Brands
Neha Bahl Gujral joins Apple India as partner marcom lead
MUMBAI: Who wouldn’t fall for the temptation of the juicy apple? Especially when it’s the most valued firm in the world.
So, it’s very understandable why marketing veteran Neha Bahl Gujral has taken on a new role at Apple India as partner marcom lead, effective January 2025. With over 17 years of extensive experience across global brands, start-ups, and award-winning campaigns, Gujral’s appointment underscores her expertise in brand strategy, communications, and marketing innovation.
Gujral’s career highlights include a recent tenure as CMO and head of communications at Savills India, where she served from April 2024 to January 2025. Prior to that, she was the IMC Head for flagship and wearables at Samsung Electronics, where she drove impactful campaigns and business growth for the mobile business for nearly two years.
Her earlier experience includes serving as head of consumer brand and marketing at HP, where she increased brand saliency and achieved record consumer business growth through strategic marketing interventions in the PC arena. Gujral also led marketing efforts at National Geographic, earning numerous industry awards such as the Abbys, Kyoorius, and Promax Asia.
As founder and CEO of Exclamation Point, she provided start-ups like The Moms Co. and Lifelong Online with comprehensive marketing strategies, helping them establish strong brand foundations. She has also held key roles at Microsoft, InterGlobe Technology Quotient, and Webchutney, showcasing her versatility in managing integrated marketing campaigns and building impactful brand narratives.
Gujral is an alumna of Mica, Ahmedabad, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration (marketing) from the Indian Institute of Learning and Management. Known for her strategic acumen, creativity, and leadership, Gujral continues to shape the landscape of marketing in India.
Her appointment at Apple India signals an exciting chapter in her career as she contributes her expertise to one of the world’s most iconic brands.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
