Moves and wins: Week of 8 September

Kotak Mahindra hands media mandate to dentsu X India

Kotak Mahindra Group has awarded its media mandate to dentsu X India after a multi-agency pitch. The account will be serviced from the agency’s Mumbai office. The scope spans television, print, radio, and digital branding across Kotak Mahindra Bank, Kotak Mutual Fund, Kotak Securities, and Kotak Life Insurance. The agency will manage integrated media planning and execution, with a unified approach across platforms. The partnership comes as India’s banking sector deepens its digital focus, with Kotak aiming to reach a wider set of customers through consolidated media strategies across traditional and digital channels.

ASK Group names Shrivastava as marketing and digital head

ASK Asset & Wealth Management Group has appointed Prasann Shrivastava as group chief marketing and digital officer. Backed by Blackstone, ASK is seeking to strengthen its brand presence and client engagement. Shrivastava brings over 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, with earlier stints in financial institutions and advertising. He has previously worked with ASK in senior roles. At ASK, Shrivastava will oversee brand strategy, digital transformation, and client engagement across its businesses. His role comes at a time when asset and wealth management firms are focusing on customer-centric initiatives to differentiate offerings in a competitive financial services market

Segumento appoints Alam to lead business strategy and data alliances

Segumento has appointed Tabrez Alam as chief of business strategy and data alliances. Alam, who has over 28 years of experience in AdTech, MarTech and data strategy, will oversee business growth, partnerships, and international expansion. His remit includes driving the company’s entry into markets such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Before joining Segumento, Alam was chief strategy officer at Bobble AI, where he helped develop its first-party data business. He has also held leadership positions at Syncmedia, Zeotap, Vdopia, and Tata Teleservices, with a focus on scaling data-led growth and building commercial alliances.

Publicis Media names Ravi Bhaya chief client officer for India

Publicis Media India, part of Publicis Groupe India, has appointed Ravi Bhaya as chief client officer. Based in Mumbai, he will report to Lalatendu Das, CEO, Publicis Media South Asia.

In this role, Bhaya will oversee client transformation across Starcom, Zenith and Performics. He brings over two decades of experience across India, Germany, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and North America.

Bhaya previously worked with P&G, Samsung, Coca-Cola, BMW and Mondelez. Most recently, he co-founded RSquared Global Ventures, and earlier served as managing director – global growth at Serviceplan Group in Munich.

iCubesWire Films introduces studio for short ad films

iCubesWire Films, part of iCubesWire Martech group, has launched Stop Shots, a studio dedicated to creating 10–15 second ad films. The unit will use data intelligence and consumption trends to analyse consumer behaviour and deliver short video formats for digital platforms such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

The studio will produce content in hyper-localised cultural settings to suit regional preferences. The format aims to address declining attention spans by creating quick, cinematic ads that focus on brand recall and consumer engagement within seconds.

GalaxEye appoints CCS to develop future brand strategy

Bengaluru-based space-tech startup GalaxEye has engaged Mumbai agency CCS to shape its brand strategy. The move follows GalaxEye’s recent $6.5 million funding to launch a multi-sensor satellite imaging technology for Earth observation.

CCS will help the company define its brand identity and long-term positioning beyond the startup phase. Established in 2009, CCS has worked with clients such as Tata, L'Oréal, OYO and NY Cinemas. GalaxEye was founded by Suyash Singh and Pranit Mehta and is part of India’s emerging private space-tech sector.

Divo Music launches new indie music label ‘Loopd’

Divo Music, a Warner Music India company, has introduced Loopd, a new label dedicated to independent music, with the aim of discovering and amplifying fresh talent across India. Positioned as a platform for originality and creative expression, Loopd will provide resources, visibility, and global reach to indie musicians while keeping them rooted in their artistic integrity. Supported by Warner Music Group’s international network, the label seeks to bridge indie credibility with mainstream success. The launch comes at a time when non-film music is rapidly gaining traction, fuelled by streaming and evolving listener preferences. Loopd’s debut release, Nizhal by Adhithya RK, was unveiled by Malayalam actor Mohanlal, with upcoming releases featuring artists such as Tuhin, Junaid Kumar, Samuel Paul, and Pradeep Kumar.

Metamorph Communications joins PRCAI as prime member to drive industry collaboration

Metamorph Communications, a PR firm specialising in web3 and emerging tech, has joined the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) as a prime member. Founded in 2020, the agency has built a niche in shaping communication strategies for global and domestic web3 companies. Through this membership, Metamorph aims to strengthen its service offerings, align with industry best practices, and contribute to advancing professional, ethical, and inclusive standards in PR. Founder and CEO Satyandre Yadav said the move reflects the firm’s commitment to collaborative growth and constructive dialogue within India’s PR ecosystem.