MAM
Amitabh Bachchan is the most recognised celebrity in the country: Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report
Mumbai: Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report has ranked Amitabh Bachchan as the most recognised celebrity in the country with a very high all India rank. Bachchan leads among the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and other favourites who are younger than him and who are also perhaps more active in their respective fields.
The Brand Endorser is a report of research conducted across 36 Indian cities. As per the syndicated study, Amitabh Bachchan is the most recognised celebrity in the country with the highest-ever recognition score of 92 per cent. He is perceived to be a global personality: self-made, relatable, influential, fit, energetic, sophisticated, and trustworthy. These factors make him a compelling brand ambassador for a range of products.
Hansa Research CEO Praveen Nijhara said, “Our study Brand Endorser is a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the value that an endorser brings to a brand. The study aids marketers to take informed decisions and improve the overall return of investment (ROI) in celebrity engagement.”
The celebrities are ranked as per the Brand Endorser (BE) Score results. They are tracked on various metrics like likability, social media influence, perception, marketing potential, recognition, etc., which make up their final BE score. While Bachchan has scored really high in the all India rank BE score, he ranks third in the west and north zone, ninth in the south zone, and eleventh in the east zone. The ‘Shahenshah of Bollywood,’ as he is fondly called, has a strong presence and mark in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
At the age of 79, Bachchan is one of the most ubiquitous personalities, endorsing various brands, providing voiceovers with his trademark baritone, acting in Indian films and Hollywood, and hosting one of the longest running game shows on Indian television, Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report covered more than 550 celebrities across domains in the country. For this study, the research was conducted amongst 5,100 respondents across 36 cities in the country. To measure the results, structured interviews were conducted across India through online and offline methodologies to understand the standings and performances of shortlisted celebrities.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
