Moves and wins: Week of 21 July

Vigor Media Worldwide appoints pharma veteran Rajesh Bahal as strategic business advisor

Vigor Media Worldwide has appointed Rajesh Bahal as strategic business advisor for India and the Middle East to bolster its PR and investor relations offerings, particularly in the healthcare sector. With experience spanning companies like Zydus, Cipla, and USV, Bahal will contribute to the firm’s strategies across public relations, LinkedIn and social media management, podcasting, brand positioning, and healthcare awards. His role will focus on driving growth and deepening the firm’s capabilities in healthcare communication across the region.

VML India appoints Dhruv Warrior as executive creative director

VML India has named Dhruv Warrior as executive creative director. He brings over 17 years of experience in advertising and brand communication, having previously worked at JWT, VMLY&R Dubai, and FoxyMoron. Warrior will be based in Bangalore and will report to Kalpesh Patankar, chief creative officer at VML India. In his new role, he will collaborate with Patankar and Sachin Dhir to lead creative work across the agency’s portfolio. His appointment comes as VML continues to strengthen its leadership and creative capabilities in India.

Gupshup raises $60 million for AI market expansion

Gupshup has secured over $60 million through a mix of equity and debt financing from Globespan Capital Partners and EvolutionX Debt Capital. The funds will support the expansion of its conversational AI and messaging platform, alongside go-to-market execution in India, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Gupshup’s platform currently facilitates over 120 billion messages annually across marketing, sales, and support functions. The company aims to strengthen sales, product development, and its presence across key verticals. Gupshup has also partnered with Meta and offers tools like Conversational AI Agents and AI Campaign CoPilot to automate personalised business interactions at scale.

Bizzcom Solutions announces global expansion across 10+ Countries

Integrated PR agency Bizzcom Solutions has revealed plans to expand into over 10 international markets within three years. The initiative, led by founder Praveen Tiwari, aims to take Indian PR capabilities global, with initial focus on the Middle East, Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. The strategy includes setting up regional hubs, building local media alliances, and developing market-specific communication models. Known for its work in education, healthcare, hospitality, tech, and retail, Bizzcom will also launch specialised services and hire local talent to support this expansion.

IITC signs MoUs with Comic Con India and Green Rain Studios to boost AVGC-XR sector

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) has signed strategic MoUs with Comic Con India and Green Rain Studios to strengthen India's AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) ecosystem. Formalised during the institute’s inauguration in Mumbai, the agreements aim to integrate industry expertise into academic programmes. The Comic Con India partnership will enable student showcases, internships, and IP development, fostering engagement with the pop culture industry. Meanwhile, Green Rain Studios will embed Unreal Engine and virtual production training into the curriculum, enhancing skills in real-time and immersive media. These alliances reinforce IICT’s ambition to be a national leader in creative technologies, supported by prior partnerships with global tech firms including Google, Adobe, and NVIDIA.

PRable Global wins strategic communications mandate for Krishna Defence and Allied Industries

PRable Global has been appointed as the official communications partner for Krishna Defence and Allied Industries Limited (KDAIL). The agency will lead efforts to enhance KDAIL’s brand visibility, media relations, corporate reputation, investor communication, and digital PR, with a focus on strategic sectors like defence and manufacturing. With its manufacturing base in Halol and headquarters in Mumbai, KDAIL plays a vital role in supplying specialised steel products to the Indian Navy and Army. The partnership aims to support KDAIL’s innovation-led growth, including its recent foray into autonomous underwater vehicles for maritime defence. Spearheaded by Aman Singh Madaan, PRable brings sector-specific expertise and a track record in defence-tech communications to align KDAIL’s narrative with the nation’s self-reliance mission under ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

Clarity Communication partners with Wizikey to integrate AI-powered PR analytics

Clarity Communication has partnered with AI-led media intelligence platform Wizikey to embed next-gen PR analytics into its client servicing across India and North America. The collaboration aims to deliver real-time brand sentiment tracking, media impact measurement, and data-led storytelling using tools like the Wizikey News Score, outreach trackers, and automated reporting systems. With a focus on transparency and outcome-led communication, the partnership enables Clarity’s clients across fintech, mobility, healthcare, and D2C sectors to link PR outcomes directly to business performance. Full integration is expected by Q3 2025.

Numerator unveils ‘Worldpanel by numerator' to strengthen first-party data capabilities

Numerator has launched ‘Worldpanel by Numerator’ as the new identity for its global business, following its merger with Worldpanel in January 2025. Backed by Bain Capital and part of the Kantar Group, the brand reflects a focus on permissioned, first-party consumer data and AI-driven insights. Tracking over 563 billion consumer-brand interactions annually across 130 global panels, the platform aims to deliver actionable intelligence through a mix of behavioural and psychographic analysis. In India, the initiative supports brands in decoding evolving consumer journeys across both urban and rural markets.

ThinkROI and Visibili.AI collaborate to drive brand discoverability in AI-led search

ThinkROI has partnered with content intelligence platform Visibili.AI to help brands adapt to the growing dominance of AI-generated search responses over traditional SEO. As platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity reshape digital discovery, the partnership aims to guide brands in achieving prompt-level visibility. The collaboration will enable monitoring of brand mentions across conversational platforms, analysis of content triggers, and recommendations for optimising presence in AI-generated outputs. This alliance reflects the marketing industry’s shift towards prioritising discoverability within AI-driven ecosystems.

Umanshi Marketing adds five new clients to its roster across sectors

Umanshi Marketing has onboarded five new clients across branding, PR and digital mandates, expanding its portfolio with founder-led businesses across diverse categories. The new accounts include Build My Story (leadership coaching), Covasant Technologies (Agentic AI enterprise tech), Jarsh Safety (IoT-enabled industrial gear), Kling Breweries (craft beer), and Scentopia (a fragrance museum launching in India as Scentzania). Each engagement is focused on business-critical outcomes such as category creation, go-to-market planning, investor storytelling and digital amplification. With a hands-on, integrated approach, the agency acts as a marketing extension to these brands, delivering solutions across strategy, design, media and narrative

Nikita Aneja joins Netflix’s talent function to drive team and culture strategy

Nikita Aneja has joined Netflix’s talent team, bringing over a decade of HR leadership experience across media, entertainment, and other sectors. Most recently, she served as lead – HR for the ads business at JioHotstar, where she helped unify the revenue function post-merger. Before that, she was head – HR, sports at Viacom18, playing a key role in building JioCinema’s sports vertical and integrating it with Disney Star. At Netflix, she will focus on shaping high-performing teams and fostering a culture aligned with the company’s global storytelling vision.

Yellow Slice expands to UK with three-year revenue target of $10 Million

Mumbai-based design consultancy Yellow Slice has announced its expansion into the United Kingdom, setting a goal of generating $10 million in revenue within three years. The move includes the launch of a design research lab, partnerships with UK universities, and a focus on sectors like BFSI, healthtech, and government services. Known for UX and behavioural design expertise, Yellow Slice aims to deliver AI-augmented, research-driven solutions tailored to the UK’s design-conscious market. The firm also plans to engage local talent and undertake over 50 design projects while strengthening its academic and industry collaborations.

PR Professionals bags communications mandate for RHI Magnesita India

PR Professionals has been appointed as the communications partner for RHI Magnesita India, a leading global manufacturer of refractory products used in high-temperature industrial processes. The agency will develop and implement a comprehensive strategy focusing on brand visibility, media outreach, thought leadership, and stakeholder engagement. RHI Magnesita India operates eight manufacturing facilities and an R&D centre, employing over 6,000 people across the country. The mandate aims to strengthen the company’s positioning within India’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.

Hyue appoints Zerofifty Mediaworks as agency of record

Premium colour cosmetics brand HYUE has named ZeroFifty Mediaworks as its agency of record to lead brand strategy, creative communications, and content design. Co-founded by Pradeep Banerjee and Nabeel Kadri, HYUE offers cruelty-free, vegan products tailored for Indian consumers, with a debut range that includes lipsticks, nail paints, lip plumpers, and oils. The partnership aims to build a distinctive brand narrative and drive market visibility across platforms. ZeroFifty, launched in 2024 by former Lowe Lintas leaders, will oversee HYUE’s brand development and consumer engagement efforts.

Vineet Recriwal launches The Native for brand advisory

Vineet Recriwal, a former executive at Burson India and Omnicom Singapore, has launched The Native, a brand marketing and communications advisory aimed at founders, startups, and fast-growth businesses. Based in Gurgaon, The Native offers services in market entry strategy, brand positioning, reputation management, thought leadership, and internal communications. Operating on a lean, partner-led model, the firm plans to double its client portfolio and talent base within six months, with Southeast Asia expansion targeted for 2026. The approach focuses on delivering senior strategic counsel without traditional agency structures, tailored to businesses navigating high-velocity and complex markets.

Digirovers to drive global performance marketing for Mudrex

Digirovers has been appointed to lead performance marketing for Mudrex, the Y-Combinator-backed crypto investment platform. The mandate includes managing campaigns across Google and Meta platforms, focusing on high-quality user acquisition, improving conversions, and enhancing long-term customer value across Mudrex’s global markets. The partnership aligns with Mudrex’s vision of making crypto investing more accessible for retail users. Digirovers brings a data-driven and platform-focused approach to scale Mudrex’s presence across international markets.

Social Panga appoints Sahil Siddiqui as EVP – creative strategy and growth

Social Panga has named Sahil Siddiqui as executive vice president – creative strategy and growth, strengthening its leadership as the agency sharpens focus on strategic expansion and creative scale. In this role, he will work with co-founders Gaurav Arora and Himanshu Arora to elevate the agency’s creative output and drive brand-building across key markets. With over 15 years of experience across Dentsu Creative and Pepper Content, Siddiqui has led campaigns for major brands such as Flipkart, Tata Motors, Starbucks, and Apple.  

Bigcity unveils ‘Festive reward strategist’ to power ROI-driven campaigns

BigCity Promotions has launched the ‘Festive Reward Strategist’, a tech-enabled planning tool designed to help CMOs and brand leaders create high-impact reward campaigns within minutes. Drawing from over 18 years of experience across sectors like FMCG, retail, BFSI and automobiles, the platform offers data-backed recommendations tailored to specific campaign goals such as acquisition, trials, or engagement. The tool streamlines the pre-campaign process by offering audience insights, competitive benchmarks, and budget optimisation for maximum ROI. Positioned as a strategic asset during India’s crowded festive season, the platform aims to bridge the gap between marketing strategy and execution.

PROHED secures performance marketing mandate for Mcgraw Hill India

McGraw Hill has appointed Gurugram-based digital agency PROHED to lead its performance marketing initiatives in India. Aimed at enhancing digital engagement among students and educators, the partnership supports McGraw Hill’s mission of delivering flexible, data-driven learning solutions aligned with evolving educational needs. PROHED, known for its work with brands like Pearson and TimesPro, brings specialised education-sector experience to the collaboration. This move is expected to deepen McGraw Hill’s digital footprint and reinforce its role as a key content and courseware provider in the Indian education ecosystem.

Signpost India appoints Roch D’souza as chief strategy officer to drive growth

Signpost India Limited has appointed Roch D’Souza as chief strategy officer to lead its next phase of growth and strategic transformation. With over 23 years of experience across retail, media, digital and consumer sectors, D’Souza brings expertise in business reimagination and brand-led impact. Reporting to managing director Shripad Ashtekar, he will focus on innovation, partnerships, and customer-centric strategies. Signpost India, a leading DOOH media tech company, currently serves over 1,500 brands across more than 90 industries, offering AI-powered solutions at major consumer touchpoints.

Spring House onboards Media Corridors to strengthen communications strategy

Spring House Workspaces has appointed Media Corridors as its communications and PR partner to enhance its brand visibility within India’s flex workspace and startup ecosystem. With over 20 centres across Delhi-NCR catering to 8,000+ professionals and 300+ organisations, Spring House aims to scale its community-focused brand narrative. The partnership will focus on storytelling around culture, flexibility, and the future of work. Spring House founder and CEO Mukul Pasricha highlighted the long-term vision of meaningful engagement, while Ayushi Arora Gulyani, founder and CEO of Media Corridors, noted the alignment with new-age, community-led brands.

Confiance Communications wins PR mandate for Raga Svara wellness retreat

Confiance Communications has secured the public relations mandate for Raga Svara, a boutique luxury retreat in Gujarat focused on holistic healing and Ayurvedic wellness. The partnership aims to position Raga Svara as a global thought leader in conscious Indian living, with Confiance driving founder-led storytelling, strategic media placements, influencer partnerships, and immersive brand experiences. As Indian-origin wellness gains global relevance, the agency will spotlight Raga’s philosophy of mindful, sustainable living rooted in Ayurveda. This collaboration marks a strategic growth phase for the retreat, aligning it with international wellness and cultural narratives.

Raj Nayak and YAAP Digital launch ‘House of IP’ to build scalable entertainment properties

Raj Nayak, former Viacom18 COO, has launched 'House of IP' in collaboration with YAAP Digital to develop and scale original intellectual properties across entertainment, sports, music, and branded content. Positioned as a first-of-its-kind event and entertainment IP venture studio, the initiative will focus on creating immersive, ownable cultural properties for brands and audiences. Combining Nayak’s creative leadership with YAAP’s digital and brand expertise, the studio aims to incubate new formats and collaborate with existing IPs for commercial growth. Offices are being established in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Dubai.

Leadsquared partners with Mainstay to boost sales automation and customer engagement

LeadSquared has entered a strategic partnership with Mainstay Consulting to deliver enhanced CRM and marketing automation solutions to businesses across sectors. The collaboration will combine LeadSquared’s intelligent sales and customer engagement platform with Mainstay’s expertise in technology consulting to streamline lead management, boost productivity, and enable real-time performance tracking. The partnership supports faster implementation and integration of sales and marketing workflows, while aligning with LeadSquared’s global expansion strategy. It aims to help organisations deliver more personalised and scalable customer experiences through automation and AI-driven tools.

FTA Global expands leadership team with senior appointments to drive growth

FTA Global has appointed Yatin Bhasin as vice president – sales and marketing, and Tasneem Calcuttawala as vice president – operations and delivery, to strengthen its leadership team. Both bring over 15 years of experience and will play key roles in driving the company’s market expansion and operational excellence. While Bhasin will lead strategic alliances and business development to boost revenue, Calcuttawala will oversee delivery functions to ensure scalable and streamlined operations. The appointments come as FTA Global rapidly scales its workforce and capabilities, positioning itself as a high-performance marketing solutions provider.

AdLift secures paid media mandate for fixed-income platform Aspero

AdLift has won the paid media mandate for Aspero, a SEBI-registered online bond platform focused on simplifying access to fixed-income investments like corporate bonds and FDs. As part of the engagement, AdLift will drive Aspero’s customer acquisition and digital visibility through data-led campaign planning, execution, and optimisation. The partnership aims to support Aspero’s mission to make fixed-income investing mainstream in India by reaching high-intent audiences and boosting investor confidence through targeted digital outreach.