MAM
Mindshare elevates Prasanth Kumar, Amrita Randhawa to global roles
MUMBAI: Mindshare, the global media agency network, has announced two major leadership changes for its growth markets region.
Prasanth Kumar has been promoted to the position of CEO for MENA and Africa in addition to his current role as the CEO for South Asia whereas Amrita Randhawa has been promoted to Asia Pacific CEO. Randhawa was previously the CEO for Mindshare Greater China. Both roles are effective immediately. They will continue to work with the executive chairperson and CEO for growth markets, comprising APAC, MENA, Africa & Russia/CIS Ashutosh Srivastava.
Commenting on his appointment, Kumar says, “This recognition in the context of the strong talent profile we have built in the purple family means a lot to me as it reflects our commitment to focus, serve and collaborate with our clients fuelling their business growth. Marketing is morphing and so are we in terms of how we think, act and behave for our clients and their business outcomes. This expanded role gives me the opportunity to widen my perspectives and cross-pollinate our learning and initiatives for smarter, faster, better practices for our clients and our purple talent.”
Kumar was previously the CEO for South Asia, where he oversaw rapid expansion in the market bringing the agency to a dominant position according to RECMA. During his time as the Mindshare India CEO he developed a record for not just the most number of new business wins by a single market, but also a tradition of external accolades, which included such highlights as a Glass Lion at Cannes and an average of over 250 external awards per year.
Commenting on the appointment Randhawa mentions, “We often say Mindshare has an Asian heart with our first office being in Taiwan. Asia is the star of our network and I take this responsibility with an incredible sense of humility. Sitting at the crossroads of data, content, technology and analytics, this is the time for the media agency. Working with the incredible leadership team we have in each of the APAC clusters especially in Himanshu, Katie and PK, our focus will be to ensure that Mindshare is ahead of the pack and charts the path for what is possible for media agencies today and tomorrow. The media landscape is changing in every corner of Asia at an incredible speed and working with the amazing breadth of talent we have in this region to create our future is a phenomenal opportunity.”
Randhawa will remain based in Shanghai, where she will continue to manage Mindshare China as its executive chairperson, in addition to her overall Asia Pacific duties. She has been with the agency for over 12 years working across the Delhi, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai and APAC regional office in Singapore. During her time in China, she oversaw the elevation of the agency to its current dominant position topping every league in the market including the RECMA qualitative and quantitative leagues, R3 AgencyScope and making the China office the global lead contributor to Mindshare’s new business wins. She has also since taking on the remit of Greater China last year and worked with the leadership in both Taiwan and Hong Kong to transform both markets. Randhawa’s leadership has been recognised at several forums including the inaugural Women Leading Change Awards, Campaign 40 under 40, Ad Age China’s Women to Watch and Campaign’s Greater China Agency Leader of the Year.
In her new role, she will focus on the agency’s product, especially delivering the balance of brand and demand services for marketers and ensuring that Mindshare adapts and evolves in line with client’s needs first and not agency agendas.
Brands
Amit Kumar Nanchahal elevated to brand communications head – international beverages at PepsiCo
Seasoned reputation strategist takes charge of international beverages portfolio after steering corporate narrative in India and South Asia
GURGOAN: PepsiCo has handed the communications reins of two of its punchiest brands to a veteran insider. Amit Kumar Nanchahal has been appointed brand communications head, international beverages for Sting Energy and Mountain Dew, marking his latest ascent in a career spanning more than two decades in corporate storytelling and sustainability strategy.
Based in Delhi, Nanchahal will now oversee global communications for Sting Energy and Mountain Dew across international markets, sharpening brand narratives in an increasingly competitive and youth-driven energy drinks segment.
The move follows his stint as head of corporate communications for India and South Asia at PepsiCo, where he drove the company’s food and beverage marketing communications, sustainability messaging, digital outreach and internal communications. Over seven years at the American beverages giant, he has moved steadily up the ladder, from associate director overseeing food category and sustainability communications to the top communications post for international beverages.
Before PepsiCo, Nanchahal cut his teeth in high-stakes corporate environments. At Ola, he led corporate communications and advocacy, positioning the ride-hailing firm as a sustainability-focused mobility player while steering crisis strategy and stakeholder engagement. Earlier, at SABMiller India, he spent nearly a decade managing media relations, internal communications and sustainability programmes in one of India’s most tightly regulated sectors.
His career began at the Confederation of Indian Industry, where he worked on corporate communications and policy engagement, liaising between industry and the Haryana government.
Nanchahal’s credentials include being named among India’s Top 100 Change Makers and a 40 Under 40 honouree by industry platforms. Campaigns under his watch have picked up Cannes Lions, including initiatives such as Lay’s Smart Farm, BioChar, Gatorade Turf Finder and the Lay’s Farm Equal Project, blending brand building with sustainability narratives.
At PepsiCo, the brief is clear: amplify global brand voice, align purpose with performance and keep two high-voltage brands culturally relevant in crowded markets.
If reputation is capital and narrative is leverage, Nanchahal now sits at the fulcrum. In the battle for consumer attention, the energy is not just in the can, it is in the story.
