MAM
Hike hires Seema Chawla as VP and head of marketing
MUMBAI: As Hike inches closer to launching its much-awaited offering HikeLand, India’s homegrown internet startup has hired Seema Chawla as its VP and head of marketing. Chawla joins Hike at an exciting new chapter for the startup, as it is closer to unveiling HikeLand, enabling a new social future. Chawla comes with over 20 years of multi-vertical experience; having launched multiple new brands and products in the course of her career across Disney, Ajio.com, Mattel, and Hotstar. Her appointment is in line with Hike’s plan to strengthen teams across product, design, marketing, AI and ML, engineering, partner functions, and user research with multiple hiring initiatives.
“What got me wildly excited about coming to Hike was Kavin’s vision on building a new social future. As technology blurs the line between imagination and what’s possible, Hike is perhaps the only company innovating at the intersection of art, AI and consumer delight. I’m excited to join a team that’s changing the way users experience social and forever change the way they hang out online. We’re building things right out of science-fiction movies and that’s really thrilling. I’m truly energized to be part of this journey along with the entire team at Hike,” shared Chawla.
In her new role, she would be looking after all things marketing at Hike including branding, user growth, and product marketing for HikeLand and all subsequent sub-brands. In her previous stints, Chawla has been VP marketing at Hotstar International, chief marketing officer at AJIO.com, head of marketing at Mattel Toys India, and held various strategic brand, marketing, and sales roles at The Walt Disney Company.
In line with the company’s recent announcement of leadership hires and multiple hiring initiatives, Chawla joins the team as the company focuses on growth and innovation. Working towards the launch and scale of its upcoming offering HikeLand, Hike plans to hire for over 20 open positions across teams. Hike has also initiated virtual hiring events as part of its ZeroTo2 program focused on onboarding young talent from colleges.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
