MAM
Sapientnitro India appoints Amod Dani as creative head for north
MUMBAI: SapientNitroSM has strengthened its creative offering by bringing on board Amod Dani, previously Vice President Creative at AffinityX, as Creative Head for the Northern region.
With over a decade of experience in advertising, Amod has worked with brands like Škoda, Citibank, McDonald’s, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Procter & Gamble, Vista Print (Global) and won awards at festivals like Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, The One show, The Clio awards, Spikes Asia, AdFest Asia, Goafest and The Award Australia. At AffinityX, Amod was responsible for spearheading and driving the creative vision for a staff of 1,900 highly skilled creatives to provide white-label creative and marketing services for companies that serve small and medium businesses (SMBs). Prior to AffinityX, Amod played a key creative leadership role at Publicis, Contract and Leo Burnett.
Reporting into SapientNitro India’s Chief Creative Officer K.V. Sridhar (Pops), Amod will be responsible for driving creative excellence across all clients in the northern region of India, as well as lead and shape the team to deliver work that breaks boundaries at the intersection of technology and story.
Sapient India CCO KV Sridhar said, “As we continue to build our capabilities and momentum in delivering a unique blend of storytelling with the power of technology, we are delighted to welcome a creative talent of Amod’s caliber to our team. He will not only add more muscle to our creative craft with his industry insights but also bring diverse global experience and leadership skills. Together with the entire SapientNitro creative team, Amod will strongly contribute to help shape our creative excellence and deliver dynamic business results for our clients.”
On his new appointment Dani commented, “I am absolutely thrilled to join SapientNitro and look forward to be a part of the legacy of creative excellence that is native to the organization. I believe that innovative use of technology and an integrated approach towards problem solving is the way ahead. SapientNitro is leading the change for brand-customer engagement globally and their vision is incredibly relevant in today’s hyper-connected world.”
MAM
Times Group’s Vineet Jain conferred lifetime media honour
Managing India award crowns four decades of expansion, ambition and cultural clout
NEW DELHI: Vineet Jain has picked up another trophy, and this one comes with a lifetime tag.
At the 70th foundation day and 20th national management day of All India Management Association in New Delhi, the managing director of The Times Group was conferred the “lifetime contribution to media” award, presented by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The honour formed part of AIMA’s 16th managing India awards, themed “Transforming for tomorrow: growth with resilience”.
AIMA’s citation was expansive and effusive. It hailed Jain as a “future-ready leader and agile entrepreneur” who has turned a legacy newspaper business into a diversified media powerhouse. Since the late 1980s, it noted, he has revitalised print while pushing aggressively into television, radio, internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments across 35 markets.
“He did not just grow a newspaper company; he built a multifaceted media empire that dominates information and entertainment in India and shapes the nation’s political and commercial awareness,” the citation said. “From television and radio to internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments, his leadership has created influential brands across every platform.”
Under Jain’s stewardship, television brands such as Times Now, ET Now and Zoom have expanded the group’s broadcast heft, while their digital avatars have chased new audiences online. Radio Mirchi, Gaana, Times OOH, Times Music and Magicbricks have emerged as category leaders. Legacy titles such as Femina and Filmfare have been retooled for new generations.
The group has also ventured beyond media. Through Bennett University and TimesPro, it has pushed into higher and executive education, while a national pickleball league signals a foray into the world’s fastest-growing sport.
AIMA credited Jain with balancing mass entertainment and intellectual ambition, citing the reinvention of the Filmfare awards and the Femina Miss India pageant nearly three decades ago, as well as the launch of the Times litfest.
Accepting the award, Jain struck a collective note. “It is a huge honour to receive this award. I dedicate it to my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make The Times Group, India’s largest multi media company.”
He reiterated the group’s appetite for scale. “The Times Group is number one in every media vertical it has launched, and we will continue striving for excellence,” he said.
Four decades on, the message is clear. In a media market being torn up by technology and attention spans, Jain is still betting on breadth, brands and being number one.
