MAM
Leo Burnett Group appoints Saurabh Varma as regional chief strategy officer
MUMBAI: Leo Burnett chief strategy officer Singapore and Malaysia Saurabh Varma has been elevated to the post of regional chief strategy officer for the APAC region. He will report directly to Leo Burnett Asia-Pacific president Jarek Ziebinski.
In his role as regional chief strategic officer, Varma will oversee all heads of strategy and planning directors across all Leo Burnett Group offices in the region. He will be responsible for ensuring that strategists of all planning disciplines across Asia-Pacific are properly trained and well-equipped.
He will also head a regional effectiveness council which will comprise key effectiveness leaders overseeing sub-regions of Southeast Asia, North Asia, India and Subcontinent and Australia which Leo Burnett will be launching in the near future. Varma will continue as a member of the Leo Burnett Worldwide HumanKind Standards Board and represent Leo Burnett Asia-Pacific on the Leo Burnett Worldwide Global Planning Board.
Varma joined Leo Burnett in 2007 and has more than 14 years of aggregate experience in the industry having worked across multiple categories including retail, FMCG, banking and finance and consumer durables. During this time he has worked on brands such as Indian Oil, Lakme, Vicks, Nivea, Fosters, Philips, HP, Blackberry, Samsung, Friesland Campina Asia-Pacific (Dutch Lady/Foremost/Frisian Flag), MCYS and United Overseas Bank.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
