Brands
Narayan Ranjan takes charge as head of strategy and operations at Adani Group
MUMBAI: Narayan Ranjan has been appointed head of strategy and operations at the Adani Group, stepping into a pivotal group-level role overseeing corporate and consumer branding as well as corporate communications.
Based in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, Ranjan is part of the Adani Group’s corporate brand custodian unit, working closely with business heads across the conglomerate to shape, coordinate and execute branding and communication strategies for both internal and external stakeholders. His mandate includes building robust operating processes, improving efficiencies and strengthening strategic reporting across the function.
The appointment caps more than three decades of professional experience spanning conglomerates, media, entertainment, consulting and law. Ranjan most recently served as senior advisor at Quintillion Business Media, an Adani Group company, where he worked with senior leadership on strategic planning, project execution, mergers and acquisitions, and managed the NDTV CEO’s office across brands including NDTV, NDTV India, NDTV Profit, BQ Prime and IANS.
Alongside his corporate role, Ranjan continues as visiting faculty at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai, where he teaches securities law and corporate criminal liability to postgraduate and undergraduate students.
Earlier in his career, he spent over 14 years at Viacom18 Media, including stints as group chief financial officer and senior executive vice president and chief of staff, driving aggressive growth, complex joint-venture management, large-scale M&A and governance reforms. His résumé also includes senior leadership roles at Star TV Network, advisory work with EY’s forensic practice, and start-up scaling experience as chief operating officer at Happydemic.
Known as a non-conformist and outspoken leader, Ranjan blends strategy with execution, governance with growth, and corporate rigour with a strong people-first ethos.
For the Adani Group, the message is clear: brand, strategy and operations are no longer parallel tracks — they are now firmly fused at the centre.
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.
