Brands
EaseMyTrip taps Manmeet Ahluwalia as CMO to turbocharge brand and growth
New Delhi: EaseMyTrip has tightened its marketing playbook with the appointment of Manmeet Ahluwalia as chief marketing officer, signalling a sharper push for brand elevation and global expansion. The announcement, made through a stock exchange filing, marks a decisive hire for one of India’s fastest-growing travel-tech firms.
Ahluwalia brings more than 20 years of global marketing experience across Expedia, Thomas Cook, Yatra and the Singapore Tourism Board. He has delivered high-impact campaigns including Daddy of Travel, What a Pleasant Surprise and Travel Like a Champion, the last of which marked Expedia’s tie-up with the UEFA Champions League. His expertise spans performance marketing, content strategy and MarTech integration across APAC, EMEA and NORAM.
Setting out his mandate, Ahluwalia said his focus was to elevate the EaseMyTrip brand while doubling down on customer-first innovation and seamless travel experiences. He added that marketing must forge meaningful connections, and that he aims to drive engagement and strategic growth across India and key international markets.
With Ahluwalia now steering marketing, EaseMyTrip is positioning itself for a sharper brand presence, more potent use of technology and more memorable experiences for travellers. His leadership is expected to shape the company’s next phase of expansion.
EaseMyTrip, listed on the NSE and BSE, is one of India’s largest online travel-tech platforms in terms of air-ticket bookings, according to a 2021 Crisil assessment. Profitable since inception and known for its zero-convenience-fee offering, the company provides flights, hotels, holiday packages, trains, buses, cabs and ancillary services. It offers access to more than 400 airlines and over 2.9 million hotels worldwide and has a growing global footprint across the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, the USA, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.
EaseMyTrip has made its move; now it wants the market to feel the tailwind.
Brands
Samsung India mobile chief quits after 18 years
Raju Antony Pullan’s exit leaves a gaping hole at the top as Chinese rivals tighten their grip
GURGAON: Raju Antony Pullan has had enough. The senior vice-president and head of Samsung India’s mobile phone business has put in his papers after 18 years at the Korean giant, a tenure long enough to have watched the company stride to the top of India’s smartphone market and then stumble, badly, as Chinese upstarts muscled in.
Pullan, who ran sales, marketing and every last function of the smartphone business, tendered his resignation on Thursday and is currently serving out his notice period. Samsung has not named a successor. It has a second line of leadership waiting in the wings, Aditya Babbar and Hiren Rathod among them, but no decision has been made on who steps up.
The timing is awkward. Samsung has been haemorrhaging market share to Chinese brands and now clings to a top-two position only in the premium segment, where it scraps it out with Apple. Losing the man who stewarded the mobile business through its best and worst years hardly helps steady the ship.
A company that once owned India’s smartphone market is now fighting to stay relevant in it. Pullan’s departure is less a footnote than a flashing red light.
