MAM
Affle appoints Vikas Katoch as national sales head
MUMBAI: Digital media company Affle has appointed Vikas Katoch as national sales head. It has also roped in Prashant Kripps as head – publisher development and management for its soon-to-be launched new digital business unit.
Both Katoch and Kripps move from Komli Media where they were working as national sales head-video advertising and national head for publisher groups respectively.
Additionally, the agency has promoted Gaurav Pahwa as national sales head – mobile.
Affle regional director business development Sankalp Mehrotra said, “We are very happy to welcome Vikas and Prashant to the Affle team. Given their robust experience in the digital industry, we look forward to exciting times ahead and achieving continued success. I am equally pleased to announce Gaurav‘s promotion to head mobile ad sales in India. Over the last few months we have made a lot of key appointments in Affle, and with a team like this we believe we are well geared to achieve very significant business growth this year.”
Katoch said, “I am extremely happy to join Affle at this crucial juncture when we are growing our business across new digital media domains I am looking forward to creating rapid business growth in Affle this year.”
Kripps added, “I am very excited to be part of Affle at this time of rapid growth and expansion. Over the last few years I have worked across traditional & digital media and find the growth happening in mobile and some of the other digital advertising domains very fascinating. I am looking forward to contributing towards creating much greater success in Affle‘
Katoch comes in with over 12 years of digital sales and marketing experience in companies like Jivox, Hungama, IT Nation and Asian Paints.
Kripps also brings in over 12 years of experience across television, print, OOH and digital media in companies like Times, HT Media, Media2Win and GroupM Mindshare.
Pahwa had joined Affle last year from Network18 and has since played a very key role in driving Affle‘s mobile advertising sales effort forward, the company said.
Brands
Pocket FM elevates Lalit Gangwar to COO to drive global growth
Founding member to lead operations, monetisation and expansion across markets
MUMBAI: Pocket FM has elevated Lalit Gangwar to chief operating officer, tasking the founding team member with leading global business operations as the company sharpens its international growth strategy.
In his new role, Gangwar will oversee end-to-end operations across markets, including growth, monetisation and execution for the company’s audio business. The appointment comes as Pocket FM looks to strengthen its operating foundation and build a more predictable, scalable global business.
Gangwar has been closely involved in shaping the company’s trajectory from its early days. He played a key role in building the growth and marketing playbook in India, helping the platform scale to over 150 million users within its first year and establish a strong foothold in the audio storytelling category.
He later led Pocket FM’s expansion into the United States, where he set up teams, defined market strategy and drove scale, contributing significantly to the company’s international ambitions.
Pocket FM co-founder and CEO Rohan Nayak said, “Lalit has been central to Pocket FM’s journey from the very beginning. He has built our growth engine and scaled our business across markets.” He added that the company’s focus on nurturing internal talent makes Gangwar a natural choice to lead the next phase.
Gangwar said, “Pocket FM has always been driven by a simple belief that powerful stories can travel across borders and create meaningful impact.” He noted that the company will continue to focus on scaling markets, investing in AI-led storytelling and strengthening monetisation.
As COO, Gangwar is expected to bring greater operating discipline while building systems, talent and processes to support long-term growth.
With leadership continuity and a clear global focus, Pocket FM appears to be turning the page to its next chapter, one that aims to take its storytelling playbook well beyond home turf.
