshmi Narasimhan CEO, Web18 said “Rajan has been with our web business for over eight years and has been a pillar of strength for our business. He has taken on every challenge we have thrown at him and has come out tops. He has been an integral part of our team and has made a big difference to us in many ways. I would like to wish him the very best in all his future endeavors.”

     

    Added Mr Srinivasan added: “I am proud of what we achieved over the past many years at Web18. I am more than grateful for the immense support I’ve received from the Network18 team, our customers and our partners. Clearly, this is a rather emotional and tough call but I am happy to know that the Web18 suite of products are well positioned as well as future ready and wish them every success “.

     

    Mr Srinivasan has over eighteen years of experience in the media industry, including nine in the digital space. Prior to joining Network18 in 2003, he had stints with the Indian Express, Sony Entertainment Television and BBC World.

     

     

  • Financial portal moneycontrol.com’s new commercial features 'rockstar netas'

    Budget comes alive on moneycontrol.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Moneycontrol.com recently launched its Budget 2012 campaign Rock the Sabha, which shows some well-known political personalities hitting the high notes.

    The latest moneycontrol.com commercial, which is currently on the air, has set the ball rolling for moneycontrol.com’s Budget 2012 campaign. With key politicians like P Chidambaram, M Karunanidhi, Mamata Banerjee and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee playing guitars and jiving to the beats of rock music, the rock concert effect introduces the Budget 2012 coverage on moneycontrol.com in an unexpected way.

    The bold punchline, ‘Budget Comes Alive’, brings to life the brand’s rather sober attitude and creates the right amount of curiosity towards the newly incorporated interactive elements like poll, debates, slideshows, online chats, LIVE blogging and videos on  moneycontrol.com’s budget page, said a release from the company.

    Commenting on the campaign, Lakshmi Narasimhan, CEO, Web 18, said, “Apart from communicating that moneycontrol.com presents the biggest Budget coverage online, one of the key objectives of this campaign was to give a fresh perspective to moneycontrol.com and reach out to new users.”

    Ravi Deshpande, Chief Creative Officer, Contract Advertising, said, “Moneycontrol.com is the undisputed No.1 financial portal of the nation. It has redefined the way finance is presented and consumed in today’s day and age. Which is why we thought its communication too has to make a bold, emphatic statement. If the Budget campaign is disruptive, it’s only to mirror what the brand is actually doing in the marketplace.”

    Kaushik Roy Senior Creative Director & AVP, Contract Advertising said, “It’s absolutely eye-opening! The way in which moneycontrol.com is taking the boredom out of the Budget presentation. The ‘Rock the Sabha’ campaign is an attempt to make that point loud and clear. We hope it will attract newer, younger audiences, in addition to exciting millions of existing users.”

    The ad can be viewed at http://t.in.com/budget2012.

     

  • From a growth standpoint, this Diwali is looking very, very promising. The fact that there is tremendous traction from the consumer’s end, monetization becomes that much easier.

    Lakshmi Narasimhan: The icing on the cake

    Digital is one of those categories in the whole of media spectrum which has seen steady growth for many years now. One can say with all the confidence that it is the most accountable medium; one which saw good traction even at a phase when many companies in India were witnessing the brunt of the slowdown in 2009. Post that, I would say there was no looking behind and the digital industry grew in double-digit numbers.

    This festive season is like the icing on the cake. We’ve seen in the recent past, many new ventures in the Internet space, WAP sites being launched, many apps being introduced by companies; increasing numbers of active Internet users, penetration of smart-phones, tablets etc all tell a fabulous growth story. It tells you that information is just a click away, doesn’t matter where you are. The result of all this is the changing consumption of digital media from a consumer standpoint.  As far as digital media is concerned, it is just the right opportunity to engage with consumers.

    From a growth standpoint, this Diwali is looking very, very promising. The fact that there is tremendous traction from the consumer’s end, monetization becomes that much easier.

    So yes, Diwali has been good for us (Web 18) and mostly there are positive signs for the industry as well. What we must look to do from here is to carry forward the momentum to next year.

     

    Lakshmi Narasimhan is CEO, Web 18.