Hires & Promotions: Apple, Moj, ShareChat, Word Of Mouth

Apple Elevates Prashant Paulose As Video Business Lead, India

Apple has elevated Prashant Paulose as the head of the video business in India. He has been the Video Business Lead, India since April this year.

Prior to his elevation, Paulose served as the Music & Movies Business Manager for Apple Music & iTunes, India. Paulose joined Apple in April 2017.

Before joining Apple, he was with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as AVP - Business Development, Digital & Sports. He was spearheading the digital licensing & syndication business besides the sports vertical of SonyLIV.

In his 14-year-long career, Paulose has also worked with companies like Sahara One Media and Entertainment and Tata Motor Finance.

He holds an MBA degree in Marketing & Finance from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). He has also done BE (Electronics) from the University of Mumbai.

Moj & ShareChat Srengthen Their Monetisation Team; Announce Two Key Hires

Mohalla Tech, the parent company behind Moj and ShareChat has hired Ratan Singh Rathore as Senior Director, to lead Agency Relationship nationally and Neha Nagpal Chatterjee as Director to lead direct sales efforts in the East-zone.

Ratan Singh Rathore is an advertising veteran with over 18+ years of experience in formulating methodologies and strategising effective media buying, trading and implementation planning across TV, Print, Radio and Digital. Previously Ratan was the Business Head of INCA, a Group M company. Besides leading agency relationships for the brand, he would also be responsible towards driving awareness for both ShareChat and Moj among the advertising community.

Commenting on his appointment, Ratan Singh Rathore, Sr. Director at Moj & ShareChat said, “With an increased appetite for digital media and content among the advertising community both ShareChat and Moj have established themselves as the market leader in their respective domains. We are uniquely positioned to leverage our strengths for the brands across the country within the Indic language space. With advertising spends expected to increase significantly in the foreseeable future, we will stay at the forefront of capturing the digital advertising space in the country.”

With over 16+ years in the advertising and media industry, Neha Nagpal Chatterjee brings a variety of media experiences to the company. Prior to joining Mohalla Tech, Neha was most recently with ByteDance in India.

Joining ShareChat and Moj as Director-Sales for east zone, Neha Nagpal Chatterjee said, “I am excited to be a part of ShareChat's journey at a time when the eastern market is surging and fast becoming one of the key markets for advertising. This at a time while the brand is becoming the de-facto leader in the Indic language content ecosystem.”

Commenting on the key appointments, Ajit Varghese, Chief Commercial Officer, Moj and ShareChat said, “We have already developed immense credence for both ShareChat and Moj among the advertising community and brands in delivering last-mile engagement. In recent months we’ve been executing over 100+ campaigns each month. The advertising community and many leading B2C brands are increasingly engaging with us including Amazon, Flipkart & Myntra, Vodafone, Airtel, Pepsi and Coca Cola to connect with audiences. With us leading the short video space and language social media ecosystem in the Indic space, offering a unique proposition to the brands and decisively driving customised campaigns.”

“Our newly appointed leaders hailing from varied industry backgrounds bring more strength to our monetisation journey. Having worked with some great internet and media organisations, we are confident they will add immense value to our organisation” he added.

Word Of Mouth Media Elevates Jimmy Shahani As Chief Executive Officer

Word of Mouth Media elevates Jimmy Shahani, its Chief Operating Officer (COO), to the position of Chief Executive Officer. 

Vineet Panchhi, Founder, Word of Mouth Media, said, "Jimmy has been part of our core team since he joined us four years back. His positive outlook, creative mindset, and leadership values are all goal-worthy to succeed, especially as we move ahead in the 'Next Normal.' In the current period of accelerated transformation, we hope to provide a robust approach and work more closely with our clients to navigate pandemic-induced uncertainty. I congratulate Jimmy in his new role and will continue to support him in strengthening new partnerships and exploring new geographies."

He further added, "The Covid-19 pandemic galvanized businesses to innovate and shift focus towards customers' preferences leading massive transformation in the advertising & marketing industry." 

On this occasion, Sarika Panchhi, Co-founder, Word of Mouth Media, said, “We are one of the few boutique agencies that have successfully survived the challenges posed by the pandemic by innovating our products and making them hybrid and focusing on digital services. The customized hybrid model has worked beautifully for us, and we continue to keep our workforce safety a top priority. The new format will help us serve our clients better, explore new markets and strengthen our focus on the revived sustainability portfolio. I am confident that the team under the guidance of Jimmy's capabilities will scale new heights.”

With this latest restructuring, Sarika will focus on building her new venture JiViSa Wellness, a wellness brand focused on bringing high-quality, natural, and wholesome products to help people live a 'healthy life.'

Speaking on his new role, Jimmy added, "I am honored to take the new responsibilities and look forward to scaling the business to new heights. The changing consumer behavior, shifting viewer choices, increased inclination towards environmentally conscious practices, etc., demand brands to deliver more creative and personalized experiences in a sensitized tone. Therefore, one of the major priorities for me will be to deliver business outcomes for clients through impactful ideas and new storytelling channels." 

He further added, "I am excited to work with the talented team and develop work that drives significant change in perception."