Brands
Kaustubh Chandra bids farewell to Airtel Business as CMO
MUMBAI: Kaustubh Chandra, the chief marketing officer of Airtel Business, has called time on his nearly five-year stint with the telecom major, drawing the curtain on a chapter marked by growth, reinvention and a distinctly people-first approach.
Announcing his exit in a heartfelt LinkedIn post, Chandra reflected on what he described as a “beautiful” journey, stitched together by people, moments and shared wins. “This goodbye is tough,” he wrote, crediting his team as the real engine behind everything Airtel Business has built over the last five years. From shaping the brand’s voice to driving sustained growth, Chandra said the experience was less about titles and more about collective energy.
Chandra joined Airtel Business in June 2021 and rose to become CMO and head of the digital sales group, overseeing marketing, inside sales, sales operations and enablement under one integrated growth engine. His mandate stretched well beyond India, spanning Apac, the Americas and EMEA, with a focus on accelerating revenue and sharpening Airtel Business’ presence in competitive global markets.
During his tenure, Airtel Business expanded its B2B play across next-generation connectivity, cloud, security, IoT, data centres, CPaaS and 5G for enterprise. Chandra was also a strong advocate of marketing-led growth, blending automation, data-led decision-making and, more recently, generative AI to improve conversions, productivity and speed to market.
Equally central to his approach was culture. In his farewell note, Chandra thanked leaders and peers for creating space for authenticity, adding that Airtel’s ambition to be a trusted, customer-first brand was something he remained deeply proud of. “Airtel will always be special. Forever with pride, I am Airtel,” he wrote.
Before Airtel, Chandra held senior leadership roles at NTT, IBM and Religare Technologies, building a reputation as a marketer who speaks the language of revenue as fluently as brand storytelling. Industry recognition followed, including multiple marketing awards and listings among India’s top CMOs.
What’s next for Chandra remains under wraps. For now, he exits on a high, leaving behind a brand that speaks with clarity, confidence and scale. Sometimes, the strongest goodbyes are simply a sign that the work was done right.
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.
