Hires & Promotions: Leo Burnett, OMG, Mindshare, IAMAI-BACC

Leo Burnett strengthens planning team with senior appointments

Leo Burnett India ha smade a slew of new hires to strengthen its strategic planning team with 2 new appointments in Mumbai – Mittu Torka as Executive Vice President – Strategy and Bonnie Michael as Executive Vice President – Strategy and elevates Ankit Singh as Executive Vice President – Strategy in Delhi.

Bonnie joins Burnett as Executive Vice President- Strategy. With almost 2 decades of experience across FMCG, finance, technology, auto and hospitality. Bonnie specializes in providing strategic solutions to brands and organizations, and helping them engage with their audience, to improve their customer experience in an effective manner.

Mittu who joins Leo Burnett as Executive Vice President – Strategy brings in valuable perspective having worked in markets across India and Southeast Asia. Her experience ranges from online platform development, customer lifecycle management to crafting brand narratives and go-to-market strategies. She has worked on marquee brands like Samsung (Global), Coca Cola, Guinness, Huawei (South Pacific), OLX, General Mills and Mead Johnson over the course of her career. Mittu also has her own entrepreneurial venture - ‘Mannmitr’ a mental health platform which she hopes to build further.

Ankit has been with Leo Burnett since the past  years and has over the years successfully built brands, high-performance teams and businesses for the agency. He has been instrumental in leading the agency’s Delhi strategy team and integral to the multi-fold growth we have seen in our Delhi office, in the last 3 years.

 Speaking about the appointments Dheeraj Sinha CEO & Chief Strategy Officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett said, “At Leo Burnett India strategy has always been core to building success for client’s businesses. This is also a testimony to the success of our Leo Burnett Consult offering which has already completed several projects within a year of its launch. Our new age thinking, and growth trajectory has always attracted the top talent from the industry. Mittu and Bonnie both come with valuable knowledge and experience having worked across diverse sectors and some of the best-in-class brands. Their addition to the planning team will only help us sharpen our thinking and output on our businesses.

Ankit has been a valuable part of the Leo Burnett planning team and this promotion is not only well deserved but also a testament to our commitment to nurture homegrown talent. I am looking forward to seeing how each of these talented planners are going to create magic for our clients.”

Mindshare India Appoints Vipasha Bhuptani As Communications Planning Lead For Content+

Mindshare India has appointed Vipasha Bhuptani as Communications Planning Lead for the Content+ team. 

In this role, Vipasha will be responsible for setting up the communications planning vertical for the agency’s key businesses. She will further strengthen the content+ offering by refining and sharpening strategic content communications narratives.

Vipasha Bhuptani comes with a rich and vast experience of close to 20 years in leading communications planning & strategy across some of the top Indian and international brands. She has worked as a strategic brand planner for various top brands across sectors in markets like India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Her expertise is in designing relevant communications and outreach strategies.

Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps), CEO – Mindshare South Asia said, “Vipasha has a proven track record of implementing strategic communication initiatives across various brands and markets. We believe that Vipasha will play a pivotal role as we accompany our clients in revamping their content strategies.”

Ajay Mehta, Sr. Vice President - Mindshare Content+ & Partnerships said, “Given the explosion in the content & communication landscape and with the emergence of new platforms, formats & frameworks, there is a need to address and build sharper & deeper, yet fully integrated content narrative for our set of clients. I look forward to working closely with Vipasha and I am confident that she will further strengthen our content offerings. Her expertise in strategic brand communications will further enhance our clients’ integrated content journey.”

Vipasha Bhuptani, Communications Planning Lead, Mindshare Content+ said, “These are exciting times in the content landscape as we witness its hyper-growth across platforms and formats. Clients today seek guidance and support in navigating through this intricate ecosystem. I am thrilled to be part of the Mindshare family as I embark on a journey for transforming the content narrative network for our clients.”

Vipasha will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Ajay Mehta.

Omnicom Media Group Names Bharat Khatri As Chief Digital Officer For APAC

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has appointed Bharat Khatri as Chief Digital Officer for its operations across APAC. With over a decade of experience under his belt, Khatri is tasked with leading digital marketing operations, productization, commercials, and governance efforts for the network in this region.

A strategic digital marketer with more than a decade of experience across digital and sales domains, Khatri was previously the Country Head for Xaxis in India, where he oversaw the agency’s programmatic desk and collaborated with over 150 active advertisers across multiple industries. In his new role, Khatri will partner with OMG leaders in APAC to accelerate the adoption of integrated digital strategy, with a focus on leveraging technology to drive efficiency and creativity at scale across digital channels.

With India’s reputation as a thriving IT hub and home to some of the world’s most powerful and cutting-edge companies, Khatri will be based in India and reports to Paul Shepherd, Chief Investment Officer for OMG APAC.

“Bharat has a stellar track record and his astute business acumen in identifying and converting digital marketing opportunities into unique creative solutions will help unlock value for our clients in this region,” said Shepherd. “Combined with his experience in driving actionable, measurable, and revenue-generating business outcomes, I couldn’t be more excited having him on the team,” he added.

“I am incredibly thrilled & honored to join Omnicom Media Group at this pivotal time while our industry goes through a massive shift to a more fragmented, privacy-first & precision second eco-system,” said Khatri. “OMG’s strong roots in analytics and a big appetite for innovation are key assets for the next phase of digital transformation, and I feel privileged to be part of this growth and transformation journey in the region,” he added.

Gulshan Rai Joins IAMAI-BACC As Advisory Board Member

The Blockchain and Crypto Assets Council, an industry body formed under the aegis of the Fintech Convergence Council of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), has roped in Gulshan Rai, former cybersecurity coordinator, as its advisory board member. Rai is also serving as a distinguished fellow, ORF.

Rai has over 30 years of experience in information technology, including e-governance, cybersecurity, and cyber laws. He played an instrumental role in drafting national policies on cyber laws and cyber security. He represented the country in various internet governance and cybersecurity discussions.

He had held several key positions under the Government of India. Rai had served as the director-general, CERT-in (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and executive director, ERNET India. He was also the group coordinator, e-security and cyber law division, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India.