MAM
Contract hires senior CDs to beef up Tata Docomo team
MUMBAI: Contract Advertising has brought on board Abhishek Chaswal and Rupesh Sahay as VP and senior creative directors on the Tata Docomo business. Both Chaswal and Sahay will be reporting to Contract Delhi executive creative director Mayur Hola.
“Rupesh and Abhishek together bring a unique blend to Contract. Chaswal has his own special blend of madness and indeed an unfettered, entrepreneurial spirit. His approach to communication is unique and media agnostic. Rupesh on the other hand is a multi-talented and supremely gifted individual. A national award winning documentary film maker, he is also a brilliant art director and one of the most responsible leaders I have come across. I am sure that together they will make Contract proud and enjoy their time here as much as Contract will enjoy having them,” said Hola.
Chaswal, who joins in from Cheil was responsible for the work on Delhi Daredevils, Halonix and the Samsung TV range. With an experience of close to 14 years, Chaswal started his career in a direct marketing agency as a copywriter. Eventually he moved into main stream advertising where he worked with agencies such as Everest, Euro RSCG (now, Havas) and Leo Burnett. During the course of his career he has worked across a broad spectrum of brands such as PSI, Aaj Tak, Mortein, MakeMyTrip, Max New York Life, Voltas, Minute Maid, The Indian Express, Bilt and Tetra Pak to name a few. A well awarded creative, Chaswal’s work has received recognition in national and international advertising award shows like Goafest, New York Festivals, Adfest and The Work.
“I join Contract with the hunger to realise brave ideas that work for the brand as well as for the audience and the agency; and with Ashish Chakravarty leading the creative, I am sure the journey to the sweet spot will be memorable,” said Chaswal.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Sahay for whom this is a second stint at Contract. Sahay joins in from DDB Mudra where he was the senior CD. A graduate of the Banaras Hindu University, he has worked at McCann Erickson, Rediffusion-Y&R, Saatchi & Saatchi & RK Swamy BBDO during the course of his career. His brand roster includes Coca-Cola, Reebok, Aircel, Videocon, General Motors, Nescafe, and Domino’s Pizza to name a few. A very talented and highly awarded creative, Rupesh has won the 61st National Film Award for his short film ‘The Lost Behrupiya’.
“This is my second stint at Contract and this place has always been very energetic. I am really excited to join good talented bunch of people. For me joining Contract is joining strong creative people such as Ashish Chakravarty, Vineet Mahajan and Mayur Hola,” said Sahay.
Contract Advertising won the creative mandate for Tata Docomo in April. Post which the agency has made some very senior level hires to service the business which includes the hiring of Shruti Verma, who came on board last month as senior VP to head the Tata Docomo business.
Brands
Accor names Amit Malik VP people and culture for South Asia
Hospitality major taps HR veteran to drive talent and culture agenda
MUMBAI: Accor has appointed Amit Malik as vice president for people and culture in South Asia, strengthening its leadership bench as it scales operations across the region.
Malik will be part of the South Asia leadership team, overseeing the people, talent and culture agenda across India and neighbouring markets. His mandate includes building organisational capabilities, strengthening leadership pipelines and enhancing employee experience across Accor’s growing portfolio.
With more than two decades of experience, Malik brings a blend of human resources expertise and business leadership. His career spans multiple sectors and geographies, equipping him to support Accor’s evolving workforce needs in a dynamic hospitality market.
“We are pleased to welcome Amit to Accor,” said Accor chief executive officer, South Asia Ranju Alex. “His understanding of people strategy and strong business orientation will be instrumental in building a high-performance, purpose-led culture.”
Before joining Accor, Malik served as president for Japan, Asia Pacific and Australia at WadzPay. He also spent several years at Aviva Life Insurance India, where he held senior roles including chief people officer and later chief executive and managing director.
His earlier stints include leadership roles at Bank of America, Royal Bank of Scotland, American Express and GSK Consumer Healthcare, giving him a wide lens on organisational transformation and governance.
Accor’s latest leadership move reflects its focus on building a future-ready workforce as competition intensifies in the hospitality sector. With Malik at the helm of its people strategy, the company is betting on culture as a key driver of growth.
