Brands
Arcil names Phanindranath Kakarla chief executive and md
Kakarla succeeds Pallav Mohapatra in planned transition
MUMBAI: Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Limited (ARCIL) has appointed Phanindranath Kakarla as chief executive officer and managing director, effective 9 March, succeeding Pallav Mohapatra, who has stepped down after completing his term.
Arcil, founded in 2002, was India’s first asset reconstruction company and remains a key player in resolving stressed assets for banks and financial institutions.
Kakarla joined Arcil as president on 2 April, 2025 under a board-approved succession plan designed to ensure a smooth leadership transition. In that role he worked closely with the management team on strategy, business expansion and operational transformation.
Before joining Arcil, he held senior leadership roles at the Edelweiss Group, where he oversaw strategic functions including finance, operations, corporate services and business transformation.
“I am honoured to take on the responsibility of leading Arcil at an important stage in its journey,” said Kakarla. “Arcil has played a pioneering role in shaping India’s asset reconstruction industry and remains a strategic partner for banks and financial institutions.”
Mohapatra, who took charge in March 2021, leaves after guiding the company through a period of strategic consolidation. With more than four decades in India’s banking and financial services industry, he helped strengthen Arcil’s governance frameworks and sharpen its growth initiatives in the stressed-asset resolution space.
Welcoming the new chief, Arcil chairman Narayanan Subramaniam, said Kakarla’s experience in financial services and asset resolution would help steer the company into its next phase of growth. He also thanked Mohapatra for his leadership during what he described as a transformative period for the firm.
Arcil counts institutional investors including Avenue India Resurgence Pte Limited and State Bank of India among its shareholders and operates across multiple branches in India, focusing on corporate, SME and retail asset resolution.
Brands
Komerz acquires Glassbox to launch creative commerce model in India
Brand storytelling meets AI-driven distribution as Komerz targets $345bn digital market
MUMBAI: London-headquartered commerce platform Komerz has acquired brand and marketing consultancy Glassbox, creating a single integrated system that blends creativity, distribution, and measurable sales.
The move introduces a new “creative commerce” model, combining AI-powered infrastructure, brand strategy, and performance measurement within one platform. By connecting upper-funnel brand building with lower-funnel conversion and repeat purchases, the combined entity aims to provide brands with a seamless growth engine.
Komerz Global CEO Ramesh Krishnamurthy said, “Creative commerce must operate across the funnel. Contextual content, data-led activation and distribution must function as one accountable growth engine.”
Komerz global COO Siddharth Shankar added, “Creative without distribution is theatre. Distribution without brand equity is discounting. Bringing both together lets brands build equity while driving measurable growth.”
Glassbox, founded in 2021 by Geetanjali Bhattacharji and Anil Nair, works across brand strategy, marketing transformation, and integrated communications. Bhattacharji said the integration reflects how “brand building must evolve from episodic campaigns to always-on, data-informed commerce frameworks.”
Komerz, valued around $330 million, operates across the UK, Europe, Asia, and North America. The acquisition will help multinational corporations manage complex global portfolios while enabling challenger and D2C brands to scale across India’s digital commerce market, projected to reach $345 billion by 2030.
With this deal, Komerz is strengthening its global “creative commerce” footprint, following its recent acquisition of US retail measurement firm Pathformance, and positioning itself at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and technology.
