MAM
Dentsu APAC elevates next generation leaders
Mumbai: Dentsu Asia Pacific has announced promotions of its next generation leaders. As a part of this development, Sharan Jaswal has been promoted to general counsel APAC, Luke Speers to chief people officer APAC, both effective from 1 April. The company further has named Paul Koppelman as chief financial officer for APAC, effective from 1 May.
“Asia Pacific is critical to the future growth of Dentsu and our clients. I am delighted to see the promotions of three executives in the region, bolstering the existing team with exceptional people who have grown through our organisation,” commented Dentsu International global CEO Wendy Clark.
Jaswal brings nearly 20 years of in-house experience with previous roles at ESPN Star Sports and Yahoo!. She joined Dentsu in 2015 as senior regional counsel and has steadily assumed responsibility and respect from her peers, being promoted to deputy general counsel, APAC in 2018. She’s a vocal DEI advocate, founding Women@dentsu in Singapore in 2018 and currently co-leads the women empowerment pillar of dentsu’s DEI strategy in the region.
“Sharan’s a trusted advisor, respected for her strong commercial acumen. She has a proven record of developing and leading our legal teams across South Asia, South-East Asia and Creative businesses in APAC, all while initiating a DEI agenda in Singapore and supporting our global initiatives in the region,” added Wendy.
Luke Speers brings extensive experience from the digital, telecommunications and financial services sector having previously worked as head of people at iSelect, one of Australia’s largest insurance comparators, Telstra and The MitchelLake Group in consulting capacities. He joined dentsu Australia in March 2016 as head of talent, and was promoted to HR Director in August the same year, before being promoted to chief people officer in April 2019 and adding South-East Asia to his remit in 2021.
“Luke’s passionate about people. His exposure to global brands and start-ups across sectors has enabled him to develop expertise pivotal in identifying and securing world-class leaders, building high-performance teams and helping secure the success of some of the world’s most exciting organisations,” commented Wendy.
Paul Koppelman has a track record of delivering transformation and growth, with a strong global outlook. Having worked in Europe and Asia Pacific over his 20-year career, he has held leadership positions in several global companies across banking, technology and media & entertainment.
Wendy said on Paul’s promotion, “Paul is a respected member of the finance community and has proven his strategic and commercial capability as a partner to the ANZ business. His appointment will bring stronger commercial acumen and rigor across the APAC region.”
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
