MAM
Assembly Global appoints Vivekanand Kini as regional director APAC
MUMBAI: From Yahoo to Hungama, from HP to Akzonobel and now, the Assembly hall. Vivekanand Kini has joined Assembly Global as regional director for client experience, a move that marks the next chapter in a 15-year-plus career spent shaping digital journeys for some of the world’s biggest brands.
Kini, who steps into the role this September, brings 18 years of experience across digital marketing, e-commerce, and client strategy, including 8 plus years in leadership positions. Most recently, he was regional head of digital & e-commerce at Akzonobel (2022–2025), where he spearheaded digital growth across Asia. Before that, he helmed HP’s digital marketing for over six years (2016–2022), leading campaigns and customer experience initiatives out of Gurgaon.
His career foundation was laid at agencies and media firms: Havas Media (2013–2016) as associate director for media, Saatchi & Saatchi (2012–2013) as senior manager for client servicing, and Yahoo (2011) where he drove online media spends in retail. He began his digital journey at Hungama (2010–2011), managing brand solutions for marquee clients such as 7UP, Bacardi, LG, and Maruti Suzuki.
At Assembly Global, Kini will be tasked with deepening client relationships, scaling regional strategies, and ensuring Assembly’s philosophy of Showup, Makechange, and Winwell translates into measurable client success. His portfolio of skills spans Adobe experience manager, marketing mix modelling, conversion optimisation, growth marketing, customer insight, and media trends expertise Assembly hopes will fortify its client-first positioning in Asia.
Kini described the new role as a “perfect fit” for his passion for partnership and impact: “Mobility, technology and customer behaviour are evolving rapidly. This is an opportunity to reimagine client experience at scale, powered by both empathy and innovation.”
For Assembly, a company known for its digital-first, culture-driven marketing approach, Kini’s appointment comes as it doubles down on APAC expansion and builds on its strong momentum with global clients.
Looks like Assembly has found its newest building block and Kini is ready to cement lasting partnerships.
Brands
Kansai Nerolac tests paint in stratosphere for durability proof
Excel Everlast sent to 86,000 ft, survives -64°C and extreme UV exposure
MUMBAI: If walls could talk, this one would say it’s been to space and back. Kansai Nerolac has taken product testing to dizzying new heights quite literally by sending its exterior paint into the stratosphere in a bid to prove durability beyond the lab. In what the company calls a first for the Indian paint industry, a stratospheric balloon carried a payload coated with its Excel Everlast paint to an altitude of 86,000 feet above Earth. Up there, conditions are less “extreme weather” and more “near space”: temperatures drop below -64°C, ultraviolet radiation hits unfiltered, and atmospheric pressure is only a fraction of what it is at sea level.
Most materials struggle to survive such a hostile environment. This one didn’t. According to the campaign, the painted surface returned intact no visible damage, no compromise effectively turning a marketing claim into a high-altitude experiment.
The initiative, conceptualised by ULKA, moves away from simulated lab tests to something far more theatrical and verifiable. The campaign film documents the entire journey, positioning the exercise as proof rather than promise.
The test also doubles as a showcase for the Excel Everlast range, which includes features such as nano-silica-based protection, 30 per cent higher toughness and crack-bridging capability, along with a 20-year warranty claims now dramatised under conditions few buildings will ever face.
For Kansai Nerolac, the stunt is less about spectacle and more about signalling intent: in a category often dominated by functional messaging, it’s an attempt to turn durability into something tangible and memorable.
Because when your paint survives near-space, the neighbourhood monsoon suddenly feels like a very small test.
