MAM
JWT India announces leadership changes
MUMBAI: After an excellent show at Cannes Lion this year, JWT has announced leadership changes across the agency’s key offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Sri Lanka.
JWT south head Rajesh Gangwani has been appointed as JWT Mumbai senior VP and managing partner effective immediately.
JWT group companies Colombo president Himanshu Saxena will succeed Gangwani as JWT south senior VP and managing partner.
Joy Chauhan will be taking over from Saxena as JWT group of companies Colombo president.
Announcing their appointment, JWT south Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “Rajesh and Himanshu are both dynamic leaders with strong connections to the markets, the consumers and the clients. By leveraging their strengths and strategic insights, JWT is uniquely positioned to maximise growth in these critical markets.”
“Having successfully established brands like Pepsi foods, Nestle and more recently Airtel, Joy’s move to Sri Lanka will help develop his career further. He has managed large teams and big brands and that experience will hold him good stead. JWT Colombo is one of the most admired agencies in Sri Lanka and that will continue under Joy’s leadership,” he added.
It’s a homecoming for Gangwani, who joined JWT Mumbai as a management trainee in 1991 and worked on Hindustan Unilever, and other Mumbai clients. He was later transferred to Bengaluru in2002 and has been leading the office since January 2008 and later as head of south, since 2011.
JWT India NCD Tista Sen will be Gangwani’s creative partner and together they complete the leadership team at JWT Mumbai.
“I look forward to my second innings in Mumbai and to the opportunity of leading our flagship office. Having been part of some amazing journeys on brands like Nike, Levi’s, Madura, Lifestyle and others, it’s going to be exciting times ahead. Mumbai has a great portfolio of brands, a fabulous client mix and a fantastic talent pool,” said Gangwani.
With 22 years of experience in advertising, branding, consumer research and sales, Saxena comes in with diverse experience of leading brands, offices and cross functional teams. As head of the JWT Group in Sri Lanka, Saxena was overseeing JWT and the recently set up Contract advertising.
“In our 150th year JWT India has reached great heights of achievement. It is both an honour as well as a huge responsibility to lead a region as dynamic as JWT south. I look forward to carrying on the good work and pushing the bar higher. Leading JWT Sri Lanka was truly an enriching experience and I am glad to move on to the next professional assignment after three years in Colombo,” said Saxena.
JWT India NCD Senthil Kumar will continue to lead JWT south and Kolkata as Saxena’s creative partner.
“It is an immensely exciting opportunity for me to be a part of a great legacy like JWT Sri Lanka. To be a part of a growing market like Sri Lanka, is the high that I really wanted at this point in my career. Armed with the rich experience of some of the best national and international brands like, Pepsi foods, Nestle, Hero and Airtel, I feel my learning will help me grow the brands and businesses at JWT Sri Lanka. JWT will continue to shine,” says Chauhan on his move to Sri Lanka.
Brands
Accor names Amit Malik VP people and culture for South Asia
Hospitality major taps HR veteran to drive talent and culture agenda
MUMBAI: Accor has appointed Amit Malik as vice president for people and culture in South Asia, strengthening its leadership bench as it scales operations across the region.
Malik will be part of the South Asia leadership team, overseeing the people, talent and culture agenda across India and neighbouring markets. His mandate includes building organisational capabilities, strengthening leadership pipelines and enhancing employee experience across Accor’s growing portfolio.
With more than two decades of experience, Malik brings a blend of human resources expertise and business leadership. His career spans multiple sectors and geographies, equipping him to support Accor’s evolving workforce needs in a dynamic hospitality market.
“We are pleased to welcome Amit to Accor,” said Accor chief executive officer, South Asia Ranju Alex. “His understanding of people strategy and strong business orientation will be instrumental in building a high-performance, purpose-led culture.”
Before joining Accor, Malik served as president for Japan, Asia Pacific and Australia at WadzPay. He also spent several years at Aviva Life Insurance India, where he held senior roles including chief people officer and later chief executive and managing director.
His earlier stints include leadership roles at Bank of America, Royal Bank of Scotland, American Express and GSK Consumer Healthcare, giving him a wide lens on organisational transformation and governance.
Accor’s latest leadership move reflects its focus on building a future-ready workforce as competition intensifies in the hospitality sector. With Malik at the helm of its people strategy, the company is betting on culture as a key driver of growth.
