MAM
Commonwealth appoints Rajesh Mani as ECD
MUMBAI: Commonwealth, the global JV between McCann Erickson Worldwide and Goodby Silverstein & Partners, has appointed Rajesh Mani as the executive creative director.
Mani moved in from Leo Burnett, where he was working in the same capacity.
McCann Worldgroup South Asia president Prasoon Joshi said, “I am pleased that Rajesh Mani is a part of Commonwealth. He has tremendous experience and talent which will further strengthen the operation. I am positive that Rajesh will be instrumental in creating and delivering stellar quality work.”
Mani brings in over 12 years of experience in the advertising industry. Prior to joining Leo Burnett in 2011, he was with Ogilvy for five years. Besides Leo Burnett and Ogilvy, he has also worked with Temple Advertising in Bangalore and Triton Communications in Mumbai.
Mani added, “Leo Burnett was a leap of faith and at Ogilvy I worked on one of the best brands in the country – Vodafone. Commonwealth offered an exciting prospect of working on one of the biggest car brands in the world at a global level and a rare opportunity to interact and imbibe from the best in the business – Prasoon Joshi, Jeff Goodby, Linus Karlsson and Washington Olivetto. On a global platform like Commonwealth, it is important to understand the finer points of cross-cultural communication challenges and pegging ideas on simple human truths that are geography agnostic. That said I think it‘s adrenaline time!”
At Ogilvy, he had partnered Ogilvy India ECD Rajiv Rao in creating the popular Blackberry Boys version 1 and penned the Blackberry boy‘s song. He has also done some acclaimed films like Hutch callertunes, Vodafone 60P/minute film and was also part of the core team that launched zoozoos.
At Leo Burnett he led the creative mandate for Tata Capital, HDFC Life and Bajaj Electricals.
Brands
Sony Pictures Networks India names Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships & key network initiatives
Aneja takes charge to deepen agency ties and boost revenue across Spni channels
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships, signalling a fresh focus on closer collaboration with advertising agencies and a sharper push for revenue growth across its channel portfolio.
In her new role, Aneja will chart strategic engagement with agencies, unlock new revenue streams, and nurture long-term partnerships. Her mission includes driving sales performance, adding value for clients, and delivering inventive solutions for advertisers — cementing Spni’s position as a preferred media partner.
Aneja brings over 12 years of experience with Spni, having risen through the ranks from manager to associate vice president. She has led high-performing sales teams across key clusters including sony hindi gec, free-to-air channels, and english entertainment channels like pix, axn and bbc earth.
Her track record includes driving integrated ad sales for popular shows such as Celebrity MasterChef, Indian Idol and Superstar Singer, pioneering first-time brand integrations, and repositioning channels for maximum impact in both urban and rural markets.
Aneja’s approach combines content-first thinking with solution-led selling, focusing on empathy, insight and storytelling that resonates with audiences and brands alike. Colleagues praise her knack for building trust with agencies and clients while spotting innovative ways to convert ideas into revenue.
With this appointment, Spni aims to strengthen its agency relationships and continue delivering compelling advertising solutions that combine creativity with performance.
