MAM
Dentsu appoints Rashmi Vikram as chief equity officer- APAC
Mumbai: dentsu international on Monday announced the appointment of Rashmi Vikram as the agency’s chief equity officer in APAC.
Rashmi joins dentsu from Microsoft, where she was group diversity & inclusivity practice lead, responsible for delivering success by making inclusion a habit to create inclusive products and services for Microsoft’s customers. Prior to Microsoft, she was country head for India at Community Business, an NGO that champions inclusive business practices in Asia. Her other roles have included diversity & Inclusion specialist at Thomson Reuters.
The agency’s global executive team is hiring chief equity officers in each of its three regions to demonstrate dentsu’s commitment to making long-term sustainable change within business and in society. Rashmi joins chief equity officer, Americas, Christina Pyle and recently appointed chief equity officer, EMEA, Pauline Miller.
Dentsu international Asia Pacific CEO Ashish Bhasin said, “Dentsu’s strength lies in making a difference. To do that, we seek out diverse perspectives, celebrate differences and empower everyone to bring their most authentic self to work. We encourage our leaders to build diverse teams, teams with a healthy, vibrant culture. A culture that enables every employee to do great work, build a phenomenal career and know they belong. We are very excited to have Rashmi on board to champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and we look forward to working with her to chart meaningful progress for our businesses in APAC.”
Rashmi will report to dentsu international Asia Pacific CEO Ashish Bhasin and regional human resource director, Asia Pacific, Kinch Ong. “Rashmi has a solid track-record in the DEI space, and I have no doubt she will inspire and make a difference. She will ensure that DEI is interwoven into the fabric of our organisation, fostering an even richer culture and experience for our people, clients and partners,” said Ong.
On joining dentsu, Rashmi Vikram said, “I am passionate about the work I do and am excited to be working with the global, regional and country teams at dentsu to champion, reinforce and build an inclusive culture.”
Brands
Lacoste Fall-Winter 2026 reimagines rain-delayed heritage
Philippe Chatrier show draws from 1923 Davis Cup downpour with tech-heritage outerwear.
MUMBAI: Lacoste just turned a rained-out match into runway gold because when the court floods, even the trench coat becomes a trophy. Staged on the iconic Philippe Chatrier court at Roland-Garros, Lacoste’s Fall-Winter 2026 show transformed the legendary clay into a theatrical rain-delayed match, paying homage to July 31, 1923, when René Lacoste battled Spain’s Manuel de Gomar in a Davis Cup tie in Deauville. A sudden downpour flooded the grass, forcing spectators to toss newspapers on the court to aid drying while players and onlookers sheltered under umbrellas, trench coats, ponchos, slickers and rubber boots. The match stretched over two days, but Lacoste prevailed in four sets, propelling France toward the finals and setting young René on his path to world champion status.
Creative director Pelagia Kolotouros drew inspiration from that historic interruption and its themes of waiting, resolve, preparation and performance. Rather than focusing solely on centre-court action, she examined spectator culture and the interstitial moments where outerwear mattered as much as the game itself. The collection expands Lacoste’s evolving relationship with outerwear through waterproofing and technical fabrication: the trench as foundation, the poncho reimagined as an evolved polo, bonded tech wool as elemental shield. Padded, voluminous pieces in transparent nylon or with wet/reflective finishes layer against plush velvet and soft tailoring of the emblematic René blazer. The crocodile appears in confident new expressions via embroideries and archival emblem treatments.
A standout Roots Collaboration capsule co-created with Mackintosh, the Scottish outerwear house founded in 1824 blends two heritages shaped by weather and performance. Mackintosh’s signature rubberized, hand-glued and hand-taped cotton informs gender-fluid Neo-Tennis pieces, poncho polo, rain-proof tracksuit, pleated trench skirt, hybrid track jacket shirt. Heritage patterns meet technical fabrics, cable-knit sweaters pair with high-performance nylons, and classic silhouettes gain fresh function.
The palette shifts from cool greys, inky heathers and dark wet metals to vivid Agave Green (post-downpour grass) and Rusty Red (Roland-Garros clay under sudden rain). Accessories include weathered trophy pins, Grand Slam T-shirts, iconic tracksuits, a digital watch with stretch bracelet, the Lenglen bag in new proportions with silicon grip handle, racquet cover and tennis ball clutch in Mackintosh fabrics.
The show captured what young René understood leaving that flooded court: the real game is the perpetual dialogue between body and elements. In a collection that fuses athletic purpose with archival poetry, Lacoste proves heritage isn’t preserved in glass cases, it thrives when you let the rain fall and keep playing through it.
