Hires & Promotions: Tilt Brand Solutions, Madison Media, Optimise Media, Mamaearth, Lowe Lintas

Tilt Brand Solutions Appoints Gulshan Singh As Chief Strategy Officer

Tilt Brand Solutions has appointed Gulshan Singh as Chief Strategy Officer. He will pair up with Paul Dueman, also Chief Strategy Officer, who was brought in a year back.

Speaking on this appointment, Joseph George (Joe), Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Tilt Brand Solutions said, “Gulshan’s competencies, experience, and interest are just right for what is needed to lead Right Brained Planning at Tilt. With this appointment, Tilt Brand Solutions will be the first-ever Brand and Communications Consultancy in the country that will have a 2 CSO structure - a tangible demonstration of our belief in Full Brained Thinking and the equal importance and criticality of both Left and Right Brained Planning at Tilt. Am sure Paul and he will enjoy their tango”.

Gulshan has almost 20 years of prior work experience across JWT, Publicis, Lowe Lintas, TNS, and IMRB and on clients like Britannia, General Motors, GSK, Mahindra & Mahindra, MakeMyTrip, Marico, Mondelez, Nestle, Nivea, P&G, Tanishq and Tata Tea. He has won Effies on almost all the clients he has worked on, especially so on Britannia, Tata Tea, and Tanishq. Gulshan assumed this role on August 23rd; he and Paul will both be reporting to Joe. 

Added Paul Dueman, Chief Strategy Officer, Tilt Brand Solutions, “Gulshan’s appointment reflects our belief and our conviction in how we want to drive the Strategy function at Tilt. While this journey with him will now become a lot more interesting and a lot more enriching personally for me, our brands and clients of course are the ones who will benefit the most from this appointment.”

Concludes Gulshan Singh, Chief Strategy Officer, Tilt Brand Solutions, “I have been following with admiration and interest, the way Tilt has gone about building itself the last 3 years, and I can’t be happier with this opportunity. The desire and insistence to get the strategy right at Tilt are palpable across functions and levels, and that is so motivating and spurring for me as a career planner. I am excitedly looking forward to partner and leverage Paul and his expert team of data analysts and solutions to jointly deliver superior brand and communication solutions”

Saif Shaikh Promoted As COO, Madison Media Pinnacle

Madison Media has promoted Saif Shaikh to Chief Operating Officer, Madison Media Pinnacle. The unit will house, the Agency’s first and leading account, Godrej Consumer Products for Traditional and Digital media.

Saif Shaikh comes with an overall experience of over 19 years in strategy, planning implementation and buying, having joined Madison Media in 2017, he has led the AOR for Godrej across the company’s larger portfolios such as Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Godrej Properties and other businesses like frozen foods and has managed media campaigns for almost 20 brands across portfolios such as hair colour, soaps, handwash, home insecticides, car and room freshener along with real estate.

Says Vikram Sakhuja, Partner & Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH, “I am delighted to announce that we are promoting Saif Shaikh to COO – Madison Media Pinnacle. He will now lead the integrated remit of our key Client Godrej. Over the past few years, Saif has consistently delivered on the biggest challenges given to him thanks to his hands-on, passionate, inclusive and never say die approach. We congratulate Saif on his promotion.”

Says Saif Shaikh, COO, Madison Media Pinnacle, “I’m happy to lead Madison’s foremost client, Godrej. I look forward to leading the integrated account and further strengthening the brand and helping it achieve its outcomes.”

Shaan Raza Takes Over As CEO Of Optimise Media

Optimise Media India has elevated Shaan Raza, former Deputy Managing Director, to the position of the CEO of the company. She has taken over from Mr LD Sharma, Managing Director and Founding CEO of the company who will remain as the Managing Director of the company. Shaan has been with the company for more than ten years. 

LD Sharma, India Managing Director, Optimise Media says, “Shaan has been a phenomenal asset to the company for almost a decade. Because of Shaan, Optimise India has graduated from a modest 7-member team and a smattering of clients to a 100+-member company with nearly 1500 clients and 20,000 publishers. I am certain she would help the company grow even further in the coming future."

“I have been highly impressed by Shaan’s contribution and achievements in taking the idea of performance and affiliate marketing to new levels. As an emerging digital economy that India is, besides the obvious opportunities, I would also appreciate the challenges and hurdles that Shaan and others may have faced while exploring new business opportunities there. So to that extent, the elevation of Shaan is even more creditable and well-deserved. I wish her all the luck in her new role,” adds Richard Syme, Group Chairman, Optimise Media Group.

“In the short period that I have worked with Shaan, she has come across as a professional who plans and thinks through every possible move and step with all probabilistic scenarios. She is a team player and has the talent of putting together highly motivated teams. I have no doubt that the new role would further galvanise her into working even harder and bring more revenue and growth to the company,” says Nitin Sabharwal, COO, Optimise Media, India Operations.

Zairus Master Appointed As Cheif Business Officer of Mamaearth

Mamaearth has announced the appointment of Zairus Master as the Chief Business Officer, Honasa Consumer. In this capacity, he will lead the revenue functions and develop a strategic roadmap to further accelerate the brand's growth and expansion.

With over 24 years of experience across FMCG and telecom, he will utilise his expertise to identify and explore long-range strategies. With a post-graduation from IIM, Lucknow, Master has work experience with brands like Unilever, Nokia, Airtel and Shine.

Varun Alagh, co-founder and chief executive officer, Honasa Consumer, said, “As we continue to grow the Honasa Consumer portfolio, it is important to get the right people on board to give the right push to the brand before you take it forward. Zairus brings with him a great mix of experience across traditional consumer giants like HUL & Airtel combined with running a digital product business which we believe is the right combination of experiences needed to grow a digitally-driven consumer business like ours. “

“Honasa Consumer is going from strength to strength with brands like Mamaearth and The Derma Co.; one being a purpose-driven brand and the other providing science-backed solutions for skincare. The organisation has changed the way FMCG companies conduct business, and I am proud to be part of the leadership team. I look forward to being a part of the trailblazing growth of the brands and company," added Zairus Master.

Lowe Lintas Elevates Anaheeta Goenka As COO For Unilever, South Asia And Chief Growth Officer 

Lowe Lintas, the creative agency of MullenLowe Lintas Group, has elevated Anaheeta Goenka's as its Chief Operating Officer for Unilever, South Asia and Chief Growth Officer. 

As COO for Unilever, South Asia, she will lead the teams for brands such as Glow & Lovely, Axe, Tresemme, Vim, Domex, Nature Protect, Knorr, Kissan, Pepsodent, Closeup, Surf Excel, Wheel, Sunlight (Sri Lanka) and Lifebuoy Shampoo (SEA). As Lowe Lintas' Chief Growth Officer, she will focus on strategic business development in a new challenging business environment - across all agency offices in India.

Announcing Anaheeta Goenka’s elevation, Virat Tandon, Group CEO at MullenLowe Lintas Group, stated "Ana has been a strong management pillar handling several Unilever brands and other business relationships. She has left her mark on so many brands and earned massive respect and love from clients and colleagues alike. I am sure she is the best choice for us to lead the Unilever portfolio as well as the strategic business development efforts of the agency."

Reacting to her eventful journey in the agency Goenka said, “It is great to be part of a dynamic ecosystem that operates at a fundamental level with intention & attention for all its brand work and strategic practice. Here’s to growth emanating from more purposeful work for Lowe Lintas and a healthy dose of disruption along with it.”