MAM
Goafest ABBY 2016 entries up by 25 per cent
MUMBAI: Goafest Abbys, the highly coveted advertising awards that recognize the best in advertising and marketing has witnessed growth in entries for its 2016 edition. The awards that is held over a 3 day celebratory event in Goa, has witnessed a 25 per cent increase in entries over last year, reiterating the increasing popularity and repute of the awards where the entire fraternity comes together to celebrate success.
The Abbys also had many firsts this year such as the introduction of new categories i.e. 26: Special Abby (Gender Sensitive) and Category 27: Young Abby. TV films that are based on gender sensitivity can be entered in the Special Abby. Young Abby is the response to a long felt need of the industry to reward young creative below the age of 30 who respond to a brief. Two winning Young Creatives will be flown to Cannes as part of Goafest’s Abby’s commitment to the young. Adding further depth to the awards and broad-basing the participation opportunity was the addition of new sub – categories in the Design vertical as well.
Presented by the Advertising Club Bombay and AAAI, the Goafest Abbys 2016 will once again see the entire advertising and marketing community join the celebrations in Goa from 7 April 2016 to 9 April 2016 at The Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, North Goa.
Brands
Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
