MAM
Blackpencil India bags creative & strategy account of Viva
MUMBAI: Viva-Your Family Chemist, a brand of Surya Healthcare, has given Blackpencil India (the latest agency from the Leo Burnett group worldwide) to handle its creative and strategy account.
In a multi-contested pitch, the process saw participation of agencies like McCann Healthcare and others.
Said Surya Healthcare Ltd, AGM – Marketing and Branding, Sameer Poddar, “With Blackpencil we found not just a willingness to go beyond the ordinary but also a good strategic understanding of what we are seeking to do.”
Since the pharmacy market in India is highly fragmented with over 1,000,000 family-owned, small sized chemists and druggists operating across the country, the company has entered the organised segment and seeks to create a unique brand space for Viva in the consumer mind space.
Averred Blackpencil India Executive Director Samarjit Choudhry, “”It is great to be associated with Viva Retail and Healthcare. We are looking forward to partnering with them and pioneering great work in this space.”
Viva – Your Family Chemist, a brand of Surya Healthcare Ltd., is a growing retail pharmacy chain in India, with more than 230 outlets, offering a comprehensive range of genuine medicines, healthcare and preventive products.
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.
