MAM
Havas Media is awarded global media buying role for Iglo Group
MUMBAI: Iglo Group has hired Havas Media as its global media buying agency. This follows the appointment of Havas Worldwide as the Group’s global brand positioning and advertising agency in Q4 of 2013.
Havas Media was selected after a competitive pitch process which included Iglo Group’s incumbent agencies. Havas Media presented a compelling proposal that best met the Group’s selection criteria.
Commenting on the appointment, Iglo Group’s CEO, Elio Leoni Sceti said:
“After a highly competitive pitch process I am delighted to announce the appointment of Havas Media as our global media buying agency. The appointment will give us the ability to have a fully joined-up approach to our creative and media communication. This new approach to our marketing and the Iglo brand is central to our new growth strategy that aims to double the size of the business by 2020.”
Marc Schader Global Chief Commercial Officer, Havas Media Group added: “We are honoured to become Iglo Group’s partner across Europe and look forward to helping them achieve their exciting and ambitious targets.
Having another trusted partner join the Havas Media network is a testament to its strength and the success of our new integrated, digital & data at the core structure and philosophy. With their strong ethos for sustainable growth, Iglo Group needed a partner to offer agility, strength and scale and we are delighted that the team saw how well this can be delivered within our network”.
MAM
Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia deepens philanthropic push in India ahead of retirement
Entrepreneur backs gurdwara project and education for slum children as he expands charitable footprint in the country
LONDON: Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia is ramping up his philanthropic footprint in India. On a recent visit to the country, the UK-based entrepreneur stepped up support for religious and educational causes, signalling a deeper long-term commitment as he prepares to spend more time in India ahead of retirement.
Ahluwalia reaffirmed support for key social initiatives, including a donation to Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Kalgidhar Sahib in Gurugram and continued backing for a school in Faridabad for which he had earlier purchased the land.
The donation will fund the construction of the gurdwara, expected to be completed by mid-2028. Run largely by volunteers, the site will serve as a community hub and continue the Sikh tradition of langar — a community kitchen that provides free meals to all, regardless of faith.
Parallelly, the Faridabad school continues to deliver free, multi-year education to children living in extreme poverty in surrounding slums. The institution is part of the 12 educational facilities run by the Jagriti Sewa Trust, where Ahluwalia serves as chairman. The trust provides underprivileged students with free education as well as skill-development opportunities.
The latest support adds to Ahluwalia’s long record of charitable giving in India. In recent years, it included a £100,000 donation to the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation’s Justice for Every Child campaign, which provides legal and psychological support to vulnerable children and their families.
Through the Ahluwalia Foundation, the businessman regularly backs charities and non-profits in both India and the United Kingdom. The foundation focuses on projects linked to education, migration and the rights of children and women.
Ahluwalia’s philanthropic drive is rooted in personal history. Having fled to the UK as a refugee at the age of 13, he has long supported migrant-focused organisations, including the London-based Migration Museum, while also funding educational initiatives in India such as free schooling programmes in Hyderabad.
Now, as he gradually shifts more of his time to India, Ahluwalia’s charitable ambitions are expanding. Future plans include launching a classic car rally across the country to raise funds for causes he supports.
“Education and faith are very close to my heart,” Ahluwalia said. “For so many Indians, whether they live in India or abroad, a gurdwara or any place of worship is more than somewhere to practise faith. They are places of community and identity.”
Reflecting on the Faridabad visit, Ahluwalia added: “It was very special seeing the work of the Jagriti Sewa Trust firsthand. Knowing that disadvantaged children are receiving a free education — and that I had a small part to play in that — is deeply meaningful. Social status and economic background should not determine a person’s chances of success.”
