MAM
Bates restructures at the top
MUMBAI: Sandeep Pathak and Sonal Dabral are moving on from their positions at Bates India as the agency reshapes following the network repositioning at the end of 2011.
Dabral is all set to shift base to Mumbai and bid adieu to Singapore where he was stationed while he served as India chairman and regional ECD. He will be joining DDB Mudra as chairman – CCO.
Bates chairman Tim Isaac said, “At Bates he had resumed a close working relationship with me – we had worked together as a head of office and ECD partnership to great effect at Ogilvy Singapore. Sonal is a great storyteller and has rich creative talents. I wish him all the very best in his new role at DDB Mudra.”
“Sandeep has been with Bates for 4 years now and has done an excellent job of catapulting the Mumbai office. Sandeep hasn’t decided on his next assignment yet. I wish him the very best for his future,” he further added.
Issac said, “With our strengths in strategic planning, creativity, engagement solutions and digital along with the high quality talent pool, we are well set up to provide integrated marketing communications services that take full advantage of the new technologies at our disposal. That is what the ‘changengage’ positioning is all about. We look forward to leading the way as the model agency of the future.”
The agency said it would continue with its growth plans on the back of a strong India management and a suite of offerings across advertising, out of home and digital activation with entities like Bates WallStreet & Landscape and Bates Sercon powering Bates India group.
The management team at Bates in India currently includes Dheeraj Sinha (regional planning director), Dinesh Shetty (group CFO), Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar (NCD), Praveen Vadhera (country head OOH), Rajesh Ghatge (CEO Sercon ), Srijib Mallik (head, Delhi), Abeer Chakravarty (head, Kolkata) and Vasantha Krishnamurthy (head, Bangalore). The agency has a national presence across five offices including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata and roster of clients.
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.
