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Freshworks’ Girish Mathrubootham named ‘Digital Person of the Year’ at IDA 2022
Mumbai: Freshworks CEO and founder Girish Mathrubootham has bagged the ‘Digital Person of the Year’ award at the recently concluded India Digital Awards (IDA) 2022, organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). Instituted in the year 2009, IDA is one of the oldest awards for the digital industry.
Over 750+ paid entries were received this year for 10 broad award categories, which included a number of sub-award segments. About 120 winners were selected through a two-tier jury evaluation process. Indiamart founder and CEO Dinesh Agarwal, Vserv founder and CEO Dippak Khurana, The Indian Express Group CEO George Varghese, Tata 1MG co-founder and CEO Prashant Tandon were some of the jury members for IDA this year.
Mathrubootham is an inspiration for all Indian entrepreneurs, building startups in the SaaS segment. The grand jury took cognisance of his company’s achievement in not only creating a new and difficult category for the industry in India but also its successful debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange after a billion-dollar IPO last year, said the statement.
Job searching app apna.com received the ‘Digital Startup of the Year’ award. In the ‘Digital Agency of the Year’ award category, Interactive Avenues bagged the gold award while Socheers (silver) and Blink Digital (bronze) were the first and second runners-up. The top award categories at IDA are the Best Digital Startup, Digital Agency, Digital Advertising Award, Digital Content Award, Social Media Award, among others.
With the support of ShareChat, a new category was introduced this year called the ‘Best Brands of Bharat,’ while Amazon Pay supported the ‘Best Payments and Fintech’ category in this edition
MAM
Ameya Velankar steps down as Uber’s head of marketing for India & South Asia
Veteran marketer exits after more than seven years with the ride-hailing giant.
MUMBAI: After more than seven years of steering Uber through the bumpy roads of India’s mobility market, Ameya Velankar has decided to change lanes. Ameya Velankar has stepped down as Head of Marketing for India and South Asia, marking the end of a significant chapter at the ride-hailing company. He had been with Uber since 2019, taking on multiple roles in product and category marketing before rising to lead the marketing function for the region in 2021.
During his tenure, Velankar played a key role in strengthening Uber’s positioning in one of its most competitive and dynamic markets. He helped drive localised marketing strategies and scale adoption across key offerings such as Auto, Moto, Rentals and Intercity, tailoring global platforms to Indian consumer needs.
Prior to joining Uber, Velankar built his marketing expertise at leading consumer companies including SC Johnson and Marico, where he handled category and product leadership roles. His career began at RPG Enterprises.
Details of his next professional move have not been disclosed.
In a fast-evolving mobility landscape where brands constantly battle for attention, Ameya Velankar helped Uber stay relevant and resonant with millions of Indian users. As he moves on from the driver’s seat of marketing, the company will now look for fresh ideas to keep its wheels turning smoothly.
