MAM
Pankaj Poddar elevated as group CEO at Cosmo Films
Mumbai: Cosmo Films has elevated Pankaj Poddar as group CEO to head its newly launched consumer business Zigly, alongside trade verticals including films, labelling and packaging, specialty chemicals, ferrites, masterbatches, and textile chemicals. The development came into effect immediately and in recognition of the growth the company witnessed under Poddar’s leadership as CEO of the business.
With a career spanning over 26 years, Poddar has held key leadership positions in the company across business units and verticals. As the chief financial officer at Cosmo Films in 2011, he was responsible for managing the financial operations in India as well as overseas. Since his appointment as CEO in the year 2013, all verticals of Cosmo have witnessed year-on-year growth.
“Poddar’s contribution is immense for the success of Cosmo as is visible in the last few years. R&D, sales and marketing competencies, expanded product range, and focus on specialty films have led to the achievement of record EBITDA and an all-time high market capitalisation,” said Cosmo Films chairman and managing director Ashok Jaipuria. “All of these will make a significant addition to all the parameters of the company – top line, bottom line, and market valuations. He is a great asset to Cosmo with his focus, drive, and implementation bringing in benefits to the company and its stakeholders.”
Poddar started his career with a seven-year stint at Ernst and Young before joining Reckitt Benckiser, Delphi Automotive, and Avon Beauty in senior financial positions. He is a regular speaker at packaging industry forums and sits on the board of Organisation of Plastic Processors of India, Plast India, and IFCA.
“At this point of time, Cosmo Films is at the pivotal state of its growth with diversification into different sectors,” remarked Poddar. “Being a global leader in the films and packaging sector, we aim to be the preferred brand for specialty chemicals, ferrites, polymers, and pet care.”
AD Agencies
WPP Media elevates Dipti Gulati to vp, client growth for APMEA
Singapore-based executive to commercialise AI-powered solutions business across the region
SINGAPORE: WPP Media has promoted Dipti Gulati to vice president, client growth, handing her the mandate to lead the commercialisation of its solutions business across APMEA.
Based in Singapore, Gulati steps up after serving as senior director, client growth, where she drove expansion across APAC spanning programmatic, search, social, CTV, DOOH and cross-channel offerings. Now, she is tasked with translating advanced AI, data and technology ecosystems into scalable growth strategies for global brands across FMCG, luxury, F&B and financial services.
“I commercialise the future of media — at scale, across APMEA,” Gulati said, announcing her appointment. She added that she turns advanced data, AI and technology ecosystems into real commercial outcomes, shifting the conversation “from a pure media play to owning business outcomes”.
Her brief is unapologetically future-facing: addressable, accountable and AI-powered media. She will work with cross-market teams across APMEA, bringing together diverse perspectives and cultures to accelerate growth and build what she calls the “future of media”.
Gulati’s rise caps nearly two years at WPP Media and follows a six-month stint as regional director of growth, APAC, at Mindshare, where she led new business development and expanded capabilities for existing clients. Earlier, as global account director for integrated marketing communications on the Unilever business, she drove communications strategy for multi-million dollar beauty and wellbeing brands across Southeast Asia.
Before that, Gulati spent close to two years as associate director at Warner Bros. Discovery in Singapore. She also served as director, strategic partnerships and market development at TrustSphere, leading go-to-market and growth initiatives across Asia and evangelising relationship analytics to C-level executives. TrustSphere, credited by industry and Harvard Business School case studies as a pioneer in relationship analytics, became a springboard for her deeper engagement with data-driven growth.
Her board and evangelist roles at the Asia Cloud Computing Association and its Asia Analytics Alliance further sharpened her regional policy and analytics credentials. Earlier chapters include marketing consultancy at Blockchain Foundry and a seven-year run at Warner Bros. Discovery in India, where she led ad-sales and business development for HBO and WB across north and east India, delivering record billings. She began her career at Diligent Media Corporation Ltd and Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd..
From ad-sales floors in Delhi and Mumbai to boardrooms in Singapore, Gulati’s arc mirrors the industry’s own shift — from selling spots and slots to engineering outcomes through data and AI. At WPP Media, the brief is clear: scale smarter, move faster and turn algorithms into advantage.
