MAM
Kantar IMRB sweeps three awards at MRSI seminar
MUMBAI: Kantar IMRB has won all of the three prizes at the 26th Annual MRSI seminar, the marquee industry event held every year in the country. The Annual Market Research seminar titled “Looking Beyond” was held in Bengaluru on 20 & 21 February.
This year’s theme focused on Technology & Data, and especially the role that big data plays in powering meaningful insights that impact marketers’ business decisions and strategy. Kantar IMRB’s win once again reaffirms its mark of excellence, the quality of thinking and insights that it brings to the industry.
Kantar IMRB is a pioneer of market research services in Asia. Kantar IMRB’s suite of solutions is designed on frugal, agile innovation and adds value, real value, to help clients make impactful decisions.
Kantar IMRB president & Kantar Insights CEO – South Asia Preeti Reddy said, “A win at MRSI is particularly gratifying because it is a platform that showcases the best and the brightest minds in our industry. While I would like to congratulate all the winners, this year stands out for us for our robust participation as a Kantar family: Kantar TNS presented two invited papers, 11 of the 16 presenters in the session reserved for young researchers were from Kantar, and Kantar IMRB swept all the awards.”
A panel of distinguished marketing executives and research experts judged and selected the best entries on the basis of comprehensive evaluation criteria.The panel shortlisted most innovative, cutting edge, modern and thought-provoking papers that showcased the forward thinking of market research fraternity.
Kantar IMRB won all the three awards as follows:
- The Jury Award for Overall Best Paper was given to “Navigating the Net” presented by Debjyothi Sen Sharma and Abhinaba Neogi
- The Audience Award for Most Popular Paper went to Debjyoti Sen Sharma for “Reading Your Mind”
- The Best Presentation – Brave New World titled “Taste the Test” by Adityo Sanyal
The winners were felicitated at the event attended by over 350 professionals from India’s research fraternity, analytics companies and client partners. In addition, over 1000 delegates viewed the event through live streaming.
Brands
Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
