MAM
Hygiene brand Pee Safe hires Arijit Sen as vice president to drive sales strategy
Mumbai: To increase distribution and enhance its retail strategy, hygiene brand Pee Safe has hired Arijit Sen as the new vice president-sales.
Industry veteran Arijit Sen has joined Pee Safe after serving as a general manager at Healthkart. During his tenure at Healthkart, he was instrumental in establishing the business and scaling distribution to 40,000 premium outlets across India. He has helped Healthkart achieve significant milestones, such as securing category captaincy for the brand Muscle Blaze across major modern trade chains like Reliance, Max, Wellness Forever, etc.
Having had experience over two decades in verticals such as sales, key accounts management, trade marketing, and overall business strategy, Pee Safe anticipates exceptional achievements and innovative growth under his leadership. It looks forward to reaching new heights with him on board.
“Pee Safe feels like a homecoming. I have always believed in the potential of innovative personal hygiene products. Interestingly, I had also attempted to launch a product similar to Toilet Seat Sanitizer Spray, but I didn’t succeed. Being on board with Pee Safe now feels like fulfilling that desire that didn’t pan out all those years ago. I see joining Pee Safe as an opportunity to leverage my professional experience and drive sustainable and profitable growth in this category,” said Sen.
He also has rich experience in the start-up space and has worked with renowned consumer brands like Nivea in personal care, Pepsi, and Tang in food and beverages. He also excels in GTM(go to market) strategy, distribution growth, market share, developing share of wallet with retailers, trade marketing, and brand activations.
Pee Safe co-founder Rithish Kumar said, “We are thrilled to have Arijit join the Pee Safe family. His extensive experience and proven track record in scaling businesses offline and driving category leadership make him the perfect fit for our team. We are confident that under his leadership, Pee Safe will continue to expand its retail footprint, innovate across different retail formats, and increase penetration across categories in key markets.”
The intimate hygiene market in India is currently pegged at Rs 8000 crore. It is growing at a 16 per cent CAGR to more than double its size at Rs 15,000 crore over the next five years due to rising awareness about personal care and intimate products amongst consumers in urban and rural areas. Over the last few years, the market has witnessed significant innovation in the women’s sanitary pad and sexual wellness sub-segment with innovative products like menstrual cups, reusable and sustainable period panties, and female condoms marketed by players like Pee Safe. However, the market is still underpenetrated at less than 30% and has enough room to grow.
“We have so far served over 10 million women since our inception, and the aim is to serve an additional 10 million in the next couple of years through our strong network of retail stores across India. Our strategic focus will be on heightened visibility through point-of-sale marketing, promoter activation, and direct customer engagement,” Sen added.
Besides the innovative products, Pee Safe also aims to garner a significant share in India’s Rs 7,000 crore sanitary market with its Ultra-Thin Sanitary Pads and Disposable Period Panties, which are projected to be consumed more in the coming months.
Besides, the company, which has become a category creator with toilet seat sanitisers, will continue introducing more personal hygiene products. Last year, it introduced a portable bidet for travellers.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
