MAM
GroupM India elevates Atique Kazi to president – data, performance and digital products
Mumbai: GroupM India, WPP’s media investment group, Friday elevated Atique Kazi to president – Data, Performance and Digital Products, with effect from 2 August.
Kazi will be based out of the agency’s Mumbai office and report to GroupM South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar and Xaxis APAC CEO Arshan Saha. He will also be joining the conglomerate’s executive committee, the company said in a statement.
Kazi has been a part of the GroupM family since 2013. He was integral in launching Xaxis in India before moving to Singapore to take over a regional role. He established the agency’s AI-enabled influencer marketing solution, INCA across 10 key markets.
In his new role, Atique will continue to build on the brand’s best practices and technologies across the fields of data analytics, deep learning, process mining, performance marketing and business intelligence to create efficient, fast, and scalable value-added processes, it further said.
Welcoming Kazi on board, Prasanth Kumar said, “At GroupM our focus is to continue evolving by offering flexible, scalable and innovative solutions. Atique joining the core team at GroupM India is the reflection of our commitment towards offering digital solutions that can create great value-add for brands in this ever-evolving market. I look forward to working closely with Atique and I am confident that he will continue to grow our digital offerings. His expertise of aiming at innovation and providing value-propositions will be key towards Digital Transformation of our clients and partners.”
Arshan Saha said, “The scale and speed of digital transformation and the fact that India as a market has demonstrated its leadership in this area means that we need to have our best talent to fulfil this demand. Atique is one of our very best with a proven track record locally and most recently regionally in APAC where he launched and scaled GroupM’s Influencer and content arm – INCA. Having worked with Atique for over 8 years, I can attest to his leadership, curiosity, knowledge and drive which are invaluable in defining and determining client success.”
Before joining GroupM Kazi was a part of Yahoo! in London heading planning and strategy for emerging markets in EMEA. His career pedigree also spans The Economist, The Times Group, JVC etc over the past 18+ years.
On his new role, Kazi said, “I am excited by this role given the scale of the opportunity to drive further growth within GroupM. I strongly believe that digital acceleration provides agility to organizations. With the support of better data, analysis, innovation, stronger performance, and result orientation we can better respond to brand challenges and accelerate their transformation journeys and help them achieve faster business outcomes. India is a market of opportunities and by leveraging GroupM’s digital expertise we can redefine the ecosystem.”
Brands
Perfetti Van Melle names BWO as Chupa Chups licensing partner in India
Partnership expands iconic confectionery brand into lifestyle categories
MUMBAI: Perfetti Van Melle has appointed Black White Orange Brands Pvt. Ltd. as the official licensing agent for its iconic Chupa Chups in India, marking a push to extend the brand beyond sweets into lifestyle categories.
Under the agreement, Black White Orange will develop and manage the licensing programme across segments such as apparel, accessories, home goods, personal care and back-to-school products. The move signals a broader strategy to tap into India’s growing appetite for brand-led consumer products.
Known for its colourful identity and instantly recognisable logo created by Salvador Dalí, Chupa Chups has evolved into a global pop-culture icon. The India licensing programme aims to translate that playful appeal into products tailored for local consumers.
Perfetti Van Melle area licensing manager Anna Amat said the partnership would help unlock opportunities beyond confectionery, adding that the company sees strong potential for the brand’s expansion in India.
Black White Orange Brands Pvt. Ltd. co-founder and COO Mitali Desai noted that the focus will be on building a visually distinctive and design-led licensing portfolio that reflects the brand’s playful identity.
With India’s retail landscape evolving rapidly, the partnership is expected to drive collaborations with manufacturers and retailers across fashion, lifestyle and gifting segments. Product rollouts are likely to begin in phases through key distribution channels.
As global brands look to deepen their footprint in India, Chupa Chups’ move from candy counters to lifestyle shelves could add a fresh pop of colour to the market.
