MAM
Leo Burnett appoints Rakesh Hinduja as EVP
MUMBAI: Leo Burnett India has appointed Rakesh Hinduja as executive vice president.
He will be based at the agency’s Mumbai head office and in his new role he will have overall responsibility for one of the biggest units in the Mumbai office.
Speaking on the appointment, Leo Burnett India CEO Suarabh Varma said, “Rakesh is a result-oriented leader. Our endeavour is to create sustainable growth for our clients and Rakesh’s appointment is aligned with that objective. His experience spans from local to regional clients, from conventional communication to integrated solutions and from brands to business management, thereby making him a vital addition to Leo Burnett and to our clients.”
Hinduja’s experience spans over 14 passionate years in the business of telling stories that cuts across categories like consumer products, retail, financial services, consumer durables, IT and service sector, which has given him the multi-dimensional knowledge and perspective required to grow brands and businesses.
Hinduja said, “I’m truly excited to join Leo Burnett and be back to play on home pitch, India. Leo Burnett’s vision and integrated approach to business solutions absolutely resonates with the kind of agency and passion I want to be part of. Current evolution in India presents enormous opportunity across mediums and audiences, which I would like to leverage using my experience of working across categories and channels. I look forward to working with the talented team at Leo Burnett and its prestigious portfolio of brands to do some great work for our clients.”
He joins Leo Burnett from Publicis Singapore, where in his role as regional business director – ASIA, he partnered clients like P&G, L’Oreal and Citibank to name a few. He was instrumental in strengthening their regional footprint in markets like Australia, India, ASEAN, Japan and Korea. Prior to this, he has worked at Publicis Ambience, McCann Worldgroup, Ezeego1.com (digital interface for Cox & Kings) amongst others and partnered various clients – Marico, P&G, JK Helen Curtis, Unilever, Western Union, Balsara, UPS, Paypal, Tata, Emami, Godrej , Videocon and more.
MAM
Toyota appoints Kenta Kon as President & CEO
New leader to steer EV push and global innovation amid industry shift.
MUMBAI: Toyota just handed the keys to a new driver because when the road to electric mobility gets twisty, you need someone who knows how to accelerate without skidding. Toyota Motor Corporation has named Kenta Kon as its new president and chief executive officer, a key leadership transition as the Japanese giant doubles down on its transformation in the fast-evolving global automotive landscape.
Kon brings deep expertise in automotive innovation, business strategy, and operational leadership to the top job. His appointment signals Toyota’s intent to sharpen focus on accelerating electric mobility, strengthening worldwide operations, and pushing customer-centric breakthroughs in next-generation technologies.
The company is betting on Kon to guide it through the industry’s pivotal shift toward sustainability, digital integration, and smarter mobility solutions. Key priorities under his watch include ramping up electric and hybrid lineups, expanding global market reach, driving cutting-edge automotive R&D, tightening supply-chain efficiency, and scaling connected and intelligent vehicle ecosystems.
This move comes at a time when legacy automakers face intense pressure to balance heritage strengths with aggressive electrification timelines and software-defined vehicle demands. Toyota aims to reinforce its position as a leader in sustainable, reliable, and future-ready mobility while navigating competitive challenges from both traditional rivals and new-age EV players.
For a brand that’s long defined durability and innovation, Kon’s elevation isn’t just a title change, it’s Toyota flooring it toward the next lap, ready to turn today’s tech talk into tomorrow’s showroom reality.
