MAM
Leo Burnett promotes Ajeeta Bharadwaj as Planning Head for Mumbai
MUMBAI: Leo Burnett India has boosted its senior team and strategy offering by promoting Ajeeta Bharadwaj to the role of Planning Head in Mumbai.
Bharadwaj, who was previously Executive Planning Director, will report to, Leo Burnett Chief Strategy Officer – South Asia Dheeraj Sinha.
Confirming the development, Sinha said, “Bharadwaj has been one of the strongest pillars of strategy at Leo Burnett India. She has made an unparelled contribution in shaping the future of several brands that we work on. Bharadwaj is fully steeped into our HumanKind philosophy and is an astute practitioner of the HumanKind tools. She has also led and developed several knowledge and insight projects over the years. Not only is this promotion very well deserved, it also comes at an opportune time, when we are building a huge momentum around our strategy function. With Bharadwaj as the leader in Mumbai, we will continue to up the temperature on sharp insights, leading to great work for our clients.”
Bharadwaj added on her new role saying, “It has been an amazing journey at Leo Burnett. I have had the good fortune to work on some incredible brands and with some incredible partners, both among clients and within the agency. And I truly believe that the best is yet to come. We are doing some fantastic work and each piece is making us hungrier for more and better. In my new role, I’m looking forward to working closely with Dheeraj in producing new-age work that would help us in our constant endeavour to reach for the stars.”
Bharadwaj has 15 years of experience in brand planning and strategy. Brands she has worked on include HDFC Life, P&G, Tata Sampann, Emami, Star Plus, Heinz, Coke, Sony Entertainment Television, CavinKare, Anchor, AXN, Sony Pix, Godrej, Qi Spine Clinic and Fiat.
She and her team have also received 12 LeoIntel stars for innovative category and culture thinking across the Leo Burnett WW network.
MAM
Time brings TIME100 Next franchise to India with Reliance
List to spotlight 100 emerging leaders, gala set for December 2026 in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: It’s about time India’s next wave got a global spotlight and now, it’s on the list. New York-headquartered Time is expanding its TIME100 Next franchise to India, partnering with Reliance Industries Limited to launch TIME100 Next India, its first international extension of the rising leaders platform. The announcement was made at the Time100 Gala in New York by Jessica Sibley and Nita Mukesh Ambani, signalling a strategic push to tap into India’s growing influence across sectors.
The India edition will recognise 100 emerging leaders from the country and the global Indian diaspora, spanning business, science, sports, arts and social impact. The list will be curated by Time’s editorial team and published online, continuing the franchise’s focus on identifying individuals shaping the future.
The initiative will culminate in a gala event scheduled for December 2026 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, anchoring the platform within India’s cultural and business ecosystem.
TIME’s broader Time100 franchise has steadily expanded its global footprint since 2021 through events and impact-led initiatives. Executives noted that India’s growing pool of influential voices and innovators made it a natural next step for the platform’s international ambitions.
For Reliance, the partnership aligns with its broader push to support emerging talent and ideas on a global stage. For Time, it marks a timely bet on India not just as a market, but as a talent engine shaping the next chapter of global leadership.
