MAM
GroupM forms R&D partnership with Singapore Economic Development Board
MUMBAI: GroupM has inked a new R&D partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business center.
The three-year plan will support the set-up of a global R&D team in the Singapore market with a focus on developing new data science technologies that extend GroupM’s leading position in media investment management.
Under the terms of the development plan, GroupM will increase the number of PhDs in data sciences and analytics it hires for its Singapore operations, as well as expand its relationship with the country’s advanced science and technology institutions, through a strategic investment by EDB. The collaboration will enhance Singapore’s position in attracting the world’s most talented data scientists through new jobs in the Singapore market. Against a backdrop of fierce global competition for these experts, the partnership will further support Singapore as a key destination for data science and analytics professionals, providing skilled candidates with industry-leading opportunities to develop their careers as part of GroupM.
“The rapid worldwide growth of data-driven advertising has driven a corresponding, and massive, demand for PhD level data scientists to design and implement these next generation media technologies. With today’s partnership, GroupM gains a valuable advantage in attracting the most astute and promising minds to our Singapore R&D operations while advancing Singapore as a world center for the development of the industry’s most advanced media products,” said GroupM Analytics chief data officer and CEO Harvey Goldhersz.
The agreement is unique in the media industry, recognizing GroupM’s preeminence in the data and analytics areas and providing an increased number of data-science jobs in Singapore outside of the academic realm. GroupM’s R&D operations will leverage Singapore’s infrastructure and talent pool to provide professionals with favorable conditions in which to develop their careers.
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) has been working closely with the industry to build up a comprehensive ecosystem as part of its vision for Singapore to become a regional digital marketing hub.
Singapore Economic Development Board assistant managing director Kelvin Wong added, “We welcome the establishment of GroupM R&D in Singapore, and the transformative effect it will have on how brandowners plan and buy media. It will also create opportunities for analytics talent to work in the exciting and fast-moving space of media investment management, and contribute to EDB’s goal of developing 2,500 analytics professionals in Singapore by 2017.”
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
