Brands
A golden stroke: White Gold backs Unico as agency levels up creatively
Bengaluru: All that glitters is not just gold; sometimes it’s a good idea. White Gold has placed a confident bet on creativity, announcing a strategic investment in Unico Graphix Private Limited, which has now rebranded itself as Unico Creative Studios. The move signals not just fresh capital but also a bold expansion of the agency’s creative, digital, and immersive ambitions.
The rebrand marks a coming-of-age moment for the Bengaluru-based studio, which began life in 2020 as a boutique branding and social media outfit. Founded by Sharath D M and Akshay Kumar, Unico quickly outgrew its early brief, evolving into a full-fledged production house delivering television commercials, brand films and large-format content for a growing roster of clients. The shift from Unico Graphix to Unico Creative Studios is less reinvention and more reflection of what the agency has already become.
Adding fresh momentum to this next phase, Meghana Joseph has joined the leadership team as Director, partnering with Akshay Kumar and Sharath D M to steer the studio’s expansion.
Now operating as an integrated creative and digital studio, Unico Creative Studios offers a wide spectrum of services spanning brand storytelling, social campaigns, films, digital marketing, immersive AR and VR experiences, AI-enabled solutions, and large-scale content production. The investment from White Gold will help the studio scale these capabilities, strengthen its technology backbone and attract senior creative and strategic talent.
A key pillar of Unico’s growth strategy lies in its commitment to culturally rooted, regional storytelling. Rather than producing one-size-fits-all campaigns, the studio focuses on crafting content that reflects the humour, emotion and nuance of local languages and communities, allowing brands to connect meaningfully with audiences across India.
“Unico is entering a powerful new chapter,” said Meghana Joseph. “The ambition, culture and creative energy here are rare. I’m excited to help scale its impact and build long term value for brands nationwide.”
Akshay Kumar added that the partnership would allow the studio to deepen client relationships while strengthening its creative backbone. “This investment gives us the freedom to think bigger and deliver work that truly moves the needle for brands,” he said.
From the investor’s side, White Gold CEO and founder Rahul Joseph described the partnership as a long-term play. “Unico’s passion, pace and clarity of vision stood out from day one. Unico Creative Studios represents the future of technology-infused storytelling, and we’re excited to support their journey as they scale across India.”
With White Gold’s backing, Unico Creative Studios now sets its sights on building one of India’s most dynamic creative companies, proving that when finance meets imagination, the results can be truly golden.
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.
