Brands
Campus laces up with Kriti Sanon to kickstart women’s sneaker revolution
MUMBAI: Sneakerheads, meet your new style captain Kriti Sanon. Campus Activewear, one of India’s biggest sports and athleisure footwear brands, has signed on the National Award-winning actress as the face of its women’s category, a move that cements the brand’s ambitions to step up its game in the fast-growing segment.
For Campus, women’s sports and athleisure is no sidekick, it’s become one of the biggest growth drivers over the past year, fuelling the brand’s rise in India’s sneaker story. Now, with Kriti Sanon, an engineering graduate turned Bollywood star and entrepreneur fronting the campaign, the brand is tying its laces for the next lap: making sneakers bolder, trend-forward, and uncompromisingly comfortable for women who juggle multiple roles.
Nikhil Aggarwal, CEO and Whole Time Director of Campus Activewear, called the women’s portfolio “one of the most significant growth engines,” noting that Kriti’s ambition and versatility make her the perfect match. Kriti, meanwhile, says she’s drawn to Campus’ belief that style should reflect who you are “designing footwear as versatile as the roles women play.”
With athleisure booming and Campus eyeing bigger strides, Kriti’s arrival signals more than just another celebrity face on a billboard. It’s a sneaker statement: India’s women are not just walking in style, they’re sprinting ahead.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
