MAM
Dan Consult appoints Milind Shah as partner – Martech, RPA & Data
MUMBAI: DAN Consult, the consulting division from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has roped in Milind Shah as Partner – Martech , RPA & Data . Milind will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Lalit Bhagia, CEO, DAN Consult. As Partner – Digital, his chief mandate will be to help build and lead a client-facing Martech, RPA and Data Consulting practise. This is part of the larger marketing transformation service offering of DAN Consult.
Prior to joining DAN Consult, Milind was Head of Sales – India with Cognizant Technology Solutions where he helped Cognizant significantly scale their India business. At Cognizant, Milind was responsible for topline, client satisfaction, go-to-market, marketing, strategy, alliances and growing the India market. He has an astute understanding of Indian business environment and the impact of digital technologies on various industries. With 20+ years of experience, Milind has worked in leadership and consulting roles across global organizations like IBM, HP and Capgemini and has advised clients across industry segments to traverse through the digital disruption in APAC . Milind has core industry expertise in industries like Retail, CPG and Manufacturing (discrete and process) and has experience of working in complex consulting projects. Milind has completed his Masters in Operations Research from University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA and is a Bachelor of Production Engineering from Mumbai. He is also a Certified Supply Chain Professional by APICs and has also completed Part time Executive Management Program from University of Cornell. He teaches part time at Business Schools.
Commenting on the appointment, Lalit Bhagia, CEO, DAN Consult said, “We are excited to have somebody with the calibre of Milind in our team. Having worked in large global technology firms with a huge focus on Martech, RPA and digital transformation, we believe Milind will be able to add a lot of value to our clients’ business as they look at marketing/digital transformation. Milind’s understanding of the space and thought leadership will bring immense value to us and our clients’ businesses. As we focus on helping companies transform their business, we believe Milind will act as a true partner helping companies scale their business. We believe while a lot of firms like consulting and technology firms are now focused on Martech and data consulting, the unique advantage that DAN Consult has, is the ability to drive revenues and deliver ROI which Milind along with our extended team will be uniquely positioned to deliver.”
On his new role, Milind said, “It is estimated the Martech spend would overcome core technology spend in the next 5 years. Instead of balancing individual agency partners, tech firms and consulting firms in the Digital Transformation journey, DAN Consult provides a unique value proposition of growth hacking by delivering on clear business outcomes. There is a dearth of companies who deliver on business results as well as deliver complex Martech solutions where I believe DAN Consult plays uniquely by partnering with both technology product companies and clients. I am excited to join DAN Consult to grow their Martech, RPA and Data Practice.”
Milind lives in Mumbai and is a wildlife enthusiast and a PADI certified Scuba Diver.
Brands
How a Rs 40 crore Namibia deal rewrote the World Cup sponsorship playbook
As India shirt rights touch Rs 579 crore, e-commerce major opts for underdog visibility at a fraction of the cost
While Apollo Tyres secured the BCCI’s front-of-jersey rights for the India men’s team with a Rs 579 crore winning bid, Flipkart signed on as official team sponsor of Namibia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, in a deal industry sources peg at around Rs 40 crore.
The contrast is stark. The logic, less so.
Namibia sit in Group A alongside India and Pakistan, guaranteeing prime-time broadcast exposure in some of the tournament’s most watched matches between February 7 and March 8, 2026. For a fraction of the India-shirt cost, Flipkart secures repeated on-screen logo visibility during India fixtures, including games at marquee venues such as the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Brand strategists say the move trades prestige for impact. Instead of competing for crowded, high-cost inventory around India, England or Australia, Flipkart has opted for cleaner, team-level ownership with a non-Test nation. The result is comparable exposure during India matches, but with far less logo clutter and far greater brand prominence on kits and official merchandise.
Under the agreement, the Flipkart logo will feature prominently on Namibia’s match jerseys and training apparel throughout the tournament. The company is designated official team sponsor, a rare choice for a large Indian consumer brand at a global cricket event.
Senior executives at Flipkart have indicated that the decision reflects a deliberate attempt to show up meaningfully at one of the world’s biggest sporting platforms without defaulting to headline-driven partnerships. With Namibia placed in India’s group, the brand gains access to the same audience base, comparable viewership and identical broadcast windows during India matches, positioning it at the centre of the tournament’s most-watched moments.
Media planners describe the strategy as less about cheaper media and more about smarter media. Associate teams, they argue, offer strong recall, repeated broadcast exposure and uncluttered brand presence at a fraction of the cost of sponsoring established cricketing powerhouses. The objective is not market entry into Namibia, but efficient access to Indian and global cricket audiences during peak attention windows.
The economics of mainstream cricket sponsorship underline the divergence. Apollo Tyres’ Rs 579 crore deal was 62 per cent higher than Dream11’s Rs 358 crore agreement in 2023. Canva reportedly bid Rs 554 crore, followed by JK Cement at Rs 477 crore, while Shankh Air and Dubai-based Omniyat did not proceed. Apollo’s winning bid translates to roughly Rs 4.5 crore per bilateral or ACC match and Rs 1.72 crore per ICC game, illustrating how steep the entry price has become.
Against that backdrop, a Rs 40 crore Namibia partnership begins to look less like thrift and more like arbitrage.
Industry observers say the move signals a structural shift in sponsorship thinking. Rather than chasing marquee associations for symbolic value, brands are identifying “value pockets” within premium intellectual property, seeking high-impact participation without paying top-of-market rates. The underdog narrative further strengthens the play. Namibia’s recent competitive performances and giant-killer reputation create a storyline around resilience and disruption that aligns neatly with a consumer brand positioning built on value and scale.
Flipkart has complemented the on-ground presence with an integrated digital push spanning storytelling content, fan engagement initiatives and social-first campaigns, amplifying on-screen exposure with earned media. The curiosity factor, why an Indian e-commerce heavyweight is backing Namibia, has itself generated organic buzz.
As Namibia take the field, marketers and media buyers will be watching closely. If broadcast visibility holds and recall metrics follow, the template could reshape how Indian brands approach global cricket properties.
In an era of Rs 579 crore headline deals, Flipkart’s Rs 40 crore wager suggests the smarter money may lie not in buying the biggest jersey, but in finding the most undervalued spotlight.
