Brands
Brand storyteller Deepti Gera swaps water bottles for wedding bands
MUMBAI: Deepti Gera has traded hydration for celebration. The marketing maven, who spent the past few years making Indians thirsty for Bisleri and gadget-hungry at Croma, has joined TBZ – The Original as general manager for brand, creative and content. It’s a shift from everyday essentials to once-in-a-lifetime sparkle—and she’s ready to make it shine.
With 15 years of creative firepower under her belt, Gera has built her reputation turning data into drama and insights into impact. She has worked with a string of Indian consumer brands: Sony Entertainment Television, Amul, and a rotating door of agency heavyweights including Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, FCB Ulka and Havas. She’s the sort who sees digital, social, print and television not as separate beasts, but as chapters in the same brand story.
At TBZ, she faces a delicious challenge: how to keep a 100-year-old jewellery brand feeling fresh without losing the trust and craftsmanship that made it glitter in the first place. It’s heritage meets hustle, tradition meets TikTok.
Gera seems unfazed. She’s reuniting with Kapil Budukh, a familiar collaborator, under the banner of “clear thinking, creative integrity, and strong leadership”—corporate speak for “we’ve done this dance before.”
Her philosophy? Creativity should surprise, connect and inspire—but never just for art’s sake. It’s got to move the needle, shift the merchandise, make the cash register sing. In her seven-month stint as assistant general manager at Bisleri last year, she’s proved she can do just that.
Now comes the real test: convincing an evolving luxury audience that TBZ isn’t just their grandparents’ jeweller. If anyone can make century-old gold feel like tomorrow’s must-have, it’s Gera. She’s already declared her love for storytelling. TBZ had better prepare for a plot twist.
Brands
Safex Group appoints Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer
Former Standard Chartered executive to steer finance
NEW DELHI: Safex Chemicals has appointed Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company prepares for the next phase of expansion in specialty chemicals and global agrochemicals.
In her new role, Malhotra will lead the group’s financial strategy, capital architecture and governance framework as Safex scales operations across multiple verticals including branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing.
A chartered accountant and graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, Malhotra brings more than two decades of experience in business finance, strategic planning, corporate banking and client management.
Before joining Safex, she served as executive director, financial markets at Standard Chartered, where she led teams across India and Sri Lanka and worked closely with large corporates, global subsidiaries and commercial banking clients. Her expertise includes capital structuring, treasury operations, risk management and financial markets led financing solutions.
Safex Group promoter director and joint managing director Piyush Jindal, said the appointment comes at a pivotal time for the company. “Safex stands at an inflection point as we build an integrated platform across branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing. Richa’s experience across global financial institutions will strengthen our financial discipline and help unlock value across the group,” he said.
Malhotra said she was looking forward to contributing to the company’s next chapter of growth. “Safex has built a strong reputation over 35 years with its focus on integrity, innovation and agricultural insight. I am excited to be part of the organisation as it expands its footprint in India and global markets,” she said.
The appointment comes as Safex continues to strengthen its financial foundations and scale operations internationally, positioning itself for future growth milestones.
