MAM
Pooja Tomar hops over to Publicis Groupe as senior director of buying
MUMBAI – Media maven Pooja Tomar is on the move again. After nearly three years as senior business director at Havas Media Group, Tomar has been snapped up by Publicis Groupe, stepping into the newly minted role of senior director, buying from April 2025. She will be based in India, working on-site.
With more than a decade of navigating the labyrinth of media planning, buying and strategy across FMCG, e-commerce and technology, Tomar brings a bulging toolkit of cross-media skills to her new perch. Her career reads like a masterclass in media evolution — from digital hustle to broadcast muscle.
Before Havas, Tomar clocked nearly five years across Starcom and Publicis’ ZenithOptimedia, sharpening her cross-platform planning chops. Earlier stints at Madison World and GroupM saw her navigating media buying with a keen eye on both budgets and ROI, across some of India’s top retail, telecom and tech accounts.
Tomar’s trademark: an uncanny knack for aligning new technology with old-school brand strategy – and for chasing hard numbers with harder insights. Over the years, she has built a reputation for being a strategist who can not just plan campaigns but anticipate market moves, with a solid grip on consumer trends, media fragmentation, and the shifting sands of cross-platform engagement.
Expect fireworks as she joins Publicis Groupe, bringing her “360-degree media brain” to a fiercely competitive Indian media marketplace.
Brands
UP govt, HGS unit to skill one lakh youth in digital push
MoU targets jobs, training and future ready talent across state
MUMBAI: Government of Uttar Pradesh has joined hands with OneOTT Intertainment Limited, the broadband arm of Hinduja Global Solutions, to train one lakh youth, signalling a fresh push towards jobs in the digital economy.
The memorandum of understanding, signed with the Employment Department Uttar Pradesh, aims to bridge the gap between skills and industry needs while opening up employment pathways for young people across the state.
The agreement was formalised by principal secretary, labour and employment, M. K. Shanmugha Sundaram and whole-time director, Hinduja Global Solutions and MD and CEO, OneOTT Intertainment Limited, Vynsley Fernandes, in the presence of labour minister Anil Rajbhar.
Under the partnership, OneOTT Intertainment Limited will roll out training programmes, workshops and knowledge-sharing platforms designed to equip youth with skills aligned to a rapidly digitising economy. The initiative will also include research inputs, technical guidance and policy-level support to ensure effective execution.
Principal secretary, labour and employment, M. K. Shanmugha Sundaram, said, “This collaboration will help align skill development programmes with actual industry needs and prepare the youth of Uttar Pradesh for emerging opportunities in the digital services sector.”
Hinduja Global Solutions whole-time director, and OneOTT Intertainment Limited MD and CEO Vynsley Fernandes said, “India’s progress is closely linked to strengthening the capabilities of its young workforce. At HGS, we see skills evolving alongside technology, and partnerships like this help build a stronger digital ecosystem.”
The state government will facilitate coordination across departments and institutions, ensuring the programmes reach the right audiences and deliver measurable outcomes.
As digital infrastructure expands and technology reshapes job markets, initiatives like this are positioning skill development not just as training, but as a gateway to opportunity for the next generation.
