MAM
Leo Burnett ropes in Hitesh Mehta as VP
MUMBAI: After a slew of significant senior level appointments, Leo Burnett India has announced the appointment of Hitesh Mehta as vice president to be based at its head office in Mumbai.
Mehta will be leading McDonald’s business nationally on both account management and strategy.
Leo Burnett India CEO Saurabh Varma said, “With over a decade of integrated communications experience, Hitesh is extremely passionate about understanding human behaviour and applying those valuable insights to client work. It is this very orientation that is of great value to our strong HumanKind philosophy for our brands.”
Over the years Mehta has worked in differing local, regional and global roles on some of the world’s biggest brands based out of India, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
His last assignment was with Leo Burnett in Indonesia, wherein he was a part of the agency leadership team, successfully delivering on his mandate to partner the marketing teams at Dutch Lady and McDonalds, in pursuit of achieving their growth ambitions within the Indonesian market. Always on the lookout for new challenges, Mehta relocated back to India in 2013 and has been working as an independent brand consultant prior to joining Leo Burnett earlier this month.
Mehta said, “The QSR market is still quite nascent and there is immense scope for growth. It’s a very exciting time for McDonalds and I am relishing the opportunity.”
Brands
Safex Group appoints Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer
Former Standard Chartered executive to steer finance
NEW DELHI: Safex Chemicals has appointed Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company prepares for the next phase of expansion in specialty chemicals and global agrochemicals.
In her new role, Malhotra will lead the group’s financial strategy, capital architecture and governance framework as Safex scales operations across multiple verticals including branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing.
A chartered accountant and graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, Malhotra brings more than two decades of experience in business finance, strategic planning, corporate banking and client management.
Before joining Safex, she served as executive director, financial markets at Standard Chartered, where she led teams across India and Sri Lanka and worked closely with large corporates, global subsidiaries and commercial banking clients. Her expertise includes capital structuring, treasury operations, risk management and financial markets led financing solutions.
Safex Group promoter director and joint managing director Piyush Jindal, said the appointment comes at a pivotal time for the company. “Safex stands at an inflection point as we build an integrated platform across branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing. Richa’s experience across global financial institutions will strengthen our financial discipline and help unlock value across the group,” he said.
Malhotra said she was looking forward to contributing to the company’s next chapter of growth. “Safex has built a strong reputation over 35 years with its focus on integrity, innovation and agricultural insight. I am excited to be part of the organisation as it expands its footprint in India and global markets,” she said.
The appointment comes as Safex continues to strengthen its financial foundations and scale operations internationally, positioning itself for future growth milestones.
