Hires & Promotions: GroupM, Nestle India, Dentsu Impact

GroupM Appoints Ritika Taneja As Head Of Ecommerce

GroupM India announces the appointment of Ritika Taneja as Head of E-commerce.

In this role, Ritika will be leading the e-commerce product offerings to clients and will also be responsible for co-creating the e-commerce vision and strategy charter for GroupM India. Ritika comes with a diverse experience in the e-commerce and offline retail space. As a digital business leader, she has experience in engaging with consumer tech companies. She joins the GroupM India team with a proven track record of building successful consumer-centric brands and businesses. 

Atique Kazi, President - Data, Performance and Digital Products, GroupM India said, “There is a growing importance of strengthening e-commerce practices for brands in today’s digital economy and e-commerce has transformed the ways in which businesses are done in India. Ritika’s appointment is a part of our continued investment in talent, especially in areas of enormous growth opportunities, like e-commerce. With the kind of extensive knowledge in this vertical that Ritika brings to the table, I am certain that we will continue to make the e-commerce practice a GroupM differentiator for our clients and brands.”

In her career spanning over 17 years, Ritika has spent a large part working in the online and offline retail space. Her experience also includes working on several international brands managing and growing their brand portfolios.

Ritika Taneja, Head of E-commerce, GroupM India said, “I am ecstatic to be a part of the GroupM family. The e-commerce landscape is evolving massively and there is a need for brands to advance their e-commerce strategies with this changing landscape and consumer behaviour. GroupM provides a unique environment for leading the e-commerce sector that is transforming brands and helping the drive new trends in the country. I look forward to closely working with the leadership and help our clients on e-commerce opportunities by creating services and product offerings.”

Ritika will be based out Gurgaon and report to Atique Kazi, President - Data, Performance and Digital Products, GroupM India, and closely work with Toni Ruotanen, Head of E-commerce services GroupM APAC.

Rashi Goel Resigns From Nestle India

Rashi Goel has resigned from her position as Business Executive Officer - Breakfast Cereals, South Asia and Director Marketing & Consumer Communications at Nestle India, after a four-year tenure with the business. Nestle has yet to comment on her departure.

She had joined Nestle as Director Of Marketing and Consumer Communications India in April 2017, succeeding Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan, who had relocated to the company's headquarters in Switzerland. In February 2021, she was assigned the additional duty of Business Executive Officer - Breakfast Cereals, S.Asia.

Goel was the CMO of The Kraft Heinz Company India before joining Nestle, where she oversaw products such as Complan, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Nycil and GluconD. Previously, she had also worked with Givaudan PTE, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Unilever, and L’Oreal. 

Vishal Nicholas Gets Additional Role As Head Of Strategy For Dentsu Impact

Vishal Nicholas, Planning & Strategy Head, dentsuMB (earlier Dentsu India) will now also lead Strategy for Dentsu Impact, a dentsuMB Company. Under this expanded mandate, Vishal will manage planning & strategy - South, Mumbai and Delhi for both the agencies. He will continue to report to Sidharth Rao, CEO, dentsuMB Group.

For the record, Dentsu Impact and dentsuMB are part of the dentsuMB Group in India that also houses the agencies Dentsu Webchutney, Dentsu One and Taproot Dentsu. 

Armed with 16 years of experience, Vishal has had stints at Lowe Lintas and McCann where he worked on Flipkart, Tata Tea’s JaagoRe platform, Myntra, TVS Motors, ITC Aashirvaad and Britannia. Vishal is a multiple EFFIE award winner across the India and APAC regions.

Speaking on the elevation, Sidharth Rao, CEO, dentsuMB Group, said, “As we continue to strengthen and reshape our creative offering in the Indian market, we needed a planning leader who has experience with both traditional and new-age businesses; and Vishal was the obvious choice to steer the strategy product for both dentsuMB and Dentsu Impact.”

Vishal Nicholas added, “Ever since I joined Dentsu, I’ve always been excited about the Eastern approach to building brands with simplicity and second-order thinking at its core. With dentsuMB, the combination of the East and West make it even more compelling. And with Dentsu Impact’s fantastic roster of clients, I look forward to achieving greater business outcomes for them.”