MAM
Edelman strengthens strategic leadership positions in Mumbai and Delhi
MUMBAI: Edelman today announced two additions to its leadership team in India. Further boosting the firm as it forges ahead on a high growth trajectory, Edelman welcomes back veteran Bhavna Jagtiani, as Director – West. Bonny Lawrie joins from Edelman Middle East, in the newly created role, Deputy General Manager of the Delhi NCR office.
An experienced brand marketer, Bhavna returns to Edelman India after two years in the Edelman Hong Kong office, where she co-led the consumer practice. Bhavna will now be responsible for managing and growing the Edelman business in West India, including the offices in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. She will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Rakesh Thukral, Chief Operating Officer, Edelman India.
Bonny will lead some of Edelman India’s largest clients, most notably Microsoft and Shell. She brings with her more than 11 years of experience in communications and marketing across Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and most recently, the Middle East. She will be based out of New Delhi and will report to Varghese Cherian, General Manager North & East, Edelman India and Technology Lead – SAMEA.
Rakesh Thukral, Chief Operating Officer, Edelman India, says, “These strategic additions to our team will further strengthen our leadership in India and help drive business growth. With their multi-market experience, Bhavna and Bonny are well-positioned to ensure success in our client work, learning for our teams and growth for Edelman. Bhavna’s return to Edelman India will provide further impetus to our West operations; and Bonny’s experience will contribute to further expansion of our fastest growing office in India.”
Bhavna’s career at Edelman has spanned a period of over ten years, working for the world’s biggest and most admired brands. During her earlier stint in India, she co-led the Edelman Consumer Practice in the country, driving corporate and brand communications programmes for a wide range of clients. Bhavna graduated from the University of Mumbai with a degree in commerce. She also has a post graduate diploma from the Xavier’s Institute of Communications, Mumbai.
Bonny has managed a number of high profile clients across the Middle East and North Africa. For the past year, she has led Edelman’s operations in Qatar. Bonny is also a member of Edelman’s South Asia, Middle East and Africa leadership team. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Media & Communication) degree from Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia.
MAM
Gurpreet Singh named President of DishTV Alumni Network
Former Dish TV executive to lead community building and collaboration.
MUMBAI: Back to the dish, but this time it’s about connections, not channels Gurpreet Singh is returning to familiar territory with a new mandate that swaps subscribers for relationships. Singh has been appointed President of the DishTV Alumni Network, a move aimed at strengthening ties among former employees and building a more engaged professional community around the Dish TV ecosystem. The initiative reflects a growing trend among large organisations to formalise alumni networks as platforms for collaboration, mentorship and business opportunities.
The appointment draws on Singh’s deep-rooted history with Dish TV, where he held multiple leadership roles over nearly a decade. As National Business Head between June 2019 and September 2020, he oversaw profit and loss as well as operations, managing revenues of Rs 6,000 crore and leading a team of around 1,250 employees across the country. His tenure included working alongside two regional business heads and 16 circle heads, underscoring the scale of operations he handled.
Prior to that, Singh served as Executive Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue from 2016 to 2019, and earlier as Senior Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue. He also briefly led international operations as Country Head for Sri Lanka, further expanding his exposure across markets.
His broader career spans leadership roles across telecom and consumer businesses, including a stint as Chief Operating Officer at Bharti Airtel’s Malawi operations, senior leadership roles at Reliance Communications, and earlier positions at Hindustan Sanitaryware and Kodak India, where he spent over a decade.
In his new role, Singh is expected to focus on reconnecting former employees, fostering collaboration, and building a structured alumni ecosystem that leverages shared experience and industry networks. As companies increasingly recognise the long-term value of their extended workforce, the DishTV Alumni Network appears set to turn nostalgia into a strategic asset, one connection at a time.
