Talent tracker: Top executive changes and appointments last week

Mumbai: From leadership shakeups to fresh talent taking on pivotal roles, the world of brands, media, and advertising is constantly evolving.

BestMediaInfo.com brings you a weekly roundup of the most significant moves across the industry—tracking who's going where, and what it means for the future of brands and agencies.

Whether it's a high-profile hire, a creative leadership change, or a strategic realignment, we’ve got you covered with all the key updates, week after week.

Lamborghini appoints Nidhi Kaistha as India Head

Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini appointed Kaistha as Head of Lamborghini India. In her new role, Kaistha will oversee sales, marketing and after-sales operations in India, the sixth-largest market in the Asia Pacific region, the automaker said in a statement. Most recently, Kaistha worked at Porsche India as Regional Sales and Pre-Owned Cars Manager, the company said.

Network18 appoints Nalin Mehta as Chief AI Officer - Editorial Operations

Mehta will lead the creation of AI-powered content solutions, establish a framework for responsible AI use in journalism, and build a collaborative AI ecosystem spanning editorial, technology, product and design. The network, which runs 21 news channels in 16 languages, four digital news platforms, and two magazines, announced that the Managing Editor of Moneycontrol, Mehta, will now also lead AI implementation as Chief AI Officer – Editorial Operations.

TCM Sports onboards Nobel Dhingra as COO

The sports marketing company announced the appointment of Dhingra as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Dhingra has 20 years of experience across sales, marketing, and category management with brands such as Dabur Red, 7Up, Quaker Oats, and MakeMyTrip at organisations including Dabur, Nestlé, PepsiCo, and MMT.

NeoNiche onboards Nikkhil Sharma as Regional Director North

NeoNiche appointed Sharma as Regional Director-North. Sharma has 15+ years of experience working with agencies including Encompass WPP Group, Innocean Worldwide and more recently at Shobiz Havas, where he worked as AVP before joining NeoNiche. 

Liqvd Asia appoints Anasuya Chaudhuri-Ghosh as Independent Director

The digital advertising agency has appointed Chaudhuri-Ghosh as an Independent Director to its Board. She currently serves as Head – Marketing at Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance (SUD Life), leading marketing and digital innovation. This appointment is undertaken in her personal capacity, remaining entirely independent of her current role at SUD Life. Chaudhuri-Ghosh began her career at LIC of India and has held senior leadership roles at Birla Sun Life Insurance, AMP Sanmar Life, Reliance Nippon Life, IndiaFirst Life, and Edelweiss Tokio Life. Additionally, she has gained consulting experience with Loop Health, Livwell Asia, India Insurtech Association and SEBI registered - YAN Angel Fund.

Sachin Gupta joins Lenskart as VP Marketing

Lenskart appointed Sachin Gupta as Vice-President Marketing. Gupta shared the announcement through a LinkedIn post. Before joining Lenskart, Gupta worked as Senior VP Marketing at Astrotalk. He has also worked with organisations like Oziva, JungleWorks, MobiKwik, and YepMe.com.

7. SGA promotes Kevin Shah as Managing Director

Shah was previously the company’s Executive Director. Strategic Growth Advisors (SGA), an integrated communications consultancy firm, announced the elevation of Kevin Shah as Managing Director.

Nodwin Gaming appoints Shefali Johnson as Comic Con India’s CEO

Comic Con India appointed Johnson as the new CEO where she will be taking over from the core team. Founder Jatin Varma, who has led the brand since its inception alongside Co-Founder Karan Kalra and Event Director Sonal Varma, will be stepping back from day-to-day operations.

Creativeland India’s Chief Strategy Officer Divya Agarwal moves on

Agarwal, Chief Strategy Officer, Creativeland India took to her LinkedIn to announce that she would be moving on from the company after being associated with it for 21 months. In addition to this role, Agarwal was also the head at Crossbow Insights having joined in August 2023. 

Prashanth Challapalli joins Havas Creative Network India as Chief Digital & Innovation Officer

Havas India appointed Challapalli as the Chief Digital & Innovation Officer of Havas Creative Network India. Based in Mumbai, Challapalli will report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, SEA, and North Asia. In this newly created role, Challapalli will be in charge of integrating emerging technologies with creativity, developing innovative digital-first solutions, and shaping the future of brand storytelling to deliver transformative, culturally resonant, and business-impacting solutions for clients. 

Sanchari Chakrabarty returns to DDB Mudra as SVP & Head of Strategy at 22feet Tribal WW

DDB Mudra Group announced the return of Chakrabarty as Senior Vice-President and Head of Strategy at 22feet Tribal WW, its digital agency. Previously, Chakrabarty spent over a decade at DDB Mudra. Chakrabarty’s career spans agencies like Tilt Brand Solutions and Leo Burnett, where her portfolio included leading brands such as Stayfree, Netflix, Instagram, Meta, Crunchyroll, Myntra and Meesho.

Bodhitree Multimedia onboards Sudip Roy as Group CRO; launches Bodhi Tree Ventures

The content production company announced the appointment of Roy as Group Chief Revenue Officer and the launch of its new division, Bodhi Tree Ventures. With over 25 years of experience in media revenue management, Roy has worked across Star News, Zee, Neo Sports, Network18, and TCM.

Suraja Kishore moves on from BBDO India after 6-year stint as CEO

CEO of BBDO India, Kishore, has stepped down from his role after six years at the helm. Kishore confirmed his departure to BestMediaInfo.com, marking the end of a chapter that began in 2019 when he took charge of the agency’s India operations. Details about his next move are yet to be disclosed.

Alok Lall moves on from McCann Worldgroup India after over 14 years

Lall has moved on from McCann Worldgroup India, marking the end of a stint spanning over 14 years. He had rejoined McCann in 2011 as Executive Director, in what became his second innings with the agency. Lall’s earlier stint at McCann dates back to 1996–97, when he served as an Account Director. Prior to his return to McCann, Lall served as Managing Director at Iris Worldwide. In 2007, he played a pivotal role in co-founding the agency’s India operations alongside Stewart Shanley, Iris’ global COO, and Kenneth Augustine, Creative Director at Iris India.