HIres & Promotions: TikTok, AB Inbev, Creativeland Asia
ByteDance Redesignates Nikhil Gandhi As TikTok Head for ME, Africa, Turkey & South Asia
Former TikTok India head, Nikhil Gandhi, has been redesignated as Head - Middle East, Africa, Turkey & South Asia. This comes in the wake of the company folding up its India operations following the central government's diktat to ban 59 Chinese apps permanently.
According to Gandhi's LinkedIn account, he has taken charge as Head - Middle East, Africa, Turkey & South Asia of TikTok beginning January.
He joined as TikTok India & South Asia head in October 2019. As the head, he led the development of TikTok's products and operations to achieve its global mission of inspiring creativity and bringing joy. His primary focus was on strengthening TikTok's presence in the country and adding value to India's growing digital community, every day.
Before joining TikTok, he served as the President & COO of Times Network driving the monetisation strategy and overall business growth of the company. He previously served as vice-president at The Walt Disney Company.
AB InBev Names Vineet Sharma As VP- Marketing & New Business Development for South Asia
Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev) has appointed Vineet Sharma as Vice President - Marketing and New Business Development in South Asia. Vineet most recently held the title of Trade Marketing Director, South Asia.
This leadership announcement underscores the brewer’s commitment to drive sustained growth in India, by cultivating consumer-centric innovation, building iconic brands, elevating go-to-market strategies while developing talent from within the company. In his new role, Sharma will focus on accelerating growth within the company’s existing portfolio of global brands while unlocking new avenues for products and experiences to address the evolving consumer and retail landscape, playing a key role in shaping AB InBev’s strategy for growth in India. In addition to his new responsibilities, Sharma will continue to spearhead the company’s trade marketing initiatives.
“I am excited to welcome Sharma to this new challenge at AB InBev. His strategic and purpose-driven vision has been instrumental in shaping the marketing strategy for Budweiser and our game plan for consumer and customer-focused initiatives in the trade. Sharma brings a profound knowledge of our brands and the market, a wealth of experience across industries coupled with creative and commercial acumen. He will play a critical role in revolutionizing our marketing strategies, innovations and engagement with consumers while finding whitespace opportunities to lead AB InBev to continued and sustainable success," shares Kartikeya Sharma, President – India & South East Asia, AB InBev.
Sharma joined AB InBev in 2016 and during this time has held key positions including Associate Marketing Director for Budweiser and most recently, Trade Marketing Director for South Asia.
“I am thrilled to embark on this new journey to accelerate AB InBev’s business transformation agenda in South Asia. With consumers at the center of everything that we do, I look forward to championing strong growth and breakthrough innovations, bringing to life our world-class brands in exciting ways, and deepening our relationships with consumers. I am excited to work closely with our teams, business associates and partners to lead the charge through a diverse portfolio of global brands, and further build AB InBev’s leadership position in India,” asserts Sharma.
Vineet has over a decade’s experience in global business management and has been at the forefront of crucial brand projects across multiple FMCG companies such as ITC Limited, Dabur International Limited and Unilever in South East Asia, India, Middle East and North Africa. Vineet holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing & Strategy from XLRI Jamshedpur.
Shalini Sinha Appointed As CEO, Consumer Intelligence & Director of Strategy at Creativeland Asia
Creativeland Asia (CLA) has on-boarded Shalini Sinha's appointment as CEO of Consumer Intelligence Unit & Director of Strategy. Sinha will play a crucial part in the next phase of CLA's growth and build on its objective to deliver integrated solutions driven by a well-rounded view on consumer insights that can be translated into powerful and actionable brand insights.
She brings with her close to 21 years of rich industry experience. In her last assignment, she was the Commercial Lead for the Creative Division of Kantar South Asia. Previously she has held other leadership positions, including that of Heading the South Geography of Kantar Millward Brown and Head of Firefly (India), the specialist Qualitative Research Division of Kantar Millward Brown.
Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Chairman, Creativeland Asia states "Given how rapidly consumer truths have changed in recent times, we felt we should make every investment needed to develop the most robust Consumer Insights and Intelligence unit in the business. I am delighted to introduce Shalini as the CEO, Consumer Intelligence & Director of Strategy. Previously, she has been involved with some leading names in the industry and has been instrumental in co-developing their brand and communication strategy. Her appointment further strengthens the senior management team at Creativeland Asia."
Shalini has deeply studied the heartland consumer, gaining insights into their motivations and evolving behaviours. In her Qualitative Research journey, she has had the privilege of working on specialized areas like Ethnography, application of Semiotics in research, Consumer Psychographics / Archetypes, NPD Research, etc. As part of the Quantitative exposure, she has worked on Brand and Communication Research.
Speaking on her appointment, Sinha adds, "I am pleased to join the leadership team of Creativeland Asia, one of the most well respected Creative agencies in India, as it looks to expand its footprint with an entry into the Consumer Insights business. I believe that taking a closer and sharper look at consumer truths has never been more important and that it will set the path for sharper brand strategies. Along with my respected colleagues at Creativeland Asia we aim to create holistic consumer and brand insights"
Donning the new role at Creativeland Asia, her mandate is to further strengthen the agency's position and reputation in the industry.
