MAM
Saumya Mittal takes charge as McDonald’s chief people officer for Asia
MUMBAI: McDonald’s Corp has appointed Saumya Mittal as chief people officer for Asia, handing her the keys to one of its most critical growth markets. Mittal, who took charge this month, will oversee the end-to-end people agenda across Asia, partnering with regional leaders to sharpen talent strategy, culture and organisational design.
She joins from Google, where she spent nearly eight years in senior HR roles, most recently as APAC commercial HR lead, steering transformational programmes across the region. Earlier, she led diversity, equity and inclusion for Google APAC and served as people partner for the region.
Mittal cut her teeth at PepsiCo, spending a decade across plant HR, IR, talent acquisition, diversity and change management, before rising to head culture, engagement and change. Her early years as management trainee and plant HR manager gave her hands-on grounding in industrial relations and large workforce management.
Winner of People Matters’ Are You in the List award in 2015, Mittal has also bagged multiple national and international honours during her career at PepsiCo and Google. With 15 years of experience straddling consumer goods and technology, she is expected to play a pivotal role as McDonald’s deepens its bets on Asia’s high-growth markets.
MAM
Ameya Velankar steps down as Uber’s head of marketing for India & South Asia
Veteran marketer exits after more than seven years with the ride-hailing giant.
MUMBAI: After more than seven years of steering Uber through the bumpy roads of India’s mobility market, Ameya Velankar has decided to change lanes. Ameya Velankar has stepped down as Head of Marketing for India and South Asia, marking the end of a significant chapter at the ride-hailing company. He had been with Uber since 2019, taking on multiple roles in product and category marketing before rising to lead the marketing function for the region in 2021.
During his tenure, Velankar played a key role in strengthening Uber’s positioning in one of its most competitive and dynamic markets. He helped drive localised marketing strategies and scale adoption across key offerings such as Auto, Moto, Rentals and Intercity, tailoring global platforms to Indian consumer needs.
Prior to joining Uber, Velankar built his marketing expertise at leading consumer companies including SC Johnson and Marico, where he handled category and product leadership roles. His career began at RPG Enterprises.
Details of his next professional move have not been disclosed.
In a fast-evolving mobility landscape where brands constantly battle for attention, Ameya Velankar helped Uber stay relevant and resonant with millions of Indian users. As he moves on from the driver’s seat of marketing, the company will now look for fresh ideas to keep its wheels turning smoothly.
