Hires & Promotions: Swiggy, Microsoft, Havas, JSW Group

Swiggy onboards Abhishek Shetty as marketing lead

Confirming through a social post, Abhishek Shetty has now joined Swiggy as its marketing head, handling operations for Swiggy Instamart and private brands. 

Before Swiggy, Shetty served as the chief marketing officer (global) at Stader Labs. His professional experience spans nearly 15 years, during which he held several marketing roles with firms such as Sony Pictures Network India, Celio, Bestseller, Saatchi & Saatchi, MiD Day Infomedia, and others.

A BITS Pilani graduate, his core competencies include global marketing, P&L management, ecommerce and omni-channel sales, digital strategy, growth-performance marketing, content marketing, loyalty, and CRM.

Microsoft appoints Pallavi Walia as director of communications, India & South Asia

Microsoft has named Pallavi Walia as the director of communications for India & South Asia. She joins the software giant after a short stint with Vodafone Idea, where she was working as vice president, corporate communications. She confirmed the news through a social post.

In her previous stints, she worked with Twitter for more than 3 years as head of communications. Additionally, she has worked with renowned PR agencies such as Edelman, Weber Shandwick, and Perfect Relations in the past.

Jaibeer Ahmad to move out of Havas India

Jaibeer Ahmad, the chief transformation and growth officer at Havas India, has decided to move out of the agency, sources reveal

Ahmad joined Havas Worldwide India as a managing partner - North in December 2022 and was promoted to chief transformation and growth officer at Havas India in January 2024. 

Before joining Havas, Ahmad was at Cheil Worldwide as SVP, Head - Cheil.

In his career of almost 25 years, Ahmad has worked with many leading agencies like JWT (now VML), Draft FCB Ulka (now FCB India), Lowe Lintas & Partners (now MullenLowe Lintas Group), Ogilvy & Mather, Rediffusion Y&R (now Rediffusion) and Saatchi & Saatchi among others. 

JSW Group elevates Kaustubh Kulkarni as group head of banking

JSW Group has elevated Kaustubh Kulkarni as the group head of banking, with immediate effect. In addition to his existing responsibilities as group head of M&A and strategic financing, Kulkarni will now oversee banking relationships across the group business verticals.

Kulkarni brings over 27 years of experience in banking and finance to his new role. He joined the group in 2017 and has since been instrumental in executing several large strategic acquisitions. Before joining JSW, Kulkarni served as managing director - debt capital markets at Standard Chartered Bank, India.

"We are delighted to appoint Kaustubh Kulkarni as the Group Head of Banking," says Parth Jindal. "His proven track record in financial management and deep understanding of banking relationships will be invaluable as we navigate our growth trajectory. We are confident that under his leadership, we will optimize our financing strategies to support the Group's ambitious expansion plans."