Brands
Wow! Momo appoints Sylvia Dutta to lead corporate communications and PR
Ex-Jubilant FoodWorks communications lead swaps pizza for momos as QSR chain sharpens brand push
MUMBAI: From pizza boxes to momo cartons, Sylvia Dutta is on the move. After more than a decade shaping the communications playbook at Jubilant FoodWorks, the former lead for corporate communications has joined Wow! Momo as lead, corporate communications and PR, signalling the fast-growing QSR chain’s intent to double down on brand muscle.
Dutta spent over 14 years at Jubilant FoodWorks, steering communications for marquee brands including Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin’ Donuts, Popeyes and Hong’s Kitchen across India and neighbouring markets. Her tenure saw high-impact campaigns, milestone store launches and crisis communications through periods of rapid expansion in India’s fiercely competitive food services sector.
At Wow! Momo, she steps into a business that has scaled from a single kiosk in 2008 to more than 800 stores across 80 cities, spanning formats such as Wow! Momo, Wow! China, Wow! Chicken and Wow! Kulfi. The company is widely seen as one of India’s fastest-growing homegrown QSR chains, built on a simple product and an aggressive expansion strategy.
Dutta’s remit will cover corporate communications, media relations, reputation management and strategic brand positioning, areas that are becoming critical as QSR players chase scale and investor attention in an increasingly crowded market.
Her career arc runs from newsrooms to boardrooms. She began as a news anchor with Northeast TV before moving into public relations, with early stints at Grey Worldwide and GMR Delhi International Airport. At DIAL, she worked on the launch of Terminal 3 and contributed to international projects, earning internal recognition for execution.
At Jubilant, she rose through the ranks to lead communications, handling everything from external messaging to CSR initiatives. Campaigns under her watch ranged from brand storytelling to public-interest messaging, alongside projects such as documenting Domino’s India journey in a coffee table book.
Dutta described the move as a shift “from one beloved dough to a whole universe of flavour”, underscoring continuity in ambition rather than category.
The hire comes as Wow! Momo looks to deepen its brand narrative beyond product, betting on sharper storytelling to match its breakneck physical expansion. In a market where attention is as contested as appetite, the brief is clear. Build recall, manage reputation and keep the story moving.
From 30-minute deliveries to street-side staples turned national brands, the script has changed. The pace has not.
Brands
Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail reshuffles top deck; Nikhil Modha to take over as CFO
Phased transition sees Marco Agnolin head OWND!, Nikhil Modha lined up as CFO as company readies next growth leg
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail is redrawing its leadership map, lining up a new generation of executives across key roles as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The company has named Suraj Bahirwani as chief executive (designate) of Pantaloons, effective April 1, 2026, with a full transition to the top role slated for October 1, 2026. He will also be designated as senior managerial personnel.
A two-decade veteran of the Aditya Birla Group, Bahirwani joined as a group management trainee in 2002 and has since held a string of leadership roles across retail and manufacturing. His resume spans stints at Aditya Birla Retail, a tenure as chief operating officer of Pantaloons, and most recently, head of global sales at the group’s cellulosic fibres business, where he drove international expansion and strengthened value-added portfolios.
Academically, he holds a PhD from the University of Mumbai, a postgraduate management diploma from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and is a chartered accountant. Over the years, he has picked up multiple chairman’s awards, including distinguished achiever, exceptional contributor and accomplished leader.
The transition at Pantaloons will be staged. Incumbent chief executive Sangeeta Tanwani will continue until September 30, 2026, steering the handover before moving into an advisory role to the managing director from October 1, 2026. She is set to retire on January 31, 2027, at which point she will step down as whole-time director and key managerial personnel.
Alongside, the company has brought in Marco Agnolin as chief executive of OWND! and senior managerial personnel, effective April 6, 2026. Agnolin arrives with over three decades of global experience, having held senior roles at Inditex, where he helped expand Zara in Italy, and later served as chief executive of Bershka and Diesel. His track record spans fast fashion, brand turnarounds and youth-focused retail.
On the finance side, Nikhil Modha has been appointed chief financial officer (designate) and senior managerial personnel from April 1, 2026. He will assume full charge as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel from January 1, 2027.
Current chief financial officer Jagdish Bajaj will oversee a phased transition until December 31, 2026, before retiring and stepping down from his roles.
The reshuffle signals a calibrated succession plan rather than a sudden overhaul, with the company staggering exits and appointments to ensure continuity even as it refreshes leadership across verticals.
As Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail juggles legacy brands and new-age formats, the message is clear: steady hands for the present, sharper ones for the future—and no pause in the push for scale.
