MAM
SG Analytics onboards Kulwinder Singh as CMO
Mumbai: Research and data analytics services firm SG Analytics has appointed Kulwinder Singh as its chief marketing officer. In his new role, Singh will be leading the company’s brand management, digital marketing, public relations, and employer branding initiatives.
Singh has more than 20 years of experience in senior marketing, communication, and brand management roles. Previously, he was associated with Cadila Pharma, where he chaired the position of chief communication officer. While he was responsible for the digital marketing and communication strategy, he also led the human resource function at Cadila for a year. Singh has held marketing, brand management, and communication management roles at reputed companies including – Edifecs, Synechron, VenSat, and Tech Mahindra.
Singh’s appointment is the latest development in a landmark year for SG Analytics wherein the company grew phenomenally and strengthened its leadership team.
“I am very excited to welcome Kulwinder to the team. It’s because of SG Analytics’ position as a leader in the research and data analytics space that we’re able to continuously attract top-calibre talent across all functions, from sales & marketing to technology, and from innovation to customer experience,” said SG Analytics founder & CEO Sushant Gupta. “Kulwinder’s experience in building powerful brands and driving our digital marketing efforts will be invaluable to SG Analytics as we accelerate our growth strategy.”
The new appointment follows the rigorous hiring plans announced by SG Analytics previously. In addition to this, the firm recently announced a company-wide profit share plan for all its employees, reflecting a unique employee-oriented approach.
“I’m extremely excited to join SG Analytics – a people-first company with a fantastic management team and a great vision. My experience in developing strategic brand and marketing programs over the last 10 years makes my role as the chief marketing officer at SGA easy to assume,” said Kulwinder Singh.
Brands
Airtel, Jio, Vi quietly raise tariffs with tweaks ahead of major hike
Airtel, Jio and Vi test subscriber response with subtle plan changes
NEW DELHI: India’s top telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, are quietly reworking their prepaid plans in what appears to be a calculated run-up to a broader tariff hike expected later this year.
Rather than announcing headline-grabbing price increases, the operators are opting for subtle tweaks that are less likely to trigger immediate consumer backlash. Industry observers describe this as a “testing the waters” approach, where small changes help gauge subscriber sensitivity while gradually improving revenues.
Among the most visible moves is plan pruning. Airtel has discontinued its popular Rs 799 pack, widely seen as a high-value offering, while nudging up the price of its Rs 859 plan to Rs 899. The changes may seem marginal, but across millions of users, they translate into meaningful revenue gains.
Reliance Jio, on its part, has taken a sharper route by slashing the validity of its Rs 195 plan from 90 days to just 30 days. The price remains unchanged, but the value per day has dropped steeply, effectively raising costs for consumers without altering headline tariffs.
Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea is restructuring its “NonStopHero” packs, limiting unlimited data benefits to night hours in several circles. The move trims usage flexibility while keeping plan positioning largely intact.
Another common tactic is bundling. Operators are increasingly pairing plans with OTT subscriptions such as streaming services, framing price adjustments as value additions even when the core offering remains largely unchanged.
The broader goal behind these moves is to lift ARPU (Average Revenue Per User), a key profitability metric in the telecom business. Airtel is targeting an ARPU of around Rs 300, up from roughly Rs 250, while Jio is under pressure to demonstrate stronger revenue growth ahead of a potential IPO. For Vodafone Idea, the urgency is more immediate as it seeks higher cash flows to fund 5G expansion and manage outstanding dues.
Industry estimates suggest that these incremental changes are a precursor to a larger, industry-wide tariff hike of 15 to 20 per cent, likely towards the end of 2026. The delay in announcing a full-scale increase is partly due to macroeconomic concerns, including inflation and volatile fuel prices, which could dampen consumer sentiment.
The push to monetise 5G is also gathering pace. After investing more than Rs 3 lakh crore in next-generation networks, operators are expected to gradually phase out free 5G data and reposition it as a premium service.
For consumers, the impact is already visible in small but steady increases in monthly bills. For telcos, however, this is a carefully choreographed build-up, easing users into higher spending before the bigger pricing reset arrives.
