MAM
Banking to pharma: A marketing maverick takes helm at Sun Pharma
MUMBAI: After an 18-year whirlwind of success in banking marketing, Pulak Sarmah has made a bold leap into the pharmaceutical arena, becoming the head of corporate marketing & brand at Sun Pharma.
Known for his strategic brilliance and brand-building acumen, Sarmah’s transition signals a pivotal moment in the marketing industry, blending two diverse worlds under the leadership of a proven marketing veteran. With Sun Pharma’s global ambitions in focus, his appointment is set to redefine the company’s brand narrative and solidify its position on the world stage.
Sarmah began his professional journey in 2006 at Ogilvy & Mather in client servicing, setting the foundation for an illustrious career. Over the next 18 years, he rose through pivotal roles within the Kotak Group, showcasing his expertise in branding and communication. Briefly stepping away to fulfil a long-standing entrepreneurial dream, he ran a food joint named “Not Just Momos!” for a year. Returning to the corporate world, Sarmah served as Vice President of Brand and Corporate Communication at Kotak Mahindra Bank, where he was instrumental in defining the bank’s identity and spearheaded successful campaigns such as #IndiaInvited.
His most recent position was executive vice president – brand, corporate communication, and consumer insights at Zurich Kotak General Insurance, where he spearheaded impactful marketing strategies, consumer insight initiatives, and brand-building efforts that set benchmarks in the industry.
Sarmah expressed his enthusiasm for the new opportunity via a LinkedIn post, “Today, I embark on a new professional journey as head of corporate marketing & brand at Sun Pharma. Having spent the last 18 years building various brands within the Kotak Group, I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity at Sun Pharma. Thank you, everyone, for your love and best wishes.”
At Sun Pharma, Sarmah will oversee corporate marketing and branding initiatives, leveraging his extensive experience to elevate the company’s global standing. His track record of delivering innovative campaigns and creating impactful brand narratives aligns seamlessly with Sun Pharma’s vision for the future.
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.
