MAM
Rathi Gangappa joins Starcom India as CEO
MUMBAI: Media agency Starcom has appointed Rathi Gangappa as chief executive officer in India. The announcement comes while the world is celebrating Women’s Day today.
Gangappa comes with a wealth of over 20 years experience in media and brand communications with rich digital and data expertise. She has navigated key leadership roles requiring a fine balance of strategy and execution in complex cross-cultural environments, driving transformation programmes, building capability and nurturing talent spanning media strategy, innovation, sponsorships, digital, mobile and social media marketing.
Rathi Gangappa says, “I am very excited to join Starcom, especially at a time when the agency has gained so much momentum. Starcom’s human experience focus connects human values with brand objectives, delivering seamlessly integrated communications. I look forward to driving business results for clients and adding to the Starcom culture of innovation and collaboration. It has a wonderful set of clients both locally and globally and a really strong backing of Publicis Media.”
Gangappa’s last role was as COO at MediaCom, where she was in charge of day to day operations and managing key client relationships across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Her past stints also include Vodafone, Onmobile Global Ltd, Maxus and Lowe Lintas.
Publicis Media India CEO Anupriya Acharya adds, “We’re delighted to have Rathi join us. Her immense experience across agency, client and publisher ecosystems and demonstrated capabilities across the entire gamut of marketing and brand communications is exemplary. She shares our view on the consumer journey being ever-evolving and the challenges it poses to brands and is passionate about Starcom’s human experience approach. She will no doubt be an asset and will add value to our clients and people alike.”
Brands
Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
