Brands
Ford India records highest-ever domestic wholesales in FY18
MUMBAI: As per a company statement, Ford India has recorded the highest ever domestic wholesales in its history at 265,714 units, in the year 2018. The number was 262,784 units in 2017. Domestic vehicle despatches in the past year stood at 97,804 units, up 12 per cent from 87,588 units in 2017.
Ford India president and managing director Anurag Mehrotra said, “2018 was a turnaround year for Ford in India as we consistently delivered on our strategy of strong brand, right product, competitive cost and effective scale to strengthen our commitment to India. Despite headwinds due to regulatory and economic changes in India and export markets, we are confident of keeping the momentum in 2019. In India, we are confident of growing better than the industry and bringing many more customers to the Ford fold to experience the promise of transparency and differentiated experience.”
However, exports in the month of December declined to 18,580 vehicles from 24,708 units in December 2017. Domestic wholesales in December stood at 5,840 vehicles as against 5,087 units in the same month last year.
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.
