Moves and wins: Week of 11 Aug

Our weekly roundup of the latest appointments and account wins from Ormax Media, Famous Innovations, Havas Media, Digi eRelease, Avalanche, Connect Network Inc., Saatchi, Ingram Micro India, Yellow Designs, Wondrlab, Dentsu Creative Isobar, Adgcraft, Micro labs, Infectious Advertising, Zurich Kotak, TBWA, FTA, JBCN Group, OMD, Brand Street, SGA, and many more.

Ormax Media launches OTT sports audience tracking tool

Ormax Media has launched Ormax Sports Track, a syndicated audience research tool measuring engagement and marketing impact of sports tournaments on digital platforms in India. With the country’s sports audience estimated at 678.2 million, OTT platforms are investing in a range of sports properties, including cricket, football, kabaddi, tennis and wrestling. The tracker evaluates tournaments on four parameters — buzz, reach, appeal and potency — from announcement to final match. Based on weekly online surveys with 600 regular OTT sports viewers across metros and non-metros, the tool provides twice-weekly reports to help platforms and leagues optimise performance and marketing strategies.

Famous Innovations strengthens Delhi leadership with three senior appointments

Famous Innovations has expanded its Delhi office leadership with the appointments of Saurabh Sabikhi as executive creative director – copy, Lakshiyta Singh as planning director, and Chaitanya Lekhwani as senior creative director – copy. Sabikhi brings 17 years of experience with agencies such as JWT, Cheil, Lintas, and Media Monks, having worked on brands like Amazon, Tata Tea, and PepsiCo. Singh joins with over a decade of strategic experience across multiple sectors, including FMCG, personal care, and real estate, leading brand transformations and GTM launches. Lekhwani offers more than 15 years in advertising and media, with work spanning ESPN, CNN India, and campaigns for H&M, Sleepwell, and Dabur. The appointments aim to enhance the agency’s creative and strategic capabilities in the region.

Havas Media India appoints Sujata Singh as president – south

Havas Media India has appointed Sujata Singh as president – south to lead operations in the region from Bengaluru, reporting to Uday Mohan, COO of Havas Media and Havas Play India. With over two decades of brand and agency experience, including roles at IPG Mediabrands, Amazon India, GroupM, and Omnicom, Singh has worked with clients across FMCG, auto, retail, fashion, technology, and consumer durables. Her appointment comes amid strong growth for Havas Media India’s southern operations, with a portfolio including Swiggy, Puma, Joyalukkas, and V-Guard.

Digi eRelease wins marketing and PR mandate for nourishkind

Digi eRelease has secured the marketing and PR mandate for NourishKind by Nandini Kumar, a wellness brand focused on joyful, sustainable, and culturally rooted nutrition. The consultancy will lead communications strategy, media outreach, and community campaigns to promote mindful living. Founded in 2021 by certified nutrition coach Nandini Kumar, NourishKind offers personalised coaching, workshops, and educational programmes that celebrate local foods and cultural heritage. Nandini Kumar said the partnership was a natural next step in sharing the brand’s values, while Sukanti Krishnapriya Nair, founder and CEO of Digi eRelease, highlighted the alignment between the brand’s philosophy and the agency’s storytelling approach.

Avalanche partners with Quboid to launch blockchain-based loyalty programme for brands

Avalanche has partnered with Quboid to launch blockchain-powered loyalty programmes designed to offer brands enhanced scalability, security, and decentralisation. Leveraging Avalanche’s high-performance infrastructure, the initiative enables real-time, transparent consumer data access, greater ownership of loyalty infrastructure, and token rewards for participation. Quboid’s interoperable network allows multiple brands’ rewards to be exchanged across a decentralised ecosystem, driving cross-brand engagement. The platform has already onboarded brands including Emami, K Hotels, Japan Open Chain, Tanukiverse, Nayaab World, and College Brand Connect. Devika Mittal of Ava Labs and Prakhar Sharma of Quboid highlighted the partnership’s role in transforming loyalty from siloed cost centres into community-driven profit centres through blockchain innovation

Connect Network Inc. launches precision-driven DOOH platform with global scale

Connect Network Inc. has introduced Connect Digital, a new Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) division that combines audience intelligence, AdTech, and creative innovation to deliver targeted, measurable campaigns. Building on the legacy of Connect OOH, the platform offers access to 31 environments in India and over 10 million programmatically available screens worldwide. Powered by Immersive, Connect’s proprietary AI-driven AdTech system, it enables hyperlocal targeting, dynamic creative optimisation, cross-environment visibility, and global programmatic access. Haresh Nayak, CEO of Connect Network Inc., and Fabian Cowan, director of Connect Digital, highlighted its potential to make DOOH a core element of omnichannel strategies by offering precision, scale, and accountability. The launch reinforces Connect’s position as a future-focused marketing solutions company with expertise across OOH, experiential, cinema, rural, digital, and martech.

Saatchi Propagate India appoints Saurabh Mankhand as EVP and head of consumer experience

Saatchi Propagate India, Publicis Groupe India’s full-funnel digital agency, has appointed Saurabh Mankhand as executive vice president and head of consumer experience. Returning to the network, Mankhand will lead the agency’s CX practice, integrating strategy, data, content, platform innovation, and emerging technologies to drive measurable brand impact, while advancing Publicis Groupe’s ‘Power of One’ model. With over two decades of experience and prior leadership roles at OLIVER+, Indigo Consulting, and Ogilvy India, he has worked with brands including Unilever, Jio, Vodafone, and IBM. Reporting to Paritosh Srivastava, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India, and Saatchi Propagate India, he will collaborate closely with Prachi Bali and Snehasis Bose to strengthen the agency’s end-to-end CX capabilities.

Ingram Micro India appoints Ankesh Kumar as director and chief of marketing

Ingram Micro India has appointed Ankesh Kumar as director and chief of marketing, where he will lead an integrated marketing strategy aligned with the company’s go-to-market objectives, focusing on brand, digital, and ecosystem engagement. With over two decades of leadership experience at technology firms including Schneider Electric, Honeywell, and Vertiv, Kumar has already contributed to scaling global campaigns and partner programmes through the Xvantage™ platform. Certified in business sustainability management, Six Sigma, and digital media marketing, he brings expertise in consultative selling, analytics-led growth, and customer-centricity. Navneet Singh Bindra, vice president and chief country executive – India at Ingram Micro, noted that Kumar’s strategic approach will support the company’s next phase of growth, enhancing its digital transformation and reinforcing its position as a trusted B2B technology partner in India.

Verve Media wins local seo mandate for luxury entertainment brand The Game Palacio

Verve Media has been appointed as the local SEO partner for The Game Palacio, a luxury entertainment brand with flagship venues across Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, and Noida. The mandate includes location-based keyword optimisation, Google Business Profile enhancements, review strategies, and content-led initiatives aimed at boosting discovery and foot traffic. Known for its boutique bowling alleys, immersive arcade games, and fine-dining lounges, The Game Palacio’s collaboration with Verve Media is positioned to strengthen its digital visibility and competitive edge as it expands across India.

Yellow Designs brand identity and launch strategy for sustainable athleisure brand Terraloop

Creative agency Yellow has developed the brand identity, website, and go-to-market strategy for Terraloop, a sustainable athleisure brand founded by Shobika Shivaswamy. Combining style, performance, and sustainability, the brand’s visual language features clean, kinetic typography and a palette inspired by elemental forces. The launch plan focuses on sparking curiosity ahead of the first product drop, with touchpoints designed to educate and inspire. Terraloop’s identity and tone emphasise discipline, responsibility, and long-term impact, aiming to stand apart in the competitive sportswear market.

Wondrlab names Hemant Shringy chief creative officer, managing partner

Wondrlab has appointed Hemant Shringy as chief creative officer and managing partner. He has over 20 years of experience at agencies including FCB, BBDO, Ogilvy and DDB, working with brands such as Ariel, Whisper, WhatsApp, Visa, Amul, Tata Motors and Star Sports. At Wondrlab, he will oversee brand building, content, commerce, CRM, influencer strategies, automation and AI integration. The network employs over 550 staff across creative, commerce media and technology. Amit Akali will continue as co-founder and chief mentor, focusing on strategic guidance. The appointment aims to strengthen Wondrlab’s platform-first, data-led and technology-enabled approach to marketing across consumer touchpoints.

Dentsu Creative Isobar names Shah chief executive officer

Dentsu Creative Isobar has appointed Sahil Shah as chief executive officer. He was previously president of the agency for three years. Shah has worked with global and Indian brands including Tata Motors, Visa, L&T Finance, Nikon, Vivo Mobiles, Bajaj Allianz, Jack & Jones, Racold, SBI Life Insurance, DBS Bank and Eureka Forbes. His earlier roles covered creative storytelling, social and digital media, marketing technology integration and consumer insights. He has experience combining online and offline strategies, using video as a primary engagement tool and applying data-led decision-making. Shah will lead a team of over 350 across India and will report to Amit Wadhwa, CEO for Dentsu Media and Creative South Asia. He began his career at WATConsult, acquired by Dentsu in 2015.

Adgcraft wins PR mandate for Clove Dental

Adgcraft has secured the public relations mandate for Clove Dental, Asia’s largest dental clinic chain with over 620 clinics in 26 Indian cities. The agency will handle Clove Dental’s integrated PR, media relations, and communication strategy to strengthen its national presence and leadership in the healthcare sector. The partnership aims to raise awareness about preventive dental care and promote oral health as a mainstream healthcare priority.

Micro Labs elevates Madhukar Kataria to AVP–micro wellness division

Micro Labs Limited has promoted Madhukar Kataria to associate vice president of its Micro Wellness Division. With over 19 years of sales and marketing experience, Kataria has played a pivotal role in driving growth for leading OTC brands and, since joining Micro Labs in 2023, has contributed to the success of products such as Dolo 500, Dolo Fevometer, and Dolo Spray. His elevation is seen as a strategic move to bolster the company’s presence in the wellness segment.

Infectious Advertising appoints Divesh Mehta as AVP–planning and Kiran Salkar as creative director–art

Infectious Advertising has expanded its senior management with the appointment of Divesh Mehta as associate vice president – planning and Kiran Salkar as creative director – art. Mehta brings nearly 15 years of marketing communications experience across sectors including BFSI, hospitality, pharmaceuticals and heavy industries, along with entrepreneurial experience in the apparel sector. Salkar, also with over 15 years in advertising, has led creative work for brands such as Lux, Sunsilk, BMW, Tata Motors, Parle, Taj, SBI and Orra, combining expertise in design, storytelling and brand building. Both hires aim to strengthen the agency’s strategic and creative capabilities.

Zurich Kotak general insurance appoints Surabhi Kanjilal as chief marketing officer

Zurich Kotak General Insurance has appointed Surabhi Kanjilal as chief marketing officer to lead marketing, PR strategy, brand development and digital initiatives in India. With over 16 years of experience in marketing, brand building and customer experience, she previously served as head of marketing and retail PMO at Reliance General Insurance and has held roles at Reliance Health, Ola TFS, Apollo Munich Health Insurance and Mullen Lintas. She will work closely with the leadership team to strengthen the company’s market position and drive growth.

TBWA India appoints Anirban Mozumdar as chief strategy officer

TBWA India has named Anirban Mozumdar as chief strategy officer, reporting to CEO Govind Pandey. With 28 years of experience across branding, advertising and communications, Anirban has held senior roles at Leo, Havas India and as an entrepreneur at chlorophyll, working with brands including P&G, Reckitt and Burger King. He has also collaborated globally with HCLTech and Intuit. In his new role, he will bring a future-focused approach to brand strategy, blending data-driven insight with creative thinking to drive disruptive growth.

FTA Global appoints Rohit Salian as vice president–brand and strategy

FTA Global has appointed Rohit Salian as vice president – brand and strategy, also leading its creative innovation division, FTA Creative Labs. In his role, Salian will shape brand narratives for the company and its clients, while driving AI-powered storytelling initiatives. With over 12 years of experience at agencies including NP Digital India, Oliver+ and Creativeland Asia, he has worked on campaigns for Standard Chartered India, Reliance Jio and Effies-recognised projects.

JBCN Group of schools awards communications mandate to PR Pundit Havas Red

JBCN Group of Schools has appointed PR Pundit Havas Red as its strategic communications partner to handle integrated media outreach and enhance its brand presence in holistic, future-ready education. The mandate will focus on communicating the institution’s ‘EduCreative’ philosophy, which blends academic excellence, experiential learning, and values-based education to nurture critical thinking, creativity, and global mindedness. The partnership aims to strengthen JBCN’s visibility and engagement with stakeholders across India’s evolving education landscape.

Brand Street Integrated introduces ‘BSI flash’ to redefine product sampling in India

Brand Street Integrated has launched ‘BSI flash’, a dedicated division aimed at transforming product sampling and trial programmes with strategic planning, sharper targeting, and measurable outcomes. Built on the ‘F.L.A.S.H.’ framework- Feel, Listen, Act, Sample, Harness - the approach focuses on creating brand discovery moments in the right setting and timing. The division will cater to sectors including FMCG, personal care, health, wellness, and beverages, customising programmes based on usage patterns and audience segmentation. With a trained field force, real-time reporting, and multi-channel reach across retail, residential, corporate, transit, and event spaces, BSI Flash seeks to position sampling as a critical brand touchpoint that drives engagement, education, and conversions.

SGA PR appointed marketing partner for PSLAI

Strategic communications firm SGA PR has been named the marketing partner for the Priority Sector Lenders Association of India (PSLAI), an industry-led, not-for-profit platform launched by iSPIRIT in January 2025. PSLAI brings together banks, NBFCs, fintechs, and policymakers to reimagine priority sector lending in India. SGA PR will drive outreach campaigns, industry partnerships, and awareness initiatives to strengthen engagement across the fintech and lending ecosystem, with official recognition across PSLAI’s platforms and events.