MAM
Health insurance platform Plum appoints Mukul Kanchan as its head of finance
Mumbai: Plum, an employee health insurance platform, has appointed Mukul Kanchan as its head of finance. Mukul has assumed charge from June 2022 and will be working closely with the founders to solve complexities as the business scales up at a faster clip. Mukul will support scaling the business with sustainability, building financial prudence and robustness, acquisition initiatives, and fundraising. He will also strengthen risk management practices and compliances at Plum.
Mukul is an investment banker and a private equity investment professional. He comes with over 16 years of experience in leading finance, M&A and business development functions in prominent start-ups and global corporations such as Clix Capital, D. E. Shaw & Co, E&Y and Aten Capital among others. In his earlier role as CFO at Clix, Mukul drove the acquisition of GE Capital India entities in 2016 which was later renamed as Clix, simplified the legal entity structure of the group, drove M&As and partnerships, and led the overall finance function.
On his new role as head of finance at Plum, Mukul Kanchan said, “In a world of high-growth tech start-ups, a finance leader must become a strategic partner to their CEOs. From staying conservative to displaying aggression, from valuing cost-cutting to chasing opportunity cost, from controller to being an enabler, and from playing by the book to writing a new playbook, the new age finance leaders must act as a catalyst for growth and aspire to change the game.”
Plum co-founder and CEO Abhishek Poddar said, “Mukul is a highly adept finance leader and will be an invaluable asset to Plum’s leadership team. Having worked at some of the most robust financial services organisations, not only does he bring the expertise needed to run our finance function, he also has a critical understanding of what it takes to drive growth and operational excellence. Having worked with Mukul for some time now, I have experienced his superior intellect and leadership abilities and am excited to work closely with him as we execute the next phase of Plum’s journey.”
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
