Hires & Promotions: Crompton, Group M

GroupM Appoints Madhvi Pahwa As Chief People Officer, South Asia 

GroupM has appointed Madhvi Pahwa as its new Chief People Officer for South Asia. Pahwa, previously Chief People Officer Mindshare APAC, has been promoted into the role to lead the GroupM India talent team and develop GroupM’s talent proposition for the region. She will report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia.

In her 6 years as Mindshare’s APAC CPO Pahwa led several ground-breaking initiatives in the region including:

 · The design and rollout of Mindshare’s award-winning ‘Balance’ program in APAC. This resilience training programme won a Women Leading Change Award two years in a row (2020 & 2021) and is now being extended globally

· Bringing Mindshare’s ‘Momentum’ high potential leadership training programme to Asia 

· Delivering numerous L&D programmes across commerce, AI and planning

Pahwa replaces Rohit Suri, who is moving on to explore other opportunities. 

Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia said, “Madhvi has a proven track record of delivering innovation and education that moves the dial for the business. She is the perfect choice to lead the GroupM South Asia talent team and to lead us into the next phase of our growth.” He added, “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rohit Suri for his commitment and efforts in helping build the talent team across South Asia. We greatly appreciate his contributions and wish him the best.”

Madhvi Pahwa, Chief People Officer, GroupM South Asia said, “Our employee promise has been to make Mindshare the place where you do your best work, and it has certainly been true for me. The people, priorities and culture just come together almost magically to bring out the best in you. I am grateful and proud to be part of the GroupM network that has given me growth opportunities across multiple agencies and geographic remits spanning global, regional and markets while supporting flexibility and personal priorities. I am super excited for the next chapter for GroupM India.”

Crompton Appoints Pragya Bijalwan As CMO

Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals has appointed Pragya Bijalwan as its Chief Marketing Officer. Bringing with her a rich experience of more than 16 years across the fuel, oil and paints industry, she will be leading the marketing, advertising and overall communication initiatives of the company.  

Speaking about her new role, Pragya Bijalwan, CMO - Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals said, “I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of this brand that despite having a very strong consumer franchise, accords top priority to adapting and evolving as per their changing needs. As we move into a new post – pandemic era, which is a challenging yet exciting time for the brand, our goal is to further strengthen our leading positions in key categories while accelerating growth in new categories through meaningful innovation. This will be supported by our integrated communication approach.” 

In her last role prior to joining Crompton, Bijalwan has worked with Castrol India where she led product innovations, brand campaigns and technology based innovative solutions. She has also worked with AkzoNobel India Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation previously. Pragya brings with her strong knowledge on consumer insights, brand management, influencer advocacy, innovation and digital marketing. 

Mathew Job, Executive Director and CEO - Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals added, “Crompton is seen as a reliable brand that has been trusted for generations. Our focus over the last few years has been to make the brand more aspirational and thus build a stronger connection with the younger consumers. I believe Pragya, with her varied and extensive experience across industries, is well equipped to take the brand forward in this journey. I welcome Pragya to this exciting role and look forward to working closely with her to make Crompton India’s most loved consumer electricals brand.”