Brands
Kedaara Capital adds industry vet Jai Shankar Krishnan as operating advisor
MUMBAI: Kedaara Capital is laying it on thick with advisors. The latest to be added on its roster is Jai Shankar Krishnan as an operating advisor, effective immediately.
With over three decades of diverse experience in high-impact industries such as FMCG, pharma, industrials, life sciences, and diagnostics, Jai’s career began at Hindustan Unilever. He has since held key leadership roles at prominent companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Danaher Corp.
Notably, Jai served as managing director &d CEO for Danaher Corp in India, where he scaled the business nearly tenfold within six years. He later became regional president for Asia Pacific, overseeing a revenue stream exceeding $2.5 billion and chairing the APAC board.
In 2019, he took on the role of president for high growth markets at Danaher, managing critical markets that contributed significantly to the company’s $10 billion+ revenue.
In addition to his corporate roles, Jai is active on the boards of several respected organisations and is committed to community service with various non-profits.
At Kedaara, Jai will provide strategic guidance to its healthcare team, advising on both existing and new investments in the sector
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
