Hires & Promotions: Flipkart, Tata Neu, Jindal Stainless, Pizza Hut, Asymmetrique, BOQ Group

Flipkart's Prabh Simran Singh quits

Prabh Simran Singh, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Customer Growth and Retention, Marketing and Ads at Flipkart, has quit and is serving his notice period. Singh will be leaving the company in the coming weeks.

Sankalp Mehrotra, Vice President (VP) of Monetisation at Flipkart, is also on his notice period.

Flipkart has seen significant top-level churn in the past few months. The exits include- Sandeep Kohli, SVP and head of data centres; Amitesh Jha, head of marketplace and categories; Bharath Ram, SVP of Growth and Retention; Ayyappan R, Cleartrip CEO; and Dheeraj Aneja, head of fintech and payments.

"Our approach to enabling wealth creation and career planning for all employees has given several individuals the opportunity to pursue the next phase of their careers, which has led to some exits among senior management," CEO Krishnamurthy had said in a note when the senior executives were departing.

While Singh joined Flipkart in August 2022, after stints at Disney Hotstar and Google, Mehrotra has been with Flipkart for over eight years.

Anuj Rathi has been roped in as the new Chief Executive of Cleartrip, the company’s travel platform. After Cleartrip's former CMO Kunal Dubey's recent departure, Tavleen Bhatia was appointed as its new Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer (CMRO), effective April 1, 2024. Bhatia joined Cleartrip from Flipkart, where she was the head of Growth, Marketing & Monetisation for Flipkart Mobiles.

Sandeep Karwa, Vice President, Flipkart Ads, is the newly appointed leader for Flipkart Ads. Karwa has been with Flipkart for over 12 years now after stints with Arvind Fashions and Wildcraft India.

As Vice President of Flipkart Ads, Karwa announced the launch of Flipkart IRIS, an insights platform for brands.

Abhimanyu Lal to lead Tata Neu as its CMO

Abhimanyu Lal, who led Tata Digital as Tata Digital as Chief Business Officer - Growth (Product Commerce) since April 2023, has been appointed as the Marketing Head of Tata Neu, in a leadership rejig of the executive team at Tata Group's multi-purpose super app. Lal joined Tata Digital in 2019 as its Chief Marketing Officer and Head- Operations.

On May 20, Naveen Tahilyani, CEO of Tata Digital, revamped Neu super app's executive team.

Gaurav Motwani will join as the new Chief Product Officer, and Hardeep Singh Guru will be the Chief Financial Officer.

Lal began his career at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting and went on to work across Tata Strategic Management Group, eBay India, Twyst.in, KartRocket and Pepperfry.

Previously, as the chief product officer at Pepperfry, he ran all aspects of product management at Pepperfry (front-end platforms, supply chain, customer support, ERP, omnichannel etc.). His additional responsibilities included being the business head for the homeware business, leading refunds and payments teams.

Jindal Stainless appoints Sanjay Mishra as Chief Digital and Information Officer

India’s stainless steel manufacturer, Jindal Stainless has named Sanjay Mishra as its new Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO). Mishra is experienced in digital and information technology. At Jindal Stainless, he will be responsible for spearheading strategic digitalisation and transformation initiatives aimed at making the organisation a digital powerhouse.

Speaking on the appointment, Abhyuday Jindal, MD, Jindal Stainless says, “Embracing digitisation and prioritising information security are not just trends; they're essential to the growth and sustainability of our organisation. As our new CDIO, Mishra will help us envision a future where we are heralded as the flagbearers of technological innovation in the industry. I am certain that his contributions will boost our efficiency, ensure company-wide data integrity and safeguard our valuable assets.”

Before joining Jindal Stainless, Mishra worked at global organisations, including IBM, GE and L&T. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in spearheading the development of core commerce products, overseeing the implementation of ERPs for global clientele, and leading the development of one of the largest in-house developed ERP & analytics platform. He holds an M.Tech in Industrial Management from IIT Kanpur and earned his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from KNIT Sultanpur.

Commenting on his new role, Mishra shares, “I am thrilled to join Jindal Stainless at such a pivotal moment in its digital transformation journey. With the organisation’s steadfast commitment to innovation and a clear focus on information security, I am excited to lead the charge in augmenting the company’s technological capabilities, while driving growth, streamlining processes, and elevating Jindal Stainless to new heights of success.”

PepsiCo's Kalen Thornton joins Pizza Hut as Global Brand Chief

Kalen Thornton, who led PepsiCo as VP- Sports, Entertainment and Gaming, has joined Pizza Hut as global brand chief. In his past role, Thornton led sports, entertainment, and gaming across the PBNA portfolio marketing: Pepsico, Gatorade, and Energy brands.

Thornton's role will become effective starting June 10. He will report to Aaron Powell, Division CEO, Pizza Hut.

In his new role, Thornton will lead Pizza Hut's global brand strategy and oversee all aspects of marketing which will span across 110 markets and territories.

He started his career as a professional athlete at Dallas Cowboys and went on to work across Citi, Morgan Stanley, Pharos Capital Group and Nike.

Asymmetrique appoints Vinay Venkatesh as Chief Creative Officer

Asymmetrique has appointed Vinay Venkatesh as its Chief Creative Officer (CCO).

With over 23+ years of industry experience, Vinay Venkatesh will be responsible for spearheading creative innovation and driving growth. His career boasts experience working with a wide range of market leaders like Vodafone, Diageo, DHL and Emirates Airlines. He has also lent his expertise to Indian giants like Tata Consultancy Services and Asian Paints, along with numerous other household names like Hot Wheels, Perfetti Van Melle, Intel, and Microsoft.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have a creative leader like Vinay join the leadership team of Asymmetrique”, says Nitin Gupta, Founder of Asymmetrique. “Vinay's unique credentials and experience-mix along with his award-winning work should bring a leap forward to our solutions capabilities for clients. We are confident that his creative experience and vision will perfectly complement our world-class strategic and brand thinking and propel Asymmetrique and its clients’ future success,” he adds

“I am excited to join Asymmetrique as its CCO and unlock the full creative potential of the Agency. Asymmetrique has deep and unique strengths in marketing strategy and solutions, which need to be complemented with sophisticated creative offerings that address the needs of our clients in an increasingly complex digital world. By fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, we will not only attract top talent but also solidify Asymmetrique's position as a leader in creative marketing" adds Venkatesh.

iProspect's Yasha Chandra joins BOQ Group as Performance Marketing Lead

Yasha Chandra, who led iProspect as Client Partner, has joined BOQ Group as Performance Marketing Lead.

Chandra worked as a summer trainee at Marcom Tata Indicom tele services and Branded Retail Tata Teleservices. Then, she worked across Gutenberg, BrainGain Global, MEIZU, Mindshare and Reload Media.

As the Client Lead - Integrated Media at Mindshare, Chandra developed annual plans, defined strategies, drove negotiation with key publishers and analysed potential growth opportunities for the business.

She demonstrated leadership and communication skills to land business partnerships between top management and external partners

Further, Chandra led digital planning as a part of the Uniqlo pitch to win business for Mindshare.