MAM
BITS Pilani ropes in edtech veteran Samit Dayal to lead digital push
MUMBAI: BITS Pilani has appointed seasoned education and SaaS executive Samit Dayal as general manager – institutional engagement at BITS Pilani Digital, its ambitious foray into the online learning space. With a 25-year track record of launching and scaling multimillion-dollar education and tech ventures across South Asia and the Middle East, Dayal is expected to power BITS’ plans of reaching over 100,000 students in five years.
In his new role, Dayal will drive partnerships with colleges, universities and edtech platforms, integrate online courses into existing curricula, and design school outreach programmes—all aimed at cementing BITS Pilani Digital’s presence in India’s rapidly evolving higher education market.
Dayal most recently served as business head at SafeBus (MTAP Technologies), where he drove Rs 1 crore in revenue, led an international foray into Germany and the Gulf, and maintained a 100 per cent renewal rate across key school contracts.
Earlier, as vice president – education at FranklinCovey South Asia, he built the India and SAARC operations from scratch, raking in over $400,000 in revenues and forging license deals across Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. His previous stints also include key leadership roles at HeadHonchos, Career Launcher, and i360, with a deep focus on franchise expansion, B2B/B2C education sales, and executive learning programmes.
Known for his strategic acumen and people-first approach, Dayal blends mindfulness with aggressive go-to-market tactics. With the Indian edtech sector shifting from boom to consolidation, his entry signals BITS Pilani’s serious intent to dominate the digital education space—not just with legacy, but with lethal execution.
Brands
Adidas elevates Sartaj Kadian to director of digital marketing
Performance marketing lead steps up to drive AI-led, full-funnel growth across MENA and CIS
DUBAI: Adidas has promoted Sartaj Kadian to director digital marketing, tightening its grip on performance-led growth as brands double down on data, AI and cross-channel precision in a fiercely competitive retail landscape.
Kadian, who has spent over five years with the sportswear giant, most recently led performance marketing across MENA and CIS, steering media strategy and innovation to deliver both brand lift and commercial impact. In his new role, he will take charge of end-to-end digital marketing, with a sharper focus on integrating brand storytelling with measurable, full-funnel outcomes.
A digital marketing leader with over a decade of experience across global markets, Kadian has built and scaled high-performing teams, managed multi-million euro budgets and consistently delivered double-digit growth anchored in ROI. His playbook blends marketing mix modelling, AI-led optimisation and deep analytics to align marketing spends with business priorities.
Before adidas, Kadian led digital marketing, CRM and analytics at Landmark Group, where he drove omni-channel strategies spanning customer acquisition, engagement and retention across retail and e-commerce funnels. Earlier stints at McKinsey & Company and Mu Sigma saw him specialise in analytics-led marketing, predictive modelling and demand forecasting for large-scale clients.
His elevation comes as Adidas sharpens its digital muscle in key growth markets, where consumer journeys are increasingly fragmented and performance accountability is non-negotiable. The mandate is clear: fuse creativity with data, and turn every consumer interaction into measurable value.
In a market where clicks must convert and brand love must sell, Kadian now sits at the nerve centre of adidas’s digital ambition—where strategy meets scale, and data decides the winners.
