Brands
JP Morgan names Rahul Badhwar as senior country officer for India
HSBC veteran to drive growth and strategy as US bank strengthens India presence
MUMBAI: JP Morgan has appointed Rahul Badhwar as its senior country officer for India, signalling a renewed push in one of Asia Pacific’s most critical markets.
Badhwar, who joins from UK-based HSBC, brings three decades of experience in sales and trading, most recently serving as global head of corporate sales for markets and securities services in London. His career spans stints in India, Dubai and Hong Kong, giving him a strong international perspective.
He will replace Kaustubh Kulkarni, who left JP Morgan in September 2025 to join rival Citigroup. Badhwar will be based in Mumbai from July, report to Leenart, and join JP Morgan’s Asia Pacific Management Committee.
According to an internal memo reviewed by PTI, Badhwar’s responsibilities include expanding the bank’s full suite of offerings to clients, strengthening governance and controls, and supporting talent development and community initiatives.
JP Morgan operates across trade solutions, investment banking, and equity capital markets in India, employing more than 55,000 people nationwide. Badhwar’s appointment is expected to reinforce the bank’s strategy and growth ambitions in a market critical to its Asia Pacific operations.
Brands
Škoda Auto India unveils ‘Easy to Love’ campaign for new Kushaq
Nostalgia meets humour as new SUV charms hearts with a Hindi cinema-inspired story
MUMBAI: Škoda Auto India, in collaboration with BBH India, has launched its latest integrated campaign, ‘Easy to Love’, celebrating the arrival of the new Škoda Kushaq. The campaign fuses nostalgia, humour and cinematic flair, drawing inspiration from the timeless Hindi cinema romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to showcase just how effortlessly the Kushaq wins hearts.
Following teasers and a feature reveal aired during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the main film now brings the car to life with an emotional narrative that positions it as aspirational, relatable and irresistible for modern SUV buyers in India.
Set against everyday urban backdrops, the film follows a corporate professional, a young woman and a family man who, on spotting the Kushaq, are whisked into dreamy mustard-field sequences inspired by the iconic tune from the Hindi cinema classic. Each whimsical daydream snaps back to reality, revealing the car as the spark behind the fantasy. The film concludes with sweeping shots of the Kushaq cruising through mustard fields while highlighting the SUV’s key features.
Škoda brand director Ashish Gupta said the campaign strengthens Škoda’s position in India’s SUV segment, combining safety, quality and driving dynamics with premium features accessible to a wider audience. He added that the narrative blends nostalgia with contemporary storytelling, cementing the Kushaq as both aspirational and approachable.
Propagate India and BBH India chief creative officer Parikshit Bhattaccharya noted that the campaign taps into cultural memory to dramatise the SUV’s appeal. By juxtaposing everyday moments with larger-than-life fantasy sequences, it shows how effortlessly people can fall for the new Kushaq.
‘Easy to Love’ is now live across television, digital, social, print, cinema, OOH and radio. The campaign will also expand into a social-first micro-drama series and brand collaborations designed to keep audiences engaged and deepen cultural resonance over time.
