MAM
DDB Mudra Group elevates Sameer Mehta as TracyLocke president
MUMBAI: DDB Mudra Group has elevated Sameer Mehta to the post of TracyLocke India president. In his new role, Mehta will report to DDB Mudra Group CEO and MD Madhukar Kamath.
TracyLocke is DDB Mudra Group’s shopper marketing, field marketing and retail solutions agency.
Mehta has been a part of the DDB Mudra Group since 2005 and has been instrumental in setting up and growing the field marketing, retail solutions and shopper marketing services for the group. With 17 years of experience in this field, Mehta is helping businesses grow through interventions at the point of purchase and this has been utilized extensively for many brands.
Post the Mudra Groups acquisition by Omnicom, Mehta has been a part of the team that has been entrusted to build the TracyLocke brand in India.
Mehta said, “I look forward to this opportunity as we imbibe the TracyLocke philosophy of ‘Buy Design’ in our day to day work. We believe in putting intent and purpose behind every activity that leads a customer to buy a brand. This principle helps us design experiences that turn shoppers into believers. We are seeing this being practiced by TracyLocke in the US with Pepsico, where they deliver cutting edged brand experiences. The global win of the SC Johnson business will also give us an opportunity in India to collaborate with other markets. Truly a lot to look forward to for us in TracyLocke India.”
Kamath added, “This has reaffirmed the belief that I always had in TracyLocke India’s capabilities to become one of the flagship businesses of the DDB Mudra Group. I am excited about the potential that we have to deliver technology led solutions in this space with Sameer at the forefront. He has a core team that has helped him grow this business and I am sure will continue to do so. I congratulate him on this well-deserved elevation within the group and look forward to working closely with him.”
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
