MAM
Rediffusion Y&R ropes in Komal Bedi Sohal as NCD
MUMBAI: WPP‘s Rediffusion-Y&R has brought on globally awarded creative talent Komal Bedi Sohal as national creative director in India.
Prior to joining Rediffusion, Sohal spent the last 11 years abroad, with her last assignment being executive creative director for Lowe Middle East and North Africa, based in Dubai. She now moves to India to be based in Rediffusion’s head office in Mumbai.
Sohal’s advertising career spans 19 years, during which she produced award-winning work for global brands such as Harvey Nichols, Land Rover, LG, Citibank, Colgate, Virgin Atlantic, Axe deodorants, and Microsoft Xbox.She is ranked number 2 in ‘The Top Art Directors in the World’ by The Big Won Creative Ranking 2011 and has been in the top 10 for the past five years.
Her stash of international awards includes the Grand prix, gold, silver, bronze, and finalists at Cannes, One Show, The ANDYS, Art Director’s Club, Clio, Dubai Lynx, Mena Cristal Awards, London International Awards, New York Festivals, EPICA, and Loeries. Her work has been featured in the annual publications of D&AD, Communication Arts, and Luerzer’s Archive.
Rediffusion-Y&R chief creative officer and vice-chairman Sam Ahmed said, “Komal and I have worked together for several years. She is a fierce and compassionate leader. The craft and finesse she brings into her work is incomparable and world class. She is a school of art direction. It’s almost impossible to find such talent and I’m happy that she’s moving her life to India to join us. This will be good for our industry at large as we can all learn from her craft and execution skills.”
Sohal said about her new role, “It’s homecoming in more ways than one. Both the city and the agency have a special place in my heart, and I am eager to get started right away. We are going to create ideas that are impactful and iconic, executed beautifully.”
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
