MAM
Taproot Dentsu appoints Bashir as VP
MUMBAI: Taproot Dentsu, the creative and communication agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has strengthened its planning prowess with the appointment of Farah Bashir as Vice President, Strategic Planning. She will be based out of Taproot Dentsu’s Gurgaon office, and will work closely with Anand Murty – head of planning at Taproot Dentsu, to ensure that stellar creative and deep insightful thinking go hand-in-hand to create the best work possible for all clients.
Prior to joining Taproot Dentsu, Farah was the general manager – planning at Cheil India, where she helped lead the Insights division.
Armed with more than 13 years of experience, Farah has worked as a journalist with Reuters, as a marketing professional with Unilever Asia (across India, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil), as a research analyst with Quantum Market Research and as a strategic planner with DDB Mudra and Lowe Lintas. She has worked on various brands including Samsung, Wills Lifestyle, OLX, Hindustan Times, Volini, Revital, Reckitt Benckiser, NDTV, Hindustan Times, MTS, Microsoft, Singapore Health Promotion Board (HPB), Singtel, Zopper, Twinings, Cisco, GPI and Dabur.
Commenting on her appointment, Taproot Dentsu CEO Umesh Shrikhande said, “Farah brings with her wonderfully eclectic influences and perspective, thus adding more power to our ability to think different.”
“Strategic planning can help inform the creation of powerful, motivating work that Taproot is known for and also provide clear, incisive counsel to clients with respect to the brand and business challenges they face. Farah’s track record and skill set is an asset to our team and we look forward to an exciting year ahead,” said Murty.
Speaking on joining Taproot Dentsu, Farah said, “Taproot Dentsu, well-known as the creative powerhouse, is equally focused on the rigour and thinking on brands that it works on. Very rarely does the archetype of a planner and agency converge.”
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
