Talent Tracker: Key leadership changes at IPG Mediabrands, L’Oréal, Titan, Glance

New Delhi: This week’s Talent Tracker covers major leadership changes and appointments across leading brands like IPG Mediabrands, L’Oréal, Havas Play, Glance, Jupiter Money, Nivea India, Titan, Star Health, and more. From strategic reshuffles at IPG and Performics India to new marketing heads at Glance and Keenai, these moves highlight the ongoing focus on digital innovation, AI-driven growth, and global expansion shaping India’s marketing, media, and fintech sectors.

IPG Mediabrands India names Shashi Sinha Executive Chairman, Amardeep Singh CEO, and Shantanu Sirohi CEO of Interactive Avenues

Shashi Sinha, longtime CEO of IPG Mediabrands India, moved to the newly created role of Executive Chairman, while Amardeep Singh, former CEO of Interactive Avenues, was promoted to CEO of IPG India. The transition is planned over 2.5 to 3 years to ensure stability ahead of the Omnicom-IPG merger.

Shantanu Sirohi, co-founder of Interactive Avenues, was appointed CEO of the digital agency. He has been integral to its growth since 2006 and became COO in 2010. Before that, Sirohi held senior roles at Mediaturf Worldwide, Mindshare Fulcrum, and JWT (now VML).

Performics India elevates Cyrus Shroff and Shweta Shroff to Key Leadership Roles

Performics India, part of Publicis Groupe India, announced the promotion of Cyrus Shroff as Chief Client Officer and Shweta Shroff as Chief Product Officer. Based in Mumbai, both will continue reporting to COO Gautam Surath. Cyrus now leads all industry verticals, focusing on accelerating revenue and unlocking sustainable client value. Shweta heads the agency’s Centre of Excellence, driving AI integration and future-proofing product strategy. CEO Lalatendu Das praised their expertise, highlighting the appointments as a step towards more intelligent, outcome-driven performance marketing.

R Venkatasubramanian exits as COO of Havas Play

 R Venkatasubramanian has stepped down as Chief Operating Officer of Havas Play, just months after assuming the role in May 2024. He reported to Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Network India.

Joshi confirmed the development, stating, “We are currently in the middle of a restructuring, but Venkat has decided to move on. I wish him all the best.”

Venkat was appointed Managing Director of Havas Play in 2023 when the function launched in India. In his most recent stint, he held a dual role as President – Investments at Havas Media India and COO, Havas Play, overseeing the agency’s investment strategy and driving growth for Havas Play.

Aashish Oommen Joins Glance as Global Head of Brand and Consumer Marketing

Glance has appointed Aashish Benjamin Oommen as its Global Head of Brand and Consumer Marketing. Oommen, who brings over 18 years of experience, previously co-founded e-commerce platform Ohsogo and held key marketing roles at Myntra, Arvind Fashions, and United Breweries.

At Myntra, he led brand marketing across multiple verticals and was instrumental in building labels like HRX and House of Pataudi.

Punt Partners appoints Harsh Shah as MD of Punt Creative

Punt Partners appointed Harsh Shah as Managing Director of Punt Creative. Shah brings extensive experience from his previous roles as Managing Partner at VML India and Chief Digital Officer at Wunderman Thompson. With a rich background spanning leadership roles at Dentsu Webchutney, Reliance Broadcast Network, and Abbott Healthcare, Shah combines creative vision with strategic insight. He called his new role a “homecoming” aligned with Punt’s integrated vision of brand, content, commerce, AI, and tech. Co-Founders Madhu Sudhan and Priyanka Agarwal praised his leadership and strategic thinking as key to driving Punt Creative’s next phase of growth.

Manesh Swamy departs as MD & CCO of LS Creative, LS Digital

Manesh Swamy, Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer at LS Creative, LS Digital, has moved on after a 5.5-year tenure. Joining in 2019 as Vice President – Creative, he rose to SVP in 2021 and then CCO in 2022. Swamy expressed gratitude on LinkedIn, reflecting on the company’s transformation during his time. With over 25 years of experience, he brings strong digital expertise, having previously worked 15 years at Hungama Digital Services and starting his career there in 2004.

Adityan Kayalakal joins Jupiter Money as VP and Head of Marketing

Adityan Kayalakal has been appointed VP and Head of Marketing at Fintech firm Jupiter Money. He was previously Head of Marketing at Veera, where he helped scale the app to 4 million users in under a year.

Kayalakal has held senior marketing roles at Byju’s, the NBA, and agencies including BBH India and Digitas, bringing over 18 years of brand and digital strategy experience to his new role.

Anand Krishna joins Curativity as EVP and Head of Business 

Curativity, the digital creative-marketing venture founded by Amer Jaleel and Virat Tandon, has appointed Anand Krishna as Executive Vice-President and Head of Business for its platform vertical.

Krishna brings over two decades of experience, having held leadership roles at Mirum India, Network18 Digital, and Raymond Apparel. Most recently, he was VP – Customer Success at Mirum India.

At Curativity, he will drive business strategy, revenue, and expansion while shaping the firm's integrated marketing and transformation offerings.

Nivea India appoints Akshay Kawale to lead Eucerin business

Nivea India has named Akshay Kawale as Business Unit Head, Derma, effective April 3, 2025. He will lead the Eucerin brand in India.

Kawale brings over 16 years of experience from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Abbott, GSK, and L’Oréal. Most recently, he was Business Head, Cosmetology at Glenmark.

Geetika Mehta, MD, Nivea India, said Kawale’s deep category expertise and consumer-first approach will help scale Eucerin’s presence in India.

Suparna Mitra resigns as CEO of Watches and Wearables at Titan

Suparna Mitra, CEO of the Watches and Wearables Division at Titan Company, has resigned citing personal reasons. She will step down on August 12, 2025, after a five-year tenure in the role, the company said in a regulatory filing.

In her resignation letter to Titan Managing Director CK Venkataraman, Mitra attributed the decision to personal considerations.

Star Health elevates Himanshu Walia and Amitabh Jain as Whole-time Directors

Star Health and Allied Insurance Company has elevated Himanshu Walia, Chief Marketing Officer, and Amitabh Jain, Chief Operating Officer, to the role of Whole-time Director. Both have also been designated as Key Managerial Personnel, with appointments effective upon approval by the IRDAI.

Walia, who has over 22 years of experience in the insurance industry, has been with Star Health since 2007. As CMO, he played a key role in building the company’s brand and market presence. Prior to Star Health, he held roles at ICICI Lombard and Tata AIG. He holds an MBA in Marketing.

Jain, currently COO at Star Health, joined the company in 2023. With over 25 years of experience in financial services, he was also a founding member of ICICI Lombard. He holds an engineering degree, an MBA, and is a CFA charter holder.

L'Oréal elevates Sanchari Biswas as Head of Media and Digital, Consumer Products Division

L’Oréal has elevated Sanchari Biswas to Head of Media and Digital – Consumer Products Division. She joined the company in August 2023 as Media and Digital Head.

Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Biswas shared, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Head of Media & Digital - Consumer Products Division at L'Oréal!”

A data-driven digital marketing professional with over 14 years of experience, Biswas specialises in ROI-focused strategies across digital media, measurement, and technology. At L’Oréal India, she is responsible for accelerating top-of-funnel growth for the company’s portfolio of consumer brands.

Sushant H Vithaldas exits Schbang after 7 years

Sushant H Vithaldas, Head of Business, Bangalore at Schbang, has announced his departure after seven years with the agency. He joined in 2017 as Head of Solutions, Mumbai, and became Bangalore Business Head in 2020.

Vithaldas thanked Schbang and clients including Amazon India, BGMI, Britannia, Domino’s, Godrej, and Infosys. He has over 20 years’ experience across e-commerce, FMCG, fashion, and tech sectors.

Before Schbang, he worked as a marketing consultant and held roles at Landmark Group, Dell, Apple, and Euro RSCG India.

Keenai announces key leadership hires amid global expansion

Wealth-tech firm Keenai, backed by Lighthouse Canton, has appointed Doorva Bahuguna as Global Chief Marketing Officer and Ujjwal Ankur as Managing Director and Global COO.

Bahuguna brings 22 years of experience in marketing and strategy, having worked with Star India, Walmart India, and clients like Rajasthan Royals and Viacom18. She will lead Keenai’s global brand and customer engagement efforts.

Ankur, founder of Tickertape and former leader at CRED, Slice, and Edelweiss, will oversee global operations and scale Keenai’s digital wealth platform.