Hires & Promotions: EssenceMediacom, NEC India, LS Digital, Pepperfry, Sony Pictures

EssenceMediacom India promotes Averill Sequeria to Chief Strategy Officer

EssenceMediacom, GroupM’s media agency, has elevated Averill Sequeria to Chief Strategy Officer in India.

Sequeria, with more than 20 years of experience, has most recently overseen the Creative Futures team at EssenceMediacom India, advocating innovative initiatives and cultivating a forward-thinking culture. Her wealth of experience and deep understanding of the marketing industry, coupled with her data-driven and collaborative approach, uniquely qualify her to steer the strategic direction of the agency. Averill is committed to a consumer-centric approach, focusing on growth, optimising ROI, and strengthening the brand. 

Navin Khemka, CEO - EssenceMediacom South Asia says on Sequeria's promotions, “Averill's appointment as Chief Strategy Officer at EssenceMediacom India embarks on a new phase of creative strategies and growth, highlighting our commitment to excellence in media strategy. She is a proven leader and change agent with an impressive track record of strategic innovation. With her vast experience, we are confident she will drive significant progress and accelerate our ongoing success.”

Sequeria also shares, "I have always been passionate about innovation and the vast varieties EssenceMediacom has to offer to its clients. I look forward to pushing boundaries with the agency’s inventive culture to ensure a meaningful impact on our clients and businesses in this modern media ecosystem. I am thankful to Navin for believing in me and giving me the charge to lead this agency of the future.”

Sequeria will be based out of the Bangalore office and report to Navin Khemka.

Arvind Saxena takes on additional responsibilities in addition to his CMO role for NEC India

Arvind Saxena, Head - Marketing Centre of Excellence (MCoE) - Global Smart Cities (GSC), NEC Corporation & CMO, NEC Corporation India, in addition to his responsibilities as CMO for NEC Corporation India, has been mandated to take on the additional role of Marketing Head - Global Smart City and set up the Marketing Centre of Excellence (MCoE).

As Head of the Marketing Centre of Excellence (MCoE) for Global Smart Cities (GSC) at NEC Corporation, he will lead a diverse team in developing innovative marketing campaigns that showcase NEC's cutting-edge solutions. His strategic vision is to position NEC as a thought leader and innovator in the global smart cities arena. In his dual role, he manages brand reputation, integrated communication, global demand generation, global customer engagement, CX, product marketing and lifecycle management, public relations, brand campaigns, social and digital marketing, analyst and industry relations, and employer and talent branding.

LS Digital promotes Dipshika Ravi to Vice President & Executive Creative Director – LS Creative

LS Digital has promoted Dipshika Ravi to Vice President & Executive Creative Director – LS Creative. In her elevated role, Ravi will lead the company's creative and social media teams, craft and execute impactful marketing campaigns for clients, and steer the agency's overall creative direction.

With over 16 years of experience, Ravi has collaborated with global brands including PepsiCo, Bajaj Allianz, Singapore Tourism Board, Kellogg's, Pringles, Canon, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Life, Wipro, Tata Steel, and MakeMyTrip. Having been with LS Digital for four years, she will continue to report to Manesh Swamy, Managing Director & Chief Creative Officer – LS Creative.

Manesh Swamy comments on her promotion saying, “Dipshika is a creative powerhouse with a profound understanding of content marketing, creative communication, and brand building. Her leadership will be invaluable as we continue to grow and expand our services. As our organisation continues to become a business transformation partner to our clients, our goal is to drive high-impact creative solutions by leveraging integrated data-driven services. We are confident she will significantly impact our client's success.”

Ravi is a highly decorated professional, with over 80 international and national awards. 

Expressing her enthusiasm about the new role, Ravi adds, “Being part of LS Digital’s journey has been inspiring, and I am thrilled about my new role. I look forward to the opportunities and possibilities it brings. Balancing a dual role presents both challenges and excitement; ensuring continuous departmental growth while maintaining high creative standards. I am fully aligned with the organisation’s goals and am delighted to lead from the front.”

In her new role, Ravi will be pivotal in driving growth for the company's creative and social media business. She will also play a crucial role in developing and implementing LS Digital's data-driven marketing strategy.

Alok Varman rejoins Pepperfry as Head of Supply Chain

Pepperfry has reported the return of Alok Varman as Head of Supply Chain. Varman will be instrumental in further strengthening Pepperfry’s position as India’s leading furniture and home decor company. In his new role, he will focus on optimising the supply chain to ensure a seamless customer experience across all channels. His deep understanding of Pepperfry’s business, and supply chain and proven track record will be crucial in driving Pepperfry’s continued growth by ensuring a seamless customer experience across all channels.

Varman brings over 23 years of experience in strategic business management, supply chain, omnichannel business and customer experience spanning across sectors ranging from retail, and ecommerce to B2B & B2C wholesale marketplace. As a founding team member of Pepperfry, Varman played a critical role in building its strong logistics and warehousing infrastructure. His decade-long association with the brand saw him lead the expansion of the company’s experience stores, making it an integral part of the omnichannel strategy.

Before rejoining Pepperfry, he was the COO at Isho.com, a D2C ecommerce furniture startup in Bangladesh, where he enhanced customer experiences and led the brand’s entry into the Indian market. He has also held notable positions such as VP at Wydr.in, Senior Manager at Carnation Auto India, and Manager of Consumer Operations at Guthy-Renker LLC.

Speaking on the new appointment, Ashish Shah, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer at Pepperfry says, “We are excited to welcome Alok back to Pepperfry. His deep understanding of the business operations and passion for the category will be invaluable as we continue to optimise our operations towards delivering a superlative experience to our customers through our proprietary big box supply chain that reaches 300 cities across the country.”

Expressing his enthusiasm about his new role, Varman adds, “I am thrilled to rejoin Pepperfry at this exciting time and to work under the leadership of Ashish Shah. I look forward to working with the team to further optimise our supply chain, deliver an exceptional customer experience, and continue to drive the growth of Pepperfry with excellence and innovation.”

Sony Pictures CIO Raj Mohan Srinivasan steps down

Raj Mohan Srinivasan, the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), has stepped down, according to media reports. During his tenure at SPNI, he was a key member of the leadership team, overseeing the strategy and execution of digital and IT initiatives for the network.

With over 30 years of diverse global experience, Srinivasan has held positions at IBM, Oracle, and even ran his own entrepreneurial venture. His expertise encompasses technology and IT strategy, business transformation, and strategic execution with a strong focus on market trends and financial acumen. He has also provided strategic advice to clients across various industries, assisting with business strategies, market and product positioning, and outlining digital business roadmaps and IT platforms.

Srinivasan has extensive experience in delivering solutions for cognitive computing, big data, and analytics on enterprise technology platforms. He holds a postgraduate degree in operations research and computer applications from NIT Trichy and has certifications as a Global Transformation Consultant from Booz Allen and Boston Consulting Group, as well as a Corporate Director from the Institute of Directors, India.