MAM
Los Angeles Tourism appoints first-ever regional director for India market
Mumbai: Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (Los Angeles Tourism) is deepening its foothold in the India Market with the appointment of Ms. Seema Kadam as it’s first-ever Regional Director, India. In 2018, Los Angeles welcomed 130,000 visitors from India, an increase of 5.1% year-over-year making India the 3rd highest year-over-year international growth market for Los Angeles.
In her role, Kadam will develop and support air service for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX); spearhead strategic travel trade engagement including the implementation of a robust training program, using the L.A. Insider Program; and attend key industry trade shows in the region.
“We established a travel trade presence in India several years ago through Sartha Marketing, who introduced Los Angeles to the industry. The time is now right to deepen our engagement. India holds such vast potential for Los Angeles and appointing a full-time, regional director to oversee all of our tourism activity is a natural evolution of our commitment to the market,” stated Kathryn Smits, Vice President, Tourism for Los Angeles Tourism. “Seema’s most recent experience with DMOs has her well-positioned to be successful in this new role.”
On her newly appointed role, Kadam stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the travel fraternity in India, to showcase the diversity and depth of experiences that destination Los Angeles has to offer. With over 25 years in the Indian travel industry, I anticipate that this new role is most likely going to be the most exciting and challenging chapter yet. I am eagerly looking forward to utilizing my knowledge and experience to contribute to the destination’s business goals. It is an honor to be representing a destination like Los Angeles that promotes values like cultural diversity and inclusivity which connect strongly with me personally.”
Kadam, who graduated from Mumbai University, also holds diplomas in Standard and Advanced Travel Management. Over the course of her career, she has worked with leading Indian travel players like Thomas Cook India, Kuoni Travels India, Finnair Plc, Switzerland Tourism and Tourism Fiji.
In addition to her exceptional pan-India travel network created over the years, Seema is also skilled at establishing and implementing strategies that are business driven and result-oriented. With her strong product knowledge and business development strengths, she is aptly empowered to navigate any micro or macro challenges during her tenure.
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.
