MAM
Gutenberg appoints Neil Ashurst as UK head
MUMBAI: Award-winning global agency Gutenberg has appointed Neil Ashurst as the director and country head for UK. This follows the company’s recent rebranding which formalises their offering as an integrated communications firm providing digital, content, social, video and public relations services.
Neil has over 15 years of experience in the communications industry, working closely with content and marketing teams both in-house and cross-agencies to deliver campaigns that focus on business impact.
“Neil’s knowledge of the UK market coupled with his passion for communications will allow Gutenberg clients to have a great ally in creating and implementing impactful digital, PR and communications campaigns. Neil’s insights on the changing nature of customer journey for brands reflect his focus on ensuring business impact for our clients. Neil will lead our growth and expansion plans for the UK and Europe from our office in London. Additionally, he will integrate with our US and India teams on global multi-geography clients,” said Gutenberg founder and CEO Harjiv Singh.
Neil earlier worked at Performance Communications, working on the Nissan Europe account. He has also worked at well-known UK agencies Frank, Brands2Life and 3Monkeys Zeno on brands such as Microsoft and 3 Mobile. Additionally, he was the head of UK communications for retailer – Game, working closely with Xbox, Activision and EA on the retail launches of their biggest titles.
“Our experience as story-tellers as well as our growing capabilities across all channels means that we have a fantastic opportunity and offering here in the UK as the industry continues to evolve,” said Ashurst.
Globally, Gutenberg services industries such as technology, retail, financial services, real estate, healthcare, education, aviation, defence, hospitality, infrastructure and not-for-profit causes.
Brands
Himanshu Khanna joins CKA Birla Group as group chief marketing officer: report
Former Raymond lifestyle CMO to lead group-wide brand and marketing strategy
MUMBAI: According to a media report citing industry sources, senior marketing leader Himanshu Khanna has joined CKA Birla Group as group chief marketing officer.
Khanna moves from Raymond Limited, where he served as chief marketing officer for the lifestyle division since August 2021, overseeing the marketing transformation of the company’s nearly $1 billion lifestyle business. His tenure featured a sharper consumer focus, a digital-first operating model and large-scale retail and brand modernisation.
At Raymond, Khanna led brand strategy and growth across a broad portfolio including Raymond suiting and shirting, Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Parx, Ethnix by Raymond, ready-to-wear, Raymond Home and Raymond made-to-measure. His remit also covered retail marketing, digital marketing, consumer insights, visual merchandising and brand protection.
Before joining Raymond, Khanna was business head for the FMCG division at RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, with full P&L responsibility. During this period, he scaled the snack brand Too Yumm!, drove rapid revenue growth, led the integration of Apricot Foods following its acquisition and executed a business turnaround.
Khanna’s career spans over three decades across global consumer companies, with senior leadership roles at Beam Suntory, Wrigley, PepsiCo, Cadbury and Nestlé.
Widely regarded as a seasoned marketing operator, Khanna is a familiar presence at leading industry forums and is considered among the most in-demand marketing leaders in the country.
