MAM
Razorfish India appoints Divya Uttam as director – strategy
MUMBAI: Razorfish, known for helping global brands drive business transformation, has appointed Divya Uttam as director – strategy.
Uttam joins from Cheil Worldwide after driving digital transformation journeys for Samsung, Dettol, Jaquar, Aviva, Nicorette, 7UP, DHL, Johnson’s Baby, Wrigley, Dell, Nissan, Volkswagen, Delhi Dare Devils and RCB amongst others.
“Nothing excites me more than decoding the complex digital world for clients, helping the brands to acquire new fans, engaging the existing users innovatively and enabling advocates to spread word of mouth. The opportunity to be part of Razorfish India’s thought leadership team is very exciting. And to be part of one of the most prestigious and innovative global networks a privilege,” Uttam said.
Razorfish India COO Gaurav Pathak added, “Divya’s incredible blend of a probing and intuitive approach is what we want to bring as an important dimension to our digital solutions. We are building a strong senior team that can guide clients in their business transformation journey beyond vanilla digital offerings.”
Razorfish India CEO Charulata Ravi Kumar said, “In today’s digital world, increasing discovery, generating conversations and driving advocacy is all clichéd and given. What we look for in addition is a curious mind and fire in the belly. And of course clients who have the appetite for it to take their brands to the next level of this matrix.”
MAM
Sameer Nair shares heartfelt note as he exits Applause Entertainment
After nine years building the streamer’s content engine, one of India’s best-known TV men is moving on
MUMBAI: Sameer Nair is out. The chief executive of Applause Entertainment, the content studio backed by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s media empire, has announced his departure after nearly nine years at the helm, closing the chapter on one of Indian entertainment’s more quietly consequential careers.
Nair, who built Applause from the ground up in its current avatar, oversaw a slate that spanned Indian originals and international adaptations, threading together a hub-and-spoke business model that partnered with streaming platforms, broadcasters and production houses alike. The results were uneven, as they always are in content, but the ambition was not.
In a post on LinkedIn, Nair was generous to his outgoing patron. He thanked Birla for being an “inspirational boss and a great patron of the arts,” and signed off with a cheerful “Au Revoir” and a promise to remain Applause’s biggest cheerleader. Whether that sentiment survives the next chapter remains to be seen.
No successor has been named. Applause Entertainment did not immediately comment.
Nair built the machine. Now someone else has to run it — and in a streaming market that is simultaneously consolidating and convulsing, that is no small ask.
