MAM
Kulkarni exits Natural Diamond Council after six-year sparkle
MUMBAI: Aparna Kulkarni, a marketing heavyweight with a glittering CV, has hung up her diamond-studded boots at the Natural Diamond Council, after a six-and-a-half-year stint. She’s leaving behind a legacy of celebrity-fuelled campaigns and a digital strategy that, one might say, was rather brilliant.
Kulkarni, who previously cut her teeth at media giants like Star India and Times Network, joined the Diamond Council in 2018, tasked with building their Indian consumer marketing strategy. She’s credited with transforming the brand’s digital presence, turning it into a “content publishing platform” – a fancy way of saying she made diamonds look good online.
Her tenure saw a focus on “luxury content creation,” celebrity endorsements, and a PR blitz to polish the diamond narrative. She also dipped her hands deep into the nitty-gritty of performance marketing, tracking digital metrics and strategising annual social media plans. No mere baubles, then, but hard graft.
“It felt like home,” Kulkarni said of her time at the council, adding that she’s “equally excited about what’s next.”
She offered a heartfelt thanks to colleagues, and a cheeky “may the diamond prices keep going north!”
One imagines a few champagne flutes were raised.
Her departure leaves a vacancy for a marketing director who can maintain the brand’s digital sparkle and keep the celebrity endorsements shining. The diamond industry, it seems, just lost one of its brightest facets.
MAM
Manappuram Finance appoints Sreekanth P V as group head – operations
22-year veteran from Bajaj Finance to drive efficiency and customer experience.
MUMBAI: Manappuram Finance just upgraded its operations engine because when customer delight needs turbocharging, even the gold loans get a smoother ride. Manappuram Finance Ltd has appointed industry veteran Sreekanth P V as group head for operations & customer experience at the grade of president. In his new role, Sreekanth will lead efforts to strengthen operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, streamline processes, drive service innovation and scale the company’s digital ecosystems across all business verticals.
Sreekanth brings over 22 years of experience in operations management, digital platforms, product innovation and customer experience within the financial services sector. Most recently he served as deputy executive vice president for digital platforms at Bajaj Finance Ltd, where he led the development of a unified app and web platform strategy and built a cohesive digital ecosystem.
Manappuram Finance, chairman and managing director V. P. Nandakumar said, “We are pleased to welcome Mr Sreekanth P V to the leadership team. He brings extensive experience in operations management, digital platforms and customer experience. As we continue to strengthen our operational capabilities and enhance customer engagement, his expertise will play an important role in driving efficiency, innovation and service excellence across the organisation.”
The appointment reflects Manappuram Finance’s ongoing focus on building a stronger leadership bench and elevating operational standards as the company scales its lending and customer engagement capabilities.
In a sector where every rupee counts twice, Sreekanth isn’t just joining the team, he’s the new conductor making sure the entire orchestra of loans, digital flows and customer smiles stays perfectly in tune.
