Brands
‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ trio gets into the oil business with Bail Kolhu
NOIDA: BL Agro has secured a multi-starrer brand endorsement with Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pankaj Tripathi as the faces of the company’s 50-year-old brand, Bail Kolhu.
The actors of Gangs of Wasseypur fame will endorse Bail Kolhu Kacchi Ghani Mustard Oil and will be soon seen together in the brand’s TVCs and on social media campaigns. The trio holds a very strong persona as actors, and epitomise the brand Bail Kolhu, which has also created a robust position in the category over the last 50 years.
BL Agro chairman & MD Ghanshyam Khandelwal said, “Bail Kolhu is our company’s flagship product, which has been in the market for the last five decades. It holds a very strong market and a goodwill in the edible oils category, and we wanted somebody who hold the similar position in the minds of people. Manoj ji, Nawazuddin ji and Pankaj ji are not only actors but are household names who connect with people from across the country. All the three gentlemen are self-made and are the legends in the Bollywood industry. Their determination, grit, hard work and perseverance to reach to the heights they are at today, corresponds our journey as well. We also started our journey from nowhere; had our own set of challenges, learnings, and ultimately, we saw success.”
Leads Brand Connect director Richa Khandelwal added, “Bail Kolhu is the pioneer and flagship product of BL Agro Industries which is a symbol of purity and strength. A thoughtful brand positioning was important for Bail Kolhu, which has been successfully there in the market since ages. On-boarding the iconic trio was an introspective decision as all three of them reflect strength, vibrance and power, as individuals. Also, they share a great chemistry, coming from small towns and humble family backgrounds, similar to Bail Kolhu, which was started by family members from a modest background who hailed from a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Also, the three actors have a great fan following and are famous names amongst the masses, they could be easily connected with the brand, which also has a cult following across the nation.”
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
