MAM
Vinayak Upadhyay jumps from mainline to Digital Law & Kenneth
MUMBAI: After a five-year stint with mainline Law and Kenneth as senior creative director, Vinayak Upadhyay has moved to Digital Law & Kenneth and will take on the mantle of chief creative officer there. He will report to Digital Law & Kenneth CEO and managing partner Anil K Nair.
Prior to joining Law & Kenneth, Upadhyay has worked with agencies like Nexus Equity, Lowe, Quadrant, Metaphor (Triton Group) DDB Mudra in India and the Apac region and handled brands like TOI, NDTV 24X7, Pidilite, Amul, Bajaj Auto, TVS Tyres, New Zealand Dairies, Levers, HSBC, The Oberoi Hotel, Jet Airways, Amul, Mercedes Benz, Subaru, Renault, Walls, Fedex, ITC Essenza di Wills, Godrej Hair Dye, Bombay Dyeing, Parle, Anchor, Pidilite, GVK, Kent, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, J&J, Philips, Nokia, WTF!, The Big Nasty and Idea.
His mandate at Digital Law & Kenneth will be to create ideas that people want to spend time with, those that will draw people in to a relationship with the brand, help transform lives, ideas that excite people enough to log on to the website, follow the coverage on TV or Radio, track the brand on Facebook and follow it on Twitter.
Upadhyay said, “I believe we are entering a new, exciting era where communication is swiftly becoming osmotic. Leaving behind the limiting shackles of time and space, of the 30 seconder and the100cc. To me brand engagement today, in the online and offline space, is much like a two player sport, like Tennis for example. There is a constant rally of ‘live’ communication and reaction being exchanged in real time. You’ll see this approach adopted by the most successful brands which are working hard at distinguishing themselves in the hearts and minds of their customers. All this is to create a memorable experience which is one reason why Brands are moving away from saying to doing across touch points. For which, we believe, the world is our canvas.”
MAM
Huella Services appoints Pankajj Rai as vice president – Ad sales
Media veteran with 18 years experience to lead monetisation and partnerships.
MUMBAI: When the ad game gets smarter, companies often look for someone who knows how to sell the story behind the screen. Huella Services has appointed Pankajj Rai as vice president for Ad sales, a move aimed at strengthening the company’s advertising and monetisation strategy as it expands its technology-led media offerings.
Rai brings over 18 years of experience across broadcast and digital media and will oversee monetisation initiatives for Newsroom AI, while also helping shape Huella’s next phase of development in interactive and AI-led advertising solutions.
Based in Delhi NCR, he will work closely with the founders and leadership team to align product capabilities with market needs, while driving partner development and go-to-market strategies for the company’s advertising platforms.
Rai’s career spans senior roles across some of India’s prominent media organisations. Before joining Huella, he served as business head for Wion and Zee Business at Zee Media Corporation. Earlier, he was national sales head at QYOU Media, where he led commercial partnerships and advertising growth.
His experience also includes managing commercial operations for major television brands such as Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zee Bollywood, with responsibilities spanning North and East India.
Commenting on the appointment, Huella, co-founder and CEO Prrincey Roy said the company is strengthening its leadership team as it prepares for the next phase of growth.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Pankajj at a time when Huella is expanding both its portfolio and ambition. His depth of experience and strategic lens make him an invaluable addition as we build not just better products, but better outcomes for our partners and brands,” Roy said.
Huella Services is currently building technology driven advertising platforms that integrate AI powered content ecosystems with brand engagement, reflecting a broader shift in the media industry towards data driven and interactive advertising formats.
With Rai now leading ad sales and monetisation, the company aims to deepen relationships with advertisers while scaling its AI driven media products in an increasingly competitive digital advertising landscape.
