MAM
Havas Media swallows Simmtronics tablet account
MUMBAI: It’s another win for Havas Media India. Last night, the agency announced that it had been signed on to manage the media business of Simmtronics Semiconductors, the third ranked tablet maker in the world.
The Indian tablet market has been seeing some uber competition with the likes of Micromax, Samsung, Apple, doing battle to capture the rupee from the customer’s wallet. Simmtronics has kept a media spend of Rs 50 crore for Havas Media to help get its products and noticed by consumers.
Says Simmtronics managing director Indrajit Sabharwal: “We have very aggressive plans for the year and wanted a like-minded partner on board. It was a tough fight between equally competent agencies. Havas Media’s response, the understanding of our brief, the customized media solution recommended and their huge passion for our business was something we were looking for. We are pleased to have them as our partner and are sure they will contribute significantly to our business growth.”
“The Havas knowledge of the Mobile and Telecom industry was impressive. Moreover they have worked with prominent brands, know how to build a brand amid the clutter today and how to position it appropriately”, adds Simmtronics brand manager Smarth Bansal.
“It is a great win and further consolidates Havas Media’s position in India. It is also a very interesting category and we look forward to working with them,” says an ecstatic Anita Nayyar, CEO Havas Media Group India and South Asia.
Adds Havas Media India managing director Mohit Joshi: “The past two quarters have been good for Havas with many new business aquisitions. With this win, we are very hopeful of keeping up this momentum through this quarter as well.”
Simmtronics had recently announced a partnership with HCL subsidiary Digilife Distribution & Marketing Services Ltd (DDMS), a 100% subsidiary of HCL Infosystems, to further the distribution of its tablets in India. As part of that Digilife was assigned to reach out the tablets to teleshopping channels and chain stores across India, apart from other outlets.
MAM
Coca-Cola appoints Tapaswee Chandele as Global Chief People Officer
Succeeds Lisa Chang from May 1, reports to CEO Henrique Braun
MUMBAI- When leadership refreshes, culture often follows and The Coca-Cola Company is pouring a new mix into its global people strategy. The company has appointed Tapaswee Chandele as its Global Chief People Officer, marking a key transition in its human resources leadership as long-time executive Lisa Chang steps down after seven years in the role.
The appointment, effective May 1, positions Chandele at the helm of Coca-Cola’s global people agenda at a time when multinational organisations are rethinking talent, culture and leadership pipelines in an increasingly hybrid and competitive workforce landscape.
In her new role, she will report to chief executive officer Henrique Braun, signalling the strategic importance of HR within the company’s top leadership structure.
Chandele brings over two decades of institutional knowledge to the role. She currently serves as senior vice president and executive assistant to president and chief financial officer John Murphy, a position she has held since May 2025, placing her at the centre of the company’s financial and operational decision-making. Prior to this, she spent six years, from 2019 to 2025, as senior vice president of global talent, development and HR system partnerships, where she led Coca-Cola’s worldwide talent strategy and worked closely within Chang’s leadership team.
Her journey with Coca-Cola began in 2001 in India, and over the years she has built a cross-market perspective through roles spanning human resources and talent development. Her international assignments across Turkiye and South Africa, followed by a relocation to the United States in 2017, reflect a career shaped by both geographic and functional diversity, an increasingly critical trait for global leadership roles.
The transition also marks the end of Lisa Chang’s seven-year tenure, during which she played a central role in shaping Coca-Cola’s global people practices through a period defined by organisational transformation and evolving workforce expectations.
Chandele’s elevation comes at a time when HR is no longer a back-office function but a strategic driver of growth, culture and resilience. As Coca-Cola looks ahead, the focus will likely be on aligning talent strategy with business agility ensuring that the people behind the brand remain as globally adaptive as the product itself.
