Brands
#SAMMIE2019 awards the 100+ awards to India’s Best of the Social Media Brands
MUMBAI: The recently concluded Third Edition of the #SAMMIE2019 awards by Social Samosa witnessed one of the glorious evenings at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai. The award nights dazzled with the presence of several industry stalwarts and the panel guests discussing over various topics pertinent to the current strength of the industry.
Conceptualized with the thought of promoting best practices benchmarking in the industry, Best Social Media Brands is an industry mandate to adjudge a brand’s performance amongst peers on a relative scale. SAMMIE 2019 took the bar a notch higher with over 360 nominations across 25 main categories, 15 special categories, and 6 marketing achievers’ categories.
The event began with the workshop sharing thoughts on Performance over Branding followed by an insightful session on Facebook Thumbstoppers by Anoop Menon (Creative Agency Partner, Facebook India). The event unfolded with a pool of talent receiving recognition for their incessant hard work, creativity and out of box thinking that helped the brand to stand out in the clutter.
There were panel discussions on topics such as Role of Brands in Authentic Content, Road to 2020 and what it holds for the industry where several influencers and creative minds discussed their take on the Past, Present and Future of the industry. The event progressed with yet another industry veteran, Meghna Apparao, CMO, Godrej sharing few interesting marketing insights with a dash of fun and a dose of laughter that engaged the audience at large.
Speaking on same, Hitesh Rajwani, CEO, Social Samosa said, “We were enthused to host the Third edition of #SAMMIE2019, and are elated to see it grow year on year. This shows the miraculous potential that our industry holds and can only say that we are yet to witness the digital revolution in India. This is just the beginning of it.”
100+ awards were given across 25 main categories, 15 special categories, and 6 marketing achievers’ categories. Digitas India was leading the game with 4 gold and 9 silver awards for their work for Jeep India, Voot, Reliance Jio, Appy Fizz and more. SAMMIE Best Social Media Brands 2019 was evaluated by an esteemed jury panel featuring Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman, and CCO, 82.5 Ogilvy, Mohit Joshi, MD, Havas Media Group India, Rajesh Ghatge, CEO, Indigo Consulting, Karthik Nagarajan, Chief Content Officer at Wavemaker, Anubhav Sonthalia, CEO at Merkle Sokrati, Vishal Chinchankar, Chief Digital Officer at Madison, Priti Murthy, CEO, OMD India, Suvajyoti Ghosh, Managing Director & Chief Creative Officer, Brandmovers India, Priti Nair, Director, Curry Nation, Priya Jayaraman, Saatchi Propagate.
Social Samosa Best Social Media Brands 2019 was held in association with, Gifting Partners – The Good Life Company (TGL Co.), Plush Plaza & Satliva, Media Partner – The Free Press Journal, Online Radio Partner – Radio City.in, Online Broadcast Partner – 24 Frames Digital and PR Partner – Treize Communications.
Brands
Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail reshuffles top deck; Nikhil Modha to take over as CFO
Phased transition sees Marco Agnolin head OWND!, Nikhil Modha lined up as CFO as company readies next growth leg
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail is redrawing its leadership map, lining up a new generation of executives across key roles as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The company has named Suraj Bahirwani as chief executive (designate) of Pantaloons, effective April 1, 2026, with a full transition to the top role slated for October 1, 2026. He will also be designated as senior managerial personnel.
A two-decade veteran of the Aditya Birla Group, Bahirwani joined as a group management trainee in 2002 and has since held a string of leadership roles across retail and manufacturing. His resume spans stints at Aditya Birla Retail, a tenure as chief operating officer of Pantaloons, and most recently, head of global sales at the group’s cellulosic fibres business, where he drove international expansion and strengthened value-added portfolios.
Academically, he holds a PhD from the University of Mumbai, a postgraduate management diploma from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and is a chartered accountant. Over the years, he has picked up multiple chairman’s awards, including distinguished achiever, exceptional contributor and accomplished leader.
The transition at Pantaloons will be staged. Incumbent chief executive Sangeeta Tanwani will continue until September 30, 2026, steering the handover before moving into an advisory role to the managing director from October 1, 2026. She is set to retire on January 31, 2027, at which point she will step down as whole-time director and key managerial personnel.
Alongside, the company has brought in Marco Agnolin as chief executive of OWND! and senior managerial personnel, effective April 6, 2026. Agnolin arrives with over three decades of global experience, having held senior roles at Inditex, where he helped expand Zara in Italy, and later served as chief executive of Bershka and Diesel. His track record spans fast fashion, brand turnarounds and youth-focused retail.
On the finance side, Nikhil Modha has been appointed chief financial officer (designate) and senior managerial personnel from April 1, 2026. He will assume full charge as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel from January 1, 2027.
Current chief financial officer Jagdish Bajaj will oversee a phased transition until December 31, 2026, before retiring and stepping down from his roles.
The reshuffle signals a calibrated succession plan rather than a sudden overhaul, with the company staggering exits and appointments to ensure continuity even as it refreshes leadership across verticals.
As Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail juggles legacy brands and new-age formats, the message is clear: steady hands for the present, sharper ones for the future—and no pause in the push for scale.
