MAM
BE Viacom18 gets John Abraham to promote Arunachal tourism
MUMBAI: Viacom18 CEO Sudhanshu Vats knows a good business opportunity when he sees one. From films, televisions, merchandising, events, start-ups to brand building, Viacom18 has expanded itself to several businesses.
Armed with these many touch-point media and brand solutions arms that Viacom18 boasts of, Vats now plans to fill a demand-supply gap in the country’s public sector when it comes to media management.
First step to this goal is BE Viacom18 becoming the media partner for Arunachal Pradesh’s Department of Tourism through its first PPP (public-private partnership) model. And, what’s more, popular Hindi film star John Abraham has been roped in to be the brand ambassador for the project.
BE Viacom is the brand solutions subsidiary of INS, which already takes credit for introducing Chinese technology brand Vivo into the Indian market.
“Arunachal Pradesh is a traveller’s paradise and a land of untold tales. In John we have a celebrity who shares our enthusiasm of weaving the stories of the mystical land into a single narrative of ‘Must See, Must Experience’ Arunachal Pradesh tourism. After all, a journey is best when it is entertaining,” Vats said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
Excited about representing Arunachal Pradesh tourism, Abraham said, “I am honored to have been chosen to promote the tourism of Arunachal Pradesh. I have always been fascinated with North East India: each state has its unique beauty, history and culture. It’s a state rich with culture, mysticism, great people and stunning views. When I’m there, all I need is some music, my boots to walk around and a mind free from all worries to be able to embrace the mesmerizing beauty of Arunachal Pradesh.”
According to Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary Joram Beds, since the focus this year was boosting tourism sector, they needed like-minded partners.
“We found such a partner in Viacom18 who have helped us get John Abraham, a superstar, an adventurer and a great human being on board. John has played a pivotal role in promoting North East India, primarily by putting NEUFC (Indian football league where Abraham owns the football team comprising players from N-E) on the map of sports. We believe our association with him will strengthen our purpose of putting out our state as a prominent tourist destination,” the government official added.
One of the unexplored lands of the country, Arunachal Pradesh can be best described as India’s mystical land. The largest state of the North-East region, or Seven Sisters as the states are known as, Arunachal with the least population density claims to be the perfect detox from a bustling city life.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
