MAM
iProspect names Philips as global chief product officer
MUMBAI: iProspect continues to bolster its global executive team with the appointment of Rohan Philips as the global chief product officer. In his new role, Philips will direct and oversee iProspect’s roadmap for central product development, adoption and commercialisation across its 52 markets.
iProspect will report to the global president Ruth Stubbs, and will be based in Singapore.
“A dynamic approach to the development and evolution of our global product set is a vital component in our ability to engage audience across all platforms and connect brands to consumers. As a business, we must become more sensitive to the challenges clients are facing. With Rohan’s hire, we have now finalised a recalibrated leadership team – designed to address delivering these capabilities for our organisation, Dentsu Aegis Network and the clients that we serve,” commented Stubbs.
“iProspect has a heritage of driving business performance by innovating in a complex digital landscape,” said Philips .
“The impact of data and automation has led to the convergence of media, media becoming more accountable and ultimately performance based. I am looking forward to leveraging iProspect’s strong foundation to expand its capabilities, whilst also contributing to the successful Dentsu Aegis network operating model to ultimately deliver business performance to our clients,” he added.
Philips joined iProspect from GroupM, where he had served as the vice-president at [m]Platform and Xaxis, prior to which he played key roles on data and technology across Europe and Asia Pacific.
Brands
Hocco crosses Rs 530cr revenue in two years
Sauce.vc-led Rs 100cr raise values ice cream brand at Rs 2,500cr pre-money as quick commerce hits 20 per cent of sales.
MUMBAI: Hocco has just scooped a seriously sweet milestone crossing the Rs 530 crore revenue mark in just two full years of operations. The fast-growing Indian ice cream and indulgence brand announced it has raised Rs 100 crore in fresh capital led by Sauce.vc. The round values the company at Rs 2,500 crore pre-money and underscores investor confidence in its rapid scale and distinctive India-first approach.
Founder Ankit Chona said the brand’s success stems from solving real Indian challenges extreme summer heat, fragmented cold chains and culturally rooted tastes. “In India, product development doesn’t end in the lab. It only ends when it survives the street,” he noted. This philosophy has produced viral hits such as Aamchi mango ice cream, BIX cake-sponge sandwiches, the Oh cone and culturally relevant collaborations like Haldiram’s Barfi and festive Modak specials.
Hocco currently operates manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad and Panipat with a production capacity of approximately 3 lakh litres per day, running near full capacity in peak season. The fresh capital will help expand this to around 4.5 lakh litres per day.
Quick commerce has emerged as a major growth engine, now contributing ~20 per cent of overall business and growing nearly 2x year-on-year. The channel has boosted product discovery, increased consumption frequency and helped extend ice cream beyond its traditional seasonal limits.
Sauce.vc founder Manu Chandra said, “At Sauce, we believe that when you chance upon an outlier business, you double down with stronger conviction. We see Hocco as just that.”
With a strong innovation pipeline, deeper distribution and continued focus on cultural relevance, Hocco is entering its third year aiming to capture even more mind space and market share. In a category long dominated by legacy players, this young brand is proving that the coolest way to win is to build for India’s realities, one scoop, one street and one satisfied craving at a time.
