MAM
Interbrand India ropes in Ashoo Advani as brand strategy – associate director
MUMBAI: Interbrand India has brought on-board Ashoo Advani as associate director – brand strategy. Based out of Mumbai, Advani will work closely with Interbrand India MD Ashish Mishra on the agency’s client roster.
Advani said, “Since my B-school days, brand valuation has been an area of interest. It is the ultimate metric for any brand and there is no organization in the world that comes close to Interbrand in brand valuation expertise. I am excited about learning and using the global best practices of managing brands.”
Mishra believed that the war for talent is accelerating and globally Interbrand’s people’s skills are considered as a benchmark. According to Mishra, the agency clearly wants the select few who can do justice to the company’s reputation and the ones who can be trusted with transformational value creation through brands and are valued for it too.
“For far too long the brands and branding world in India has remained reconciled to the easy and interesting second half of expression. We want people capable of pulling back the conversation into the non-existent first half of strategic definition, both respectfully and profitably and I am happy and confident that with Ashoo on board with us, we can help make this happen,” stated Mishra.
Advani brings to the agency an experience of over a decade in brand communications and strategy development. His expertise pans largely around developing brand communication for new and existing brands. He joins Interbrand from Chlorophyll where he was senior brand planner. Prior to Chlorophyll, Advani was associated with Ogilvy & Mather where he exclusively worked with Asian Paints and managed development of communication for 22 different product brands. He has also worked with Lowe earlier in his career.
An MBA from Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines; he believes in saving the world from the overuse of the word brand. For doing his share, he is associated with Xavier Institute of Communications as a guest faculty member for Corporate and Product Branding, where he interacts with students and clarifies their ideas about branding.
Brands
Radico Khaitan appoints Kunal Madan as chief marketing officer
Promotions signal focus on premium spirits, global expansion and homegrown leadership
UTTAR PRADESH: Radico Khaitan has elevated two long-serving insiders to its top leadership team, signalling a bold push into premium spirits and global markets. Kunal Madan steps in as chief marketing officer, while Sudhir Upadhyay takes charge as chief sales officer, both part of what managing director Abhishek Khaitan calls a consciously built next-generation leadership bench.
“At Radico Khaitan, our growth has always been powered by people,” Khaitan said. “True leadership is not imported, it is cultivated.” He added that empowering internal talent ensures continuity while keeping the company globally competitive and future-ready.
Madan, with over 20 years of experience across global sales and marketing, will drive brand architecture, marketing strategy, and the premiumisation agenda, including travel retail. Upadhyay, who has 25 years in the industry and was most recently national sales head, will oversee distribution expansion and execution across markets.
The leadership reshuffle comes amid Radico’s intensified focus on premium spirits, a segment driving higher margins and international growth. Last year, Ajay Kakkar was brought on to head the Premium On-Trade vertical, targeting modern and institutional channels to boost presence in high-growth segments.
Meanwhile, Amar Sinha stepped down as chief operating officer after contributing across multiple growth phases. Khaitan acknowledged Sinha’s role in supporting the company’s trajectory, while Sinha described his tenure as “an absolute privilege,” crediting Khaitan’s leadership for shaping the company’s strategic direction.
With a homegrown leadership bench and a clear premium agenda, Radico Khaitan is set to accelerate its global expansion while doubling down on brand elevation and market impact.
