MAM
GroupM announces its new YCO
MUMBAI: Over the last year, GroupM has made a paradigm shift in the way it operates in South Asia, keeping in mind the ever changing media landscape. With the digital medium at the heart of its processes and planning, it has resulted in the conglomerate winning several new businesses across its agencies and specialist units.
GroupM has announced the new members of the YCO (youth committee) for 2014-15 to help it transform into a digitally centric marketing network. The names include Ashima Chetan, Chinmay Kelkar, Dany Coutinho, Divya Nair, Farah Siddiqui, Farzeen Udwadia, Manoj Kumar, Manvi Singh, Mohit Sharma, Nakul Agarwal, Parul Pandhoh, Ruth Alice Noranho, Sangeetha Mahadevan, Subhamoy Das and Vaibhav Choudhari.
The group of the brightest stars under 30 across GroupM agencies and specialist units will work together with the GroupM senior leadership on key initiatives.
The YCO initiative, started a year ago, has become a benchmark for GroupM’s worldwide offices and the industry alike. GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas said, “We launched several new initiatives in 2013 as part of our ‘New Me’ roadmap – which is helping us transform to a digitally centric marketing communications network from just a media agency. YCO was one such initiative in the talent space. We wanted to harness the knowledge, energy and enthusiasm that exist at the junior levels of the organisation and give them a platform where they could add value to our network. The YCO worked closely with the senior leadership team (EXCO) through the year in three areas – digital transformation, talent retention and internal & external communication programs. We got a lot of rich and valuable insights from YCO in all these areas and have made several changes to the way we used to operate”
GroupM South Asia chief talent officer Gaurav Hirey added, “The YCO initiative has been tremendously successful at GroupM. This year we have integrated a reverse mentoring element into the program where YCO members will mentor an EXCO member helping them sharpen or develop new skills. We believe that this initiative just like many others in GroupM will help us to be future ready and deliver client delight.”
GroupM India, the country’s largest media investment conglomerate, was honored with the ‘The Dream Company to Work’ award for in the media and entertainment sector. GroupM is also in the overall list of ‘Dream Employer of the Year’ in India. The awards have been conferred by the World HRD Congress 2014 in Mumbai.
Brands
Emami names Dhruv Aggarwal as chief growth officer
Former Bain partner steps in as FMCG firm sharpens growth playbook
MUMBAI: Emami Limited has appointed Dhruv Aggarwal as its chief growth officer, effective 25 March 2026, following the resignation of Giriraj Bagri.
Aggarwal joins the FMCG major from Bain & Company, where he most recently served as partner. With over two decades of experience across consulting and strategy, he brings a global perspective shaped by work across India, the US, the UK and Germany.
During his tenure at Bain, Aggarwal advised consumer, retail and media companies on large-scale transformations, business turnarounds and growth strategies. He was also closely involved with India’s startup ecosystem, guiding early-stage ventures on scaling and digital expansion, while supporting private equity and venture capital firms on investment decisions.
His earlier stints include a brief role at Barclays Capital and operational experience at Jindal Power, giving him a mix of financial and industry exposure.
Academically, Aggarwal holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and has also been associated with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a PhD candidate and teaching assistant.
The appointment comes at a time when Emami Limited is looking to sharpen its growth strategy in a competitive consumer market. With a seasoned strategist now at the helm of growth, the company appears set to double down on transformation and expansion in the months ahead.
