Hires & Promotions: Meesho, WATConsult, Vistara, Coca-Cola, Rediffusion SmartMedia, Jones Lang LaSalle

Meesho Appoints Anjana Asrani  As Associate Director Of Communications

Anjana Asrani, Puma Group's Senior Manager of Communications, has now joined Meesho as the Associate Director of Communications. 

Asrani worked with Puma for more than three years. She started her career in communications in 2009 as an Account Executive at MSL India.

A communications graduate from the Christ University, Bangalore, Asrani has an experience of more than 12 years in the field of communications. 

She has been previously associated with leading companies like Weber Shandwick India, Target Corporation India and Uber.

Dentsu India Elevates Sahil Shah To Managing Partner – WATConsult

Isobar India's agency, WATConsult, has elevated Sahil Shah, erstwhile Chief Business Officer (CBO), to the role of Managing Partner.

One of the key founding members of the organisation, Sahil has played a significant role in shaping and building the agency since 2009. He has moved from strength to strength, successfully cultivating a culture of creativity and innovation within the agency. 

In his new role, Sahil will continue to report into Heeru Dingra, CEO, Isobar India group, and will spearhead the agency operations. Sahil will also be responsible for bringing in new business for the agency. 

Speaking on his new role, Sahil Shah, Managing Partner, WATConsult said, “After spending a decade and more in building this agency, my heart fills with pride as I watch it grow stronger each day. The digital landscape has certainly evolved and the teams at WATConsult have kept pace with this change by delivering some path-breaking campaigns. As we move towards our next phase of growth as a network, my team and I look forward to taking on this new journey with power and gusto.”

Commenting on Sahil’s elevation, Heeru Dingra, CEO, Isobar India group said, “Sahil is one of our strongest assets. His expertise in managing clients and the team is commendable. A great team leader, Sahil, along with the talented workforce at WATConsult, will continue to bring in new creativity to ensure persistent growth of clients. Together, and as a network, we are ready to explore a new pathway to our future.”

Vistara Elevates Vinod Kannan As CEO

Vinod Kannan has been promoted to the position of CEO of Vistara. He started as the airline's chief commercial officer in June 2019. From January 1, 2022, he will take over as CEO, succeeding Leslie Thng, who headed Vistara for four years.

Thng will return to Singapore Airlines in January 2022 to take up a senior position.

The airline issued a statement regarding Kannan's promotion, saying, "From January 1, 2022, Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, will join Singapore Airlines as a senior executive. TATA SIA Airlines Limited's Board of Directors has nominated Vinod Kannan to succeed Thng on January 1, 2022."

Kannan is also in charge of other verticas at the moment.

Sonali Khanna Joins Coca-Cola As VP & Operating Unit Counsel For India, SW Asia

Sonali Khanna has been named Vice President and General Counsel for Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, according to the company. Anjuli Kelotra, who will be moving on a global job, will be replaced by Khanna.

She will be in charge of overseeing and leading all legal matters pertaining to the Operating Unit (OU), with an emphasis on strategic legal support and business advice and solutions.

On her new appointment, the company said, “Khanna is a new addition to Coca-Cola’s leadership team for the region to further drive the company’s purpose driven approach. The new structure is designed to enable the India & South West Asia business to be a growth engine for The Coca-Cola Company, by capitalizing on emerging opportunities while continuing to build on talent development."

Commenting on the appointment, Sanket Ray – President, India and Southwest Asia, said, "It is our constant endeavor to strengthen the leadership team for a strong sustainable future growth and address the developing business needs. I am delighted to welcome Sonali on this exciting journey. Sonali brings a wealth of experience in strategic legal support, and her contributions will augment our  journey towards Emerginging Stronger, together as a  system."

Khanna has over 24 years of experience working with well-known FMCG and Satellite Communications & Technology firms such as Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, GSK Consumer, and Hughes Network Systems in a range of capacities.

Rediffusion SmartMedia Appoints Praveen Pandey As Chief Digital Officer

Rediffusion SmartMedia has appointed Praveen Pandey as its new Chief Digital Officer.

Pandey's most recent position was as associate vice president of Publicis Media, where he was in charge of the digital verticals' whole global business.

Pandey has worked at GroupM, Omnicom Group, and Publicis Groupe, and has over 15 years of expertise in digital media. His primary digital experience has been in the areas of biddable media and data-driven performance marketing. In the early stages of his career, he worked in start-ups and has expertise launching huge digital businesses. Unilever, Volkswagen Group, Bose, P&G, Tata Motors, Cipla, and others are among Pandey's clients.

On his new appointment, Sandeep Goyal, managing director, Rediffusion, commented, "Praveen is a young, dynamic and aggressive digital media professional. He comes to us with just the right credentials, and exposure to global brands and global best practices. He will be pivotal in our journey back to building a world-class media practice. In the past few months we have been putting together a formidable talent pool and Praveen will be charged with leading this incredible team forward." 

Praveen said, "I am excited to be joining Rediffusion, especially when the industry is on the cusp of phenomenal growth and evolution. I look forward to building products and services that best connect consumers to brands. We are getting together some very bright talent. And tying up some very different kinds of partnerships in AI, AR, BC, ML, VR and more that will enable us to offer cutting-edge technological solutions to brands. Compared to the media behemoths, it will be our endeavour to be nimble, innovative, inventive and solutions-driven. I am looking forward to an interesting innings ahead."

Siddharth Taparia To Be The Next CMO Of Jones Lang LaSalle

Siddharth Taparia has been appointed as the global chief marketing officer of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. He will be in charge of the company's global marketing strategy and will oversee all marketing efforts worldwide.

Taparia served as SAP's senior vice president and worldwide head of corporate brand and experience marketing prior to joining JLL. He has had many senior positions in marketing, strategy, consulting, product management, and mergers & acquisitions during his career.