MAM
Candid Marketing rechristens trade & retail marketing div
MUMBAI: Candid Marketing, a strategic brand activation agency, is looking at scaling up its to operations pan India and has rechristened its trade marketing business to UBIQ Trade Marketing as part of its expansion strategy.
Formerly known as Integrated Trade Marketing, the division will also adorn a refreshed identity and logo.
The division was earlier jointly owned by Candid Marketing and IMSG. The change in identity of ITM was put into process following the management buyout of Candid Marketing from IMSG earlier this year.
With the renaming of the division, the company aims at positioning UBIQ Trade Marketing as “a leading trade marketing agency, helping clients achieve availability and visibility everyday, everywhere.”
While Riyaz Sayed has been roped into the division as AVP west and south India, Pradeep Thakur is AVP north and east India.
Says Candid Marketing founder and MD Atul S Nath, “We have had a vision of creating a specialised division that caters to the needs of marketers employing trade marketing. With UBIQ we will ensure that our clients continue to receive services that set future benchmarks for the industry.”
He further stated, “With this new identity, we wish to build the brand across its networks of presence, clients and the trade marketing fraternity, for the services it offers. While we had a strong presence in the north and west zones, we are now looking to scale up operations pan India, including increasing our team size by 100 per cent over the next one year.”
The services provided by UBIQ include channel sales, feet-on-street, channel incentivisation and loyalty programmes, mystery shoppers programmes, in-shop promoter programmes, merchandising programmes (soft and hard), POS/POP production (Soft & Hard), shop-in-shop (designing and implementation), brand shops (designing and implementation), and retail and trade audits.
The business has already been servicing and supporting clients like Samsung, Toshiba, Videocon, Diageo, Pepsi, Cadbury, Max New York Life and LG.
Brands
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson resigns ahead of term: Reports
Tata Group begins leadership transition amid crisis and ongoing turnaround push
NEW DELHI: According to media reports, Air India chief executive officer and managing director Campbell Wilson has resigned from his position, stepping down more than a year before the end of his term.
Reports indicate that the airline’s board approved his resignation last week, although Wilson is expected to remain in his role during the notice period until a successor is appointed. The airline has not yet issued an official statement.
Wilson, who took charge in 2022 following the acquisition of Air India by the Tata Group, was on a five-year contract set to run until July 2027. His early exit comes at a critical time as the carrier continues to work through operational and financial challenges.
The reported resignation follows a turbulent phase for the airline, including the fallout from the Ahmedabad plane crash and increased regulatory scrutiny. Rising fuel costs, aircraft delivery delays, and the complexities of post-privatisation integration have also weighed on performance.
Before joining Air India, Wilson served as chief executive of Scoot, the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines, where he built a reputation for scaling operations efficiently. His appointment at Air India was seen as a key part of the Tata Group’s revival strategy.
The search for a new chief executive has reportedly been underway since last year, though there is no clarity yet on a replacement.
The development comes amid wider leadership shifts in the aviation sector. Rival IndiGo has named William Walsh, former head of the International Air Transport Association, as its incoming CEO.
For Air India, the focus now turns to ensuring continuity while sustaining its turnaround momentum. With a leadership change on the horizon, the airline’s next chapter will likely depend on both steady execution and a smooth handover at the top.
