Hires & Promotions: Truecaller, Airtel, Reckitt, Bright Outdoor, Augnito

Helena Svancar & Annika Poutiainen Join Truecaller Board of Directors List

Truecaller has appointed Helena Svancar and Annika Poutiainen as new board members. Helena and Annika join with extensive experience from leading positions within governance, finance, and telecommunication.

“We are delighted to announce that Annika Poutiainen and Helena Svancar have been elected to join True Software Scandinavia’s (“Truecaller’s”) Board of Directors. The rising problem of fraud and unwanted communication have accompanied digital growth as the smart phone continues to be the gateway to the digital economy, creating nuisance, mistrust and hindering economic activity. We are proud to say that Truecaller is an essential part of everyday communication for over 250 million active users and half a billion downloads since launch. These new board appointments will support Truecaller on our vision to make tomorrow’s communication smarter, safer and more efficient”, says Nami Zarringhalam, Chairman of the Board at Truecaller.

Annika Poutiainen serves as a member of the Listing Committee Nasdaq Helsinki, the advisory board of Unzer Group GmbH and the board of Airtel Africa plc. Annika has previously been chair of the Council for Swedish Financial Reporting Supervision, head of market surveillance at Nasdaq Nordics, head of unit at Finansinspektionen (Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority), member of the consultative workgroup of the committee of corporate governance within the European Securities and Markets Authority, Esma, and member of the Swedish Securities Council.

Helena Svancar has close to 20 years of experience from investment banking in London, New York, and Stockholm. She is currently the Head of M&A at Ericsson and responsible for the company’s M&A strategy, and the corporate ventures business. Prior to joining Ericsson in early 2018, she spent 18 years in investment banking, the last ten years with Deutsche Bank in London where she was Head of Corporate Finance, Nordic Region. Her other professional experience includes Rothschild and SEB Enskilda. Today, Svancar is a board member at Hoist Finance.

Bharti Airtel Appoints Amrita Padda As Chief People Officer

Bharti Airtel has named Amrita Padda as Chief People Officer with effect from 1 October 2021. She will report to Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Bharti Airtel.     

In her new role, Amrita will be responsible for Airtel’s People strategy as the company transforms into a digital services provider of choice. 

Commenting on the appointment, Gopal Vittal said: “I am delighted to welcome Amrita to Airtel. Our People and culture of empowerment are our biggest strengths that enable us to deliver world-class experiences to our customers. I am confident that Amrita will add immense value to Airtel’s exciting journey, help build new capabilities and ensure the company continues to be a magnet for top talent from across the world.”   

Amrita has work experience of over two decades with Hindustan Unilever, where she has handled the entire spectrum of Human Resources roles. Most recently, she was the Chief People Officer for Unilever Marketplace, their newly set up global business unit to transform Distributive Trade. In the past, she has also led Human Resources for Unilever Philippines and for their Global Procurement function. She has strong expertise in leading Human Resources transformation projects globally and has been a pioneer of new initiatives at Unilever.  

Amrita takes over from Samit Deb, who has decided to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities outside of Airtel. “I would like to thank Samit for his contribution to Airtel and strengthening our People practices. On behalf of everyone at Airtel, I wish him the very best in all his future endeavours,” added Gopal Vittal.

Reckitt Benckiser Brings Health & Hygiene Departments Under Gaurav Jain

In a new restructuring exercise, Reckitt Benckiser's Health and Hygiene units will be brought under Gaurav Jain. He has been heading the Health unit in India since 2017. With the rejig, Jain will be the overall lead for the company in India.

The elevation will help leverage the potential of Reckitt's range of complementary products like Lysol, Dettol and Harpic, which are spread over the health and hygiene units, by bringing the departments together.

Bright Outdoor Media Appoints Rajneesh Bahl As CEO

Bright Outdoor Media Group has named Rajneesh Bahl as Chief Executive Officer. He will be responsible for the overall Growth and Operations of the group as well as strengthening the Pan India agency network. 

MD & Chairman Yogesh Lakhani said: “Rajneesh has over 2 decades of OOH experience and an entrepreneurial mindset, I am very confident that Bright Outdoor Media will touch new heights across the country under his leadership” he also adds “ this appointment was strategically planned as we have very aggressive plans for growth, now the group offerings is now beyond OOH, we provide Planning & Buying for Television, Radio, Digital, Digital OOH, Malls & Multiplexes and Cinemaadvt not only in India but also International” 

Rajneesh has been in the OOH industry for 24 years and has been at various CXO positions for nearly 10 years. He has been associated with Portland, Madison Outdoor Media Services (MOMS), Mudra, Clear Channel, Percept. His last assignment was with Laqshya Media Group 

“I am excited to take over this role and looking forward to creating footprints for Bright Outdoor Media Group across the country with the prestigious client and grooming professional talent” expresses Rajneesh Bahl. 

Sahil Deswal Joins Augnito As Chief Marketing Officer

Healthcare tech innovator Augnito has roped in Sahil Deswal as the chief marketing officer for the brand. At Augnito, Sahil will be responsible for leading marketing strategy including digital media strategy and advertising as well as brand growth with a strong focus on global brand building. Augnito has been trailblazing the healthcare technology space with its one of its kind voice AI offering.

Sahil comes with over a decade of experience and has played an instrumental role in driving marketing and growth efforts for brands across e-commerce, media and entertainment, content, digital agencies and online services. Prior to joining Augnito, Sahil was VP - Marketing, Growth & Monetisation at Trell. In his previous stints, he has also worked with Unilodgers as VP - Global Growth & Marketing and as Head - Growth & Marketing at Times Internet for News & Gaming Business.

Talking about his appointment, Rustom Lawyer, Founder & CEO, Augnito said, ‘We are thrilled to have Sahil on board and have him join our growth journey. At Augnito, it is our constant endeavour to ensure we make a difference with our voice technology and we’re certain that with Sahil’s appointment we will be able to amplify our message and accelerate our journey of disrupting the healthcare technology space in India and the world”

On his appointment, Sahil added, ‘Augnito has done a phenomenal job in transforming and aiding healthcare professionals in India especially during times like these when healthcare is the topmost priority. I am thrilled to join an organization which I am confident will transform the face of healthcare globally and take digitization to newer heights. I look forward to leveraging my expertise for the brand, we’re just getting started and I am excited for the journey ahead’