Brands
ixigo Trains onboards Rohit Sharma as brand ambassador
Mumbai: ixigo onboarded Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma as the brand ambassador for its trains app. This partnership is set to elevate ixigo’s reach across the nation, solidifying its position as the ultimate app for seamless, innovative, and reliable train travel experiences.
As part of this collaboration, ixigo Trains is unveiling a dynamic new advertisement featuring Rohit Sharma. Combining humour, energy, and creativity, the ad highlights ixigo’s user-friendly features, designed to make train travel hassle-free for millions of Indians. Through a catchy rap, the film wittily showcases key features such as real-time updates on train routes, live running status, ticket availability, ticket confirmation chances, and seamless & quick ticket booking experience. This engaging ad positions ixigo Trains as the ultimate one-stop travel solution for every traveller. The 360-degree campaign, starring Rohit, will be launched across television, digital and outdoor platforms.
ixigo Trains remains at the forefront of revolutionising train travel through customer-focused features. With offerings like free cancellation, food on train, travel guarantee ensuring confirmed seats and instant refunds, ixigo continues to solidify its role as an indispensable travel companion for modern travellers.
Speaking on this, ixigo Trains CEO Dinesh Kumar Kotha said, “We are thrilled to welcome Rohit Sharma to the ixigo family! As a true leader in cricket and a celebrated captain, Rohit personifies excellence, perseverance, and inspiration – values that align perfectly with our brand. His immense popularity and credibility make him the ideal ambassador to connect with audiences across India. Our latest campaign captures the innovative spirit of ixigo Trains and Rohit’s unmatched star power, unveiling a fresh, never-seen-before side of him. Together, we aim to inspire a strong, vibrant connection that resonates deeply with our audience.”
Sharing his thoughts about the partnership, Sharma, exclusively managed by RISE Worldwide, said, “I am delighted to join hands with ixigo Trains, a brand that has truly transformed train travel in India with its industry-first innovations. I look forward to being part of ixigo’s incredible journey focused on redefining travel through efficient solutions and making stress-free and seamless travel a reality for people, all across India.”
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
