Brands
Charlie Smith joins Nothing as chief brand officer
LONDON: Nothing has snapped up Charlie Smith as its new chief brand officer. Smith, formerly chief marketing and communications officer at luxury brand Loewe, will join the company’s executive team in January, reporting directly to co-founder and CEO Carl Pei.
At Loewe, Smith became a master of blending creativity, culture, and commerce. He led the brand through a period of remarkable growth, earning recognition as Lyst’s hottest brand across multiple quarters and steering high-profile collaborations with Studio Ghibli, On Running, and Japanese ceramics duo Suna Fujita. His campaigns also dressed stars like Rihanna at the Super Bowl and Beyoncé on her world tour, while enlisting legends such as Maggie Smith, Anthony Hopkins, and Daniel Craig for attention-grabbing campaigns.
Carl Pei said, “Charlie has thrived at the intersection of luxury, creativity and technology. Our goal is to make Nothing the most loved tech brand for the next generation, and Charlie is perfectly placed to help us redefine what’s possible.”
Reflecting on his move, Smith said, “After seven incredible years at Loewe, it’s time for a new adventure. Nothing’s mission to make technology fun, culturally connected, and empowering really resonates with me. I can’t wait to bring a touch of luxury creativity to consumer tech and challenge the status quo.”
Smith’s arrival signals Nothing’s ambition to merge culture, design, and tech in fresh, playful ways, making the brand more than just gadgets but a statement of lifestyle and personality.
Brands
Godrej Capital’s ‘Do se teen’ celebrates women scaling businesses
Aarohi loans cross Rs 1,000 crore AUM milestone for women entrepreneurs
MUMBAI: Godrej Capital has launched a new campaign, ‘Do se teen’, ahead of International Women’s Day, spotlighting India’s emerging women entrepreneurs and the families increasingly backing their ambitions.
The film centres on a woman entrepreneur preparing to expand her warehouse business from two outlets to three. A brief misunderstanding, when her mother-in-law mistakes the expansion for a pregnancy announcement, quickly turns into a moment of encouragement as the family supports her decision to sign a business loan and grow the venture on her own terms.
The campaign forms part of Aarohi Loans for Women, an initiative by Godrej Capital’s subsidiaries designed to expand access to credit for women borrowers. The programme removes a longstanding barrier in lending by allowing women to apply for loans without a mandatory male co-applicant, giving them greater financial autonomy.
“Across India, more women are stepping forward to build and scale their own businesses, but access to formal credit remains a challenge,” said Godrej Capital managing director and chief executive Manish Shah. “Through Aarohi, we aim to remove some of these barriers and make it easier for women to access capital and grow with confidence.”
Since its launch, the initiative has gained traction among women entrepreneurs. Loans worth Rs 1,890 crore have been disbursed under the programme, helping the portfolio cross the Rs 1,000 crore assets under management (AUM) milestone. The company is targeting roughly Rs 1,200 crore AUM by the end of the current financial year.
Beyond lending, the programme also focuses on strengthening the ecosystem for women-led businesses through financial literacy initiatives, training partnerships and community programmes aimed at building entrepreneurial capabilities.
As part of its outreach, the company recently opened an all-women branch in Pune to deepen engagement with women entrepreneurs and local business networks.
Godrej Capital says the campaign underscores a broader cultural shift: as families increasingly support women’s ambitions, and credit becomes easier to access, women-led enterprises are poised to expand their role in India’s small-business economy.
