MAM
Burning bright: Neha Kapoor rises to executive vice president at Leo Burnett
GURGAON: Some careers simmer. Neha Kapoor’s has been on full boil. The 17-year experienced advertising veteran has just been promoted to executive vice president at Leo Burnett India, capping a near-decade climb through the ranks that’s seen her torch every target in sight.
Kapoor joined Leo in June 2018 as associate vice president. What followed reads like a masterclass in upward mobility: vice president by May 2021, senior vice president by October 2023, and now the executive suite. Seven years and seven months. Four promotions. No smoke without fire.
Her CV suggests a woman who doesn’t believe in burning out. Before Leo, she spent nearly two years as director of brand engagements at DDB Mudra Group, where she presumably set a few brands ablaze. Prior to that, a four-year stint at OgilvyOne Worldwide saw her rise from account director to management supervisor, handling everyone from American Express to Vodafone.
The early days were equally scorching. At McCann Erickson, she helped launch Republic of Chicken and Dabur Junior whilst somehow finding time to wrangle celebrities on television shoots. At ENZ Communication, she cut her teeth on food and beverage brands, proving that even junior account executives can cook up creative solutions.
Kapoor describes herself as “a stickler for timelines and deliveries” who produces “meaningful results” under pressure. One suspects her clients would agree—you don’t rack up 17 years managing India’s leading brands by missing deadlines or melting under stress.
Now ensconced in the executive vice president’s chair, she’s promised to take on “challenging assignments” that add to her professional growth. Given her track record, one rather suspects it’s the assignments that ought to be worried. At Leo Burnett, it seems, Kapoor has found her perfect match.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
