MAM
Linc Pen takes brand integration route
KOLKATA: Kolkata-headquartered Linc Pen & Plastics has spent 1.5 to 2 per cent of the Rs 315 crore turnover on marketing and branding in the current fiscal 2014-15.
In an industry, which is marked by low level of differentiation, the company is aware that it is imperative to create brand differentiation among the potential target audience. In keeping with this, Linc Pen & Plastics has spent close to seven per cent of its marketing spent on digital campaigns and internet.
Also, after integrating its brand in the movie Bhootnath Returns, the company is looking for more such brand integration opportunities.
“It is essential to advertise and popularise the USP of the product and the brand on digital platforms these days. We are not only active on digital platforms, but look at how to engage with people. We spend around 78 per cent on the above-the-line (ATL) activities including advertisements and hoardings. Also, the ATL mix is going up as compared to last year,” said Linc Pen & Plastics brand manager Harshvardhen Daga.
With consumers becoming more and more enthusiastic about what brand they use, Linc Pen & Plastics is always looking for engagement programmes with its consumers.
Linc Pen is amongst the top three brands in the writing instruments industry, having largest market share in eastern India. Linc pens are exported to more than 50 countries presently. The brand was placed at number 282 across all brands in India last year.
On the brand integration with movies, he said that brand Linc was shown for around 60 seconds in Boothnath Returns. “We are in talks with people for getting our brand good visibility,” he said.
The writing instrument market is low-involvement and highly fragmented. “Linc focuses on the mass market. We have pens ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20 in the mass market segment,” he concluded.
MAM
Cipla appoints Achin Gupta as MD and global CEO
Veteran pharma leader with 20-plus years takes charge from 1 April 2026, succeeding current MD.
MUMBAI: Cipla’s next chapter just got a seasoned prescription because when it comes to leading a pharma giant, Achin Gupta knows exactly which dose delivers results. The Mumbai-based drugmaker announced on 23 February 2026 that Achin Gupta, currently global chief operating officer, will step up as managing director and global chief executive officer from 1 April 2026. He succeeds the outgoing leadership team and will steer Cipla’s worldwide operations, market expansion, operational efficiency, and innovation pipeline across its broad portfolio of generics, specialty drugs, and consumer healthcare treatments.
Gupta brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience to the corner office. Before rejoining Cipla, he spent over eight years at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals in senior roles, having also worked there earlier between 2004 and 2012. His career path also includes key stints at Abbott Laboratories and management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, giving him a well-rounded view of global pharma strategy, operations, and growth.
In his current COO role, Gupta has already been deeply involved in streamlining Cipla’s supply chain, boosting manufacturing agility, and driving digital transformation moves that positioned the company strongly amid post-pandemic supply challenges and rising competition. As MD and Global CEO, he’ll now have full accountability for executing Cipla’s long-term vision, from deepening presence in key markets like the US, Europe, and emerging regions to accelerating R&D in complex generics and biosimilars.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Cipla, as the industry navigates pricing pressures, regulatory shifts, and the push for affordable innovation in chronic therapies. Gupta’s track record of scaling operations and delivering consistent performance makes him a logical internal choice to keep the momentum going.
For a company that’s long been a household name in affordable medicines, this leadership handoff is less about a big shake-up and more about steady continuity with fresh energy ensuring the next dose of growth is as effective as the last.
