MAM
HUL’s Paranjpe to move up, Sanjiv Mehta is the new CEO
MUMBAI: The Rs 25,000 crore FMCG major Hindustan Unilever has elevated its managing director and CEO Nitin Paranjpe as the global head of parent company Unilever‘s home care business.
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HUL MD and CEO Nitin Paranjpe
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From 1 October, company‘s current Middle-East and North Africa operation head Sanjiv Mehta will replace Paranjpe as HUL MD. Mehta will also be responsible for south Asia cluster which includes India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. However, the appointment of Mehta will be subject to approval of shareholders.
Paranjpe will join the leadership executive team and will report directly to global CEO Paul Polman.
Announcing the management changes, HUL chairman Harish Manwani said “The changes reflect our strong commitment towards leadership development and our tradition of leveraging experiences and synergies of talent across markets.”
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HUL chairman Harish Manwani
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Welcoming Mehta as the new CEO, Manwani added, “Sanjiv brings with him rich experience of successfully leading businesses across developing and emerging markets. I am confident that he will further build on the growth momentum and drive the company‘s agenda of competitive, consistent, profitable and responsible growth.”
HUL, which employs over 16,000 people in India, markets various brands including Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel and Pepsodent. They contribute six-seven per cent to Unilever‘s turnover which recently pumped Rs 19,180 crore through an open offer to increase its stake to 67 per cent in the company.
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
