MAM
Dual honours awarded to brand IndiaFirst Life stand testament to its evolution
MUMBAI: Sonia Notani, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) – IndiaFirst Life, was named among the ‘Super 30’ – CMO Honor Roll by IAMAI and iProspect, at a ceremony in Mumbai on September 13, 2019. The handpicked list aims to recognise the contributions of marketing leaders across industries in charting the course of the respective brands they are at the helm of.
The recognition comes as a validation of the company’s approach to redefine the manner life insurance is perceived, which is all about life’s welcome possibilities insurance helps prepare for, or a “life that is full of certainties”. Over a last couple of years, the organisation has run multiple, quirky yet relatable campaigns under this positioning.
Days earlier, IndiaFirst Life was recognised as the “India’s Most Admired Brand 2019” at the Ideas Fest 2019 in Delhi for a whole new perception infused into the idea of life insurance. The honour is testament to the growth, innovation, goodwill and trust the brand has built in its just close to decade-long existence, among brands in the life insurance sector with a vintage.
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.
