Hires & Promotions: Gozoop, BBH, Disney+ Hotstar , Universal Sportsbiz

GOZOOP Group ropes in Samrat Bedi as CEO, India

GOZOOP Group has named Samrat Bedi as Chief Executive Officer of GOZOOP Group in India. Samrat, in his new role, will spearhead GOZOOP’s business operations and leadership team in India.

Samrat formerly led Ogilvy’s 82.5 Communications as President and brings to GOZOOP over two decades of rich experience and industry understanding. His success in building brands with an integrated approach will reinforce GOZOOP’s proposition to help brands build deeper relationships in a connected world.

Samrat will be responsible for carrying forward GOZOOP’s legacy of helping brands achieve scale and success via a holistic communication approach. Samrat will be based in Mumbai and will report to the board of GOZOOP Group.

Speaking on his new role, Samrat Bedi, CEO (India), GOZOOP Group said, “I am elated to take ahead the legacy that Ahmed and Rohan have built over the years. Their deep understanding about brands and businesses in a modern age has helped build GOZOOP be the independent and homegrown integrated agency it is today. I look forward to working with a group of passionate leaders at GOZOOP to build brands of the future and create work that will be outstanding.”

Speaking on the appointment of Samrat Bedi as CEO (India), Rohan Bhansali, Chairman & Co-founder, GOZOOP Group said, “In Samrat we have a rare blend of a leader who has a strong growth orientation and a spirited people-first approach. Samrat is a leader who we believe will drive GOZOOP India’s vision. I am confident that his experience and leadership in nurturing brands, teams and creative minds will take GOZOOP forward on its glorious journey.”

Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Global CEO & Co-founder, GOZOOP Group said, “GOZOOP is known to have redefined the agency model for a connected world, where digital and traditional advertising work seamlessly under one roof. Samrat’s unique skill sets and experience will not just consolidate that position but keep redefining it as we build GOZOOP into a creative powerhouse.”

Samrat has successfully launched and grown brands like Bisleri, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, Piaggio Vehicles - Vespa & Aprilia, Indian Premier League (IPL), Indian Super League (ISL), Cadbury Bournville, Cadbury Silk, PayPal, Mattel (Barbie and Fisher-Price), Taj Hotels, Tata Sky, Cipla, World Gold Council, among others. He has also received several awards for conceptualizing and executing integrated campaigns.

GOZOOP Group recently announced the elevation of Ahmed Aftab Naqvi as Global CEO to lead operations in the Middle-East region while overseeing the India business. He will look to further diversify the company's service offerings, enable strategic acquisitions and identify new markets to further strengthen the group’s international expansion.

GOZOOP India currently works with brands such as Dell, Bisleri, Taj Hotels, Saint-Gobain, Tata Steel to name a few.

BBH ropes in Alex Grieve as Global Chief Creative Officer

BBH has appointed Alex Grieve as its Global and UK Chief Creative Officer, as per media reports. He replaces Joakim Borgstrom.

Prior to this, Grieve was Chief Creative Officer at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. He will now lead creative direction and product.

News reports also say that Grieve will co-chair BBH's global board along with Publicis Groupe UK's Annette King and also report to the latter. 

Gaurav Shahlot quits Disney+ Hotstar as SVP Product

Gaurav Shahlot has quit Disney+ Hotstar after a 5+ year stint. His last role at Disney+ Hotstar was as SVP - Product. He joined the streaming platform in September 2016 as Director Product, AdTech. He will be joining an early-stage high-growth start-up.

"A personal update: little over 5 years ago, I took a big leap & moved to Mumbai to join a high growth startup - Hotstar. This is my last week here, but boy what a ride it was! The last 5 years have been the most exciting time of my professional life. Very rarely do you get a chance to build a product at such an immense scale," Shahlot said in a LinkedIn post.

On his next career move, Shahlot said, "Nothing gives me more joy than building and scaling products from the ground up. I’ll be joining a relatively early but another high growth start-up and hope to replicate some of the success there."

Shahlot joined Disney+ Hotstar from Myntra where he was Senior Product Manager. He also served as Chief Product Manager at Times Internet. He was also the Co-founder and CTO of Musicfellas.

Wrogn’s Parent Company Universal Sportsbiz names filmmaker Karan Johar as Chief Creative Advisor

Filmmaker Karan Johar joins hands with Universal Sportsbiz to be their first-ever Chief Creative Advisor.  In a strategic move, USPL has collaborated with Karan Johar to consult for all the fashion brands at USPL – Wrogn, Imara, Single & Wrogn Active. Karan Johar will be working closely with the brand’s in-house design, marketing and creative team and provide direction for the upcoming campaigns.

USPL has been shaking up the Indian fashion scene since its inception in 2014. Karan Johar will bring fresh vision and perspective with his unique sartorial sensibilities. Besides providing creative direction for the company, he will also provide artistic direction for USPL’s brands and their merchandise collections, their digital and editorial space as well as some of the company's branded experiences.  

Talking about the association with USPL, Karan Johar said – “I am very excited to be a part of USPL and we are really looking forward to disrupting the market for Indian consumers with fresh ideas. We can’t wait to expand our footprint amongst Gen-Z and strengthen our foothold in the Indian youth market.”

Throwing light on Karan’s collaboration, CEO of USPL Anjana Reddy said – “Karan Johar has a strong sense of the pulse of consumers, especially Gen-Z and Millennials. He has a proven track record of being a smart businessman and has foresight into trends and businesses he partners with, creating a win-win situation. Unapologetic and always ahead of the curve, he has the right synergy with our brands. Together, we are looking forward to capturing the Indian fashion market in a big way.”

With the retail and fashion market and consumer behaviour evolving fast in India, through this association, USPL and Karan Johar come together to stay ahead of the curve and to firmly establish USPL’s presence in the Indian fashion segment.