MAM
Anirban Basu back to ‘home’ turf, takes charge at Abbott India
MUMBAI: Anirban Basu, a seasoned hand with nearly two decades in the cut-throat world of nutrition, food & beverages, and CPG (FMCG), is heading back to his stomping grounds, taking up the mantle of general manager – India at Abbott.
With 18 years under his belt, Basu isn’t just a pretty face. His CV boasts multi-country P&L management, a fancy way of saying he knows how to make money, and lots of it, across borders. He’s also a dab hand at market strategy, building robust business models and assembling winning teams. Clearly, he’s no stranger to cracking the whip when needed, all while nurturing a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Beyond the boardroom, Basu wears several other hats. He’s a keen mentor to young students and startup founders, perhaps whispering sweet nothings about the virtues of a balanced ledger. And, proving he truly puts his money where his mouth is, he’s an active angel investor in a clutch of early-stage D2C and tech businesses. Furthermore, he’s a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce, cementing his place as a mover and shaker in the subcontinent’s business echelons.
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.
