MAM
Kajal Malik to head Sakal’s brand solutions cell
MUMBAI: Sakal Media Group has roped in Kajal Malik to head its brand solutions cell.
Malik moves from Lintas Media Group where she headed the planning business of ITC foods.
Says Sakal Media Group MD Abhijit Pawar, “I believe Kajal with her expertise and ability will bring to life multiple opportunities for brands to engage with consumers in Maharashtra. Sakal is a credible paper and the association will deliver sustainable value for the brand. Sakal in the last 2 years has become the fastest growing Marathi paper. We would like Sakal to be a bridge between brands and consumers in Maharashtra.”
Adds business head LS Krishnan, “Sakal Media Group have unique platforms to tap various TG be it kids, women,and youth to the other end of rural spectrum with “Agrowon” (the only agricultural daily in the country). We feel the potential has been hitherto underutilized by brands and therefore the decision to set up “Brand Solutions Cell” which would clearly understand the brand task and then create media opportunities from within the Sakal media group offering and at times beyond.”
In her career spanning over 18 years Malik has been involved in strategic planning, media buying of various brand and media researches spanning across varied categories including FMCGs (ITC, Nestle, Dabur, Hamdard), consumer durables, automobiles and telecom among others.
Says Malik, “Today‘s fragmented market is driving most advertisers to find customized solutions to connect best with their consumers. This drive serves as an exciting opportunity to create brand window beyond the obvious. Sakal with its multimedia offering is a great platform to deliver in one of the most critical market – Maharashtra. It bring forth a creative media solution for various advertisers which I always enjoy being part of.”
AD Agencies
WPP Media elevates Dipti Gulati to vp, client growth for APMEA
Singapore-based executive to commercialise AI-powered solutions business across the region
SINGAPORE: WPP Media has promoted Dipti Gulati to vice president, client growth, handing her the mandate to lead the commercialisation of its solutions business across APMEA.
Based in Singapore, Gulati steps up after serving as senior director, client growth, where she drove expansion across APAC spanning programmatic, search, social, CTV, DOOH and cross-channel offerings. Now, she is tasked with translating advanced AI, data and technology ecosystems into scalable growth strategies for global brands across FMCG, luxury, F&B and financial services.
“I commercialise the future of media — at scale, across APMEA,” Gulati said, announcing her appointment. She added that she turns advanced data, AI and technology ecosystems into real commercial outcomes, shifting the conversation “from a pure media play to owning business outcomes”.
Her brief is unapologetically future-facing: addressable, accountable and AI-powered media. She will work with cross-market teams across APMEA, bringing together diverse perspectives and cultures to accelerate growth and build what she calls the “future of media”.
Gulati’s rise caps nearly two years at WPP Media and follows a six-month stint as regional director of growth, APAC, at Mindshare, where she led new business development and expanded capabilities for existing clients. Earlier, as global account director for integrated marketing communications on the Unilever business, she drove communications strategy for multi-million dollar beauty and wellbeing brands across Southeast Asia.
Before that, Gulati spent close to two years as associate director at Warner Bros. Discovery in Singapore. She also served as director, strategic partnerships and market development at TrustSphere, leading go-to-market and growth initiatives across Asia and evangelising relationship analytics to C-level executives. TrustSphere, credited by industry and Harvard Business School case studies as a pioneer in relationship analytics, became a springboard for her deeper engagement with data-driven growth.
Her board and evangelist roles at the Asia Cloud Computing Association and its Asia Analytics Alliance further sharpened her regional policy and analytics credentials. Earlier chapters include marketing consultancy at Blockchain Foundry and a seven-year run at Warner Bros. Discovery in India, where she led ad-sales and business development for HBO and WB across north and east India, delivering record billings. She began her career at Diligent Media Corporation Ltd and Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd..
From ad-sales floors in Delhi and Mumbai to boardrooms in Singapore, Gulati’s arc mirrors the industry’s own shift — from selling spots and slots to engineering outcomes through data and AI. At WPP Media, the brief is clear: scale smarter, move faster and turn algorithms into advantage.
