MAM
IMG ropes in Bobby Sharma as SVP
MUMBAI: Global sports and media company, IMG Worldwide, has appointed Bobby Sharma as its senior vice president for global business development of basketball.
In his new role, Sharma will oversee the growth of IMG‘s basketball business around the world including the emerging economies of India and Brazil.
Sharma will initially relocate to Mumbai to begin developing the company‘s exclusive commercial rights of basketball in India.
He will be working as part of IMG Reliance (IMGR), a joint venture between IMG and Reliance Industries. Earlier this year, IMGR acquired all commercial rights of basketball in India for a 30-year period.
Said executive vice president of IMG and executive director of IMGR, “With successful talent pyramids in place, these leagues will thrive. With his experience developing the sport of basketball for almost a decade at the NBA, Bobby is the right person at the right time to help us achieve IMG‘s goals for the game around the world, both from a player and league development perspective.”
Sharma joins IMG from the National Basketball Association (NBA) where he served as the chief legal officer and a senior executive of the NBA Development League, the NBA‘s minor league and its various operating entities. He was also responsible for related initiatives such as expansion and international league consulting.
Stated Sharma, “This is an enormous opportunity for me to make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the sport of basketball on a global level. There is tremendous interest in the game in India and its dynamic market in particular, where more than half of the nation‘s population is under 25 years old and just about every economic metric is headed in a positive direction. I‘m excited to join the talented team of executives that IMG Chairman Ted Forstmann has put in place to help take the company to the next level.”
IMGR is aiming to develop a professional basketball league in which players from around the globe will compete alongside Indian players at the highest level.
The NBA recently awarded its telecast rights to Ten Sports and Pix, after its term expired with ESPN Star Sports.
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.
