MAM
Accountability on investments is Fulcrum mantra for 2005
MUMBAI: Group M’s media agency dedicated to planning and buying for Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) MindShare Fulcrum is in an overdrive mode. The agency is looking at moving towards a fully integrated unit in 2005. “Fulcrum will raise the bar on providing greater accountability to client’s investments along with providing end to end communication solutions” says MindShare Fulcrum general manager R Gowthaman.
While the agency’s focus last year was to provide channel neutral solutions to its client, this year the spotlight will be on making clients’ investments more accountable. The core team of Fulcrum has Pat Vinayak who heads buying for HLL, while Amol Dighe handles TV buying and Himanshu Shekhar is in charge of non-TV buying. Planning on the other hand is looked after by Madhusudhan. Fulcrum Bangalore has a five member team driven by Heman Desai.
Gowthaman asserts that MindShare Fulcrum has realigned itself as an end to end communications services by focusing aggressively on print, television, activation, rural activation, outdoor, cinema and online advertising.
The focus this year will be on activation and non-traditional media, since the clutter level in the television space is very high and one has to look beyond television. Creating new channels like tie-ups with new channels across eating and drinking, entertainment, education etc., increasing brand awareness and brand benefits will be the way forward. “We will also be focusing on channel neutral solutions and are on the lookout for a research professional whose knowledge resources can scale up our projects,” informs Gowthaman.
Accountability is another aspect that the agency is strongly focusing on. “We now have a clear structure in place and the accountability factor at Fulcrum has evolved over a long period of time. We have further crystallised it over the last three to four months,” says Gowthaman.
Stress is being laid on generating more accountability in the television space. “We will be developing new ways of looking at rates and will be looking beyond gross rating points (GRPs). Secondly we will also be pondering on the important question – When should one stop advertising on television?” he added. The problem only got aggravated with the number of new channels coming in, thus leading to fragmentation.
After taking on Fulcrum’s reins from Vikram Sakhuja mid last year, Gowthaman rearranged the team so as to increase accountability levels in the agency. That will be the natural progression this year and the way forward for MindShare Fulcrum.
MAM
WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
