MAM
Asheesh Malhotra joins Bates CHI&Partners as Mumbai head
MUMBAI: Bates CHI&Partners has appointed Asheesh Malhotra as president and head of its Mumbai office.
Malhotra will report to CEO Srikanth VS and will work closely with chief strategy officer Sourabh Mishra and chief creative officer Manmohan Anchan (Maac), NCD Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar and other members of the management team to drive the India growth agenda.
Srikanth said, “Asheesh is one of the most talented people in our business today. In particular, he shines at growing existing client relationships and winning new business. His appointment is key to our growth agenda, by demonstrating fully our ability to deliver ‘Big Ideas for Ambitious Brands’.”
Malhotra with 18 years of experience, including his term with Ogilvy Mumbai from where he moves to Bates CHI&Partners, saw him leading the business on the largest Unilever portfolio – the beverages division for south Asia. Besides Unilever, he also led the Castrol lubricants global hub in India, BP corporate and a clutch of financial businesses – Bank of India, SBI Life Insurance and Federal Bank.
Anew business junkie Malhotra said, “Bates CHI&Partners is a true blue new model agency. It breaks the traditional mould of ‘in-house only talent and resources’, and instead practices true collaboration by pulling together the best resources that the world has to offer, especially in the disciplines of digital, social and retail. As a result, we can offer solutions that are designed to break through more quickly, thus saving clients loads of media bucks. Recent interactions with clients have reaffirmed the need for such a nimble and creative agency model.”
From 2001 to 2009, Malhotra worked at Lowe Mumbai where he headed the Prudential Life Insurance brand since its inception in India.
Brands
KKR sixes to power EV charger rollout under VIDA campaign
Cricket meets clean mobility as big hits spark India’s charging growth
NEW DELHI: VIDA, the electric mobility arm of Hero MotoCorp, has teamed up with Kolkata Knight Riders to launch a campaign that turns cricketing flair into real-world impact.
Titled ‘6 for 6’, the initiative promises to install a 6kW fast EV charger for every six hit by KKR during the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The idea is simple but powerful, as each big hit on the field contributes directly to expanding India’s fast-charging infrastructure.
The campaign builds on VIDA’s growing network, which already spans over 5,300 fast-charging points across more than 430 cities. With EV adoption gaining pace, the brand is using cricket’s mass appeal to accelerate both awareness and infrastructure growth.
Explaining the thinking behind the move, Hero MotoCorp emerging mobility business unit chief business officer Kausalya Nandakumar said, “Cricket has an incredible ability to unite and inspire millions across the country. With the ‘6 for 6’ campaign, we are turning every big hit on the field into a step towards a cleaner and a more accessible mobility future.”
She added that VIDA’s expanding fast-charging network and removable battery technology are designed to make EV ownership more convenient and practical for everyday users.
From the franchise’s side, the campaign is also about giving on-field moments a larger purpose. Kolkata Knight Riders chief executive officer Venky Mysore said, “The ‘6 for 6’ campaign exemplifies the potential of sport as a platform for meaningful, real-world impact. By linking every six to the expansion of EV charging infrastructure, this partnership transforms fan excitement into tangible progress.”
As part of the rollout, VIDA has introduced co-branded charging stations in KKR’s signature colours, with a flagship installation unveiled alongside team players. The chargers are designed for quick top-ups, powering VIDA scooters from zero to 80 percent in about an hour, while also being positioned along key highways to support longer journeys.
The initiative also taps into VIDA’s removable battery system, which allows users to charge using standard household plug points, adding flexibility to the charging ecosystem.
By blending the thrill of cricket with the urgency of clean mobility, VIDA and KKR have found a neat way to make every six count twice, once on the scoreboard and again on India’s road to an electric future.
