MAM
From One Independent Business To Another. 1702 spearheaded the cause of Vocal for Local this Diwali
Mumbai: 1702 Digital, one of the fastest growing independent agencies in India, distributed vouchers of approximate value equal to 5L to its clients, team members, ex employees and vendor partners this Diwali.
While so many small businesses went down under this Covid, 1702 endeavoured to contribute their drop in the ocean by urging people to buy from their local independent business through the vouchers they gifted to all.
When compared to network businesses, they also aimed to reinforce the belief that local, independent businesses in India display the caliber and drive for global success.
Over and above the vouchers, in times of work from home where employees are working from all over the country, 1702 went the extra mile by making sure they chose to treat all employees to Mithais from their local sweet shops around them. This was done to give some boost to the local shops across tiers.
Further, airdopes and earphones from homegrown brands were sent to key members in the team to aid with their work from home exercise.
This was followed by a Diwali Tambola event for their teammates, where the winners received Flipkart vouchers so they could order online from local brands. The agency made sure each voucher was accompanied with a plea directing them to make purchases from homegrown brands, available on the platform.
Being an independent business themself, the highly intrapreneurial team at 1702 Digital saw this campaign as a move of solidarity with another independent business.
Speaking about this endeavour, Aanchal Arora, the Managing Director of 1702 Digital said, “As a marketing agency we understand that promotion helps in amplifying the message and creates a bigger impact compared to simply buying from them as an individual. We stand in solidarity for the quality provided by independent businesses over those rooted outside India”
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
