Brands
Publicis Worldwide onboards Nitin Sharma as senior vice president & head of client services
Mumbai: Publicis Worldwide India, part of the Publicis Groupe network in India, has strengthened its leadership team and announced the appointment of Nitin Sharma as senior vice president and head of client services. Nitin would be based out of Mumbai and report to Publicis Worldwide India managing director Oindrila Roy.
An astute branding and marketing strategist, Nitin would manage some of the agency’s key brands while accelerating Publicis Worldwide’s upward growth and ambitions in the marketplace.
In a career spanning over two decades, Nitin has worked across agencies, leading some marquee brands such as McDonald’s, Johnnie Walker, National Geographic, HDFC Life Insurance, IDFC First Bank, Bajaj Electricals, TBZ, Philips, Dabur, Yellow Pages, Kamasutra, and Elf Lubricants, among others.
Before joining Publicis Worldwide, he spent over half a decade working overseas as a marketer, heading the marketing strategy for one of the Middle East’s most recognised financial services brands, UAE Exchange (now Unimoni). With his interest in modern marketing practises essential for business growth today and experience in handling large teams, Nitin brings with him the solidity and the balance required to help clients grow their business, both from a long-term perspective and by delivering day-to-day.
Publicis Worldwide, India CEO Paritosh Srivastava said, “While we reinvent ourselves to cater to the evolving marketing landscape, it is imperative to have the sound backing of a team that will drive this momentum forward for us. Towards that goal, we are glad to have someone of the calibre of Nitin Sharma who comes on board with domain expertise that is rich and pragmatic. His strong ability to direct and lead brands to a reputable position in the marketplace while possessing qualitative and admirable leadership skills bodes well for our momentum in the long run.”
On joining the agency, Nitin added, “I am super-stoked to be offered this role at Publicis Groupe, which has always been at the forefront of delivering truly integrated solutions which enable organisations to solve business problems and leverage emerging opportunities.”
“I was particularly impressed with the unique integration model—’Power of One’—that strategically fuses creativity, data, and technology to help build compelling narratives, drive engagement, and create powerful experiences that deliver positive business outcomes. The Groupe’s name-bearer agency, Publicis Worldwide, has partnered with some of the finest brands in India. I’m privileged to work with Paritosh Srivastava and the leadership team in growing the agency’s strength and stature in the years to come,” he added.
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.
