MAM
Bates CHI to Xploree Key creativity
MUMBAI: KeyPoint Technologies, a global leader in mobile language technology, has awarded the creative mandate for Xploree, its flagship product, to Bates CHI & Partners. Xploree is the tech major’s forerunner mobile keyboard product, which is available on the Android OS as of now. Bates was chosen as Xploree’s creative partner after a competitive multi-agency pitch.
This creative alliance is expected to augment the branding process of the smart keyboard amongst India’s mobile and app-hungry user base. The tie-up aims at introducing a whole new ethos into India’s ever-evolving online consumer story of connected lifestyles – through the revolutionary keyboard.
Bates CHI India CEO VS Srikanth said Xploree was a unique amalgamation of a keyboard and lifestyle. As Bates would be building the brand and the category demand from scratch, it would be challenging. Bates will be taking up the task to design a unique brand identity for Xploree.
Bates Bangalore sr. vice president & branch head Naveen Raman said they were excited to work with a young and driven bunch of professionals who were passionate. Digitalisation of vernacular languages would be next big thing, and Xploree would be the front-runner.
KeyPoint director (marketing) Deepti Mani Saxena said their stated intent was to make the smart mobile device an ultimate responsive solution through the Xploree keyboard. Bates CHI stood out amongst competition and demonstrated good insights and out-of-the-box ideas.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
