MAM
LIXIL Asia Pacific announces appointment of Bobby Joseph as the New MD for LWT- India & Subcontinent
MUMBAI: LIXIL, maker of pioneering water and housing products, recently announced the appointment of Bobby Joseph as the new Managing Director for LIXIL Water Technologies (LWT)- India & Subcontinent.
LIXIL has been in the Indian market for over a decade now through its product brands like American Standard and GROHE. Our India business has grown successfully and seen the addition of products and services like INAX tiles and LIXIL Prefabricated bathrooms to its portfolio. LWT India & Subcontinent is now on a transformational journey to cement its leadership position in the domestic market in the next few years. Bobby’s mission will be to lead the business and leadership that we have in place today to aggressively execute the consumer-centric growth strategy that will take LIXIL’s presence and reach in India to the next level.
Towards this end, Bobby shall be leveraging the global scale of LWT’s brand portfolio and experience in the key categories of sanitary ware as well as housing products and services. He shall be responsible for the commercial business of all verticals within LWT India & Subcontinent; including but not limited to managing all the brands in LWT (American Standard, GROHE), INAX (Tiles), Integrated Bathroom Systems (Prefabricated bathrooms) etc.
Commenting on the new appointment, Bijoy Mohan, CEO LIXIL Asia Pacific said, “LIXIL’s Asia Pacific business is a fast growing one; and India is a key market for us in the region. We have made strategic investments in the India business this year reinforcing our commitment towards strengthening our presence in this diverse market. Over the next five to seven years, India has the potential to be LIXIL’s third biggest market outside of Japan; after the US & China. I’m confident that Bobby’s appointment will lead our Water Technology business to its next phase of growth, catering to the ever-evolving needs of the home owners in the Indian subcontinent.”
Bobby brings more than two decades of leadership experience to LIXIL, with expertise across a wide range of disciplines including sales, key partnership development and business turnaround. He has held P&L accountability in both the India and Middle East markets.
Prior to joining LIXIL, Bobby was the Regional Head of India & Middle East of Plantronics, an American electronics company producing audio communications equipment for business and consumers worldwide. He has dedicated fifteen years of solid service with Plantronics. Notably, to his well-deserved credit, Bobby was the one who started-up and pioneered Plantronics operations in India in 2002, and repeated the same start-up success in the Middle East in 2011.
Bobby will be based in Gurgaon, reporting to Bijoy Mohan, CEO of LIXIL Asia Pacific.
MAM
Raghu Rai passes away at 83, leaves behind iconic legacy
Padma Shri-winning photographer documented history across 5 decades.
MUMBAI: The lens may have stilled, but the stories it captured will never fade. Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photojournalists, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi after battling cancer and age-related health issues.
His son, Nitin Rai, revealed that Rai had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to the stomach and, more recently, the brain. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, his health had declined in recent months.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Rai entered photography in his early twenties, inspired by his elder brother, photographer S. Paul. Beginning his career in the mid-1960s, he went on to build a body of work that spanned more than five decades, contributing to global publications such as Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire.
His global recognition took a decisive leap in 1977 when legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to join Magnum Photos, placing him among the world’s most respected visual storytellers.
Rai’s lens chronicled both power and poignancy. He photographed towering figures such as Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Bal Thackeray, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, while also documenting defining moments like the Bhopal gas tragedy later captured in his book Exposure: A Corporate Crime.
Over the years, he published more than 18 books, building an archive that blended journalism with artistry. His contributions were recognised early when he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the Bangladesh War and refugee crisis. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the United States for his work in National Geographic, and in 2009, he was honoured with the Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Rai is survived by his wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani and Purvai. His last rites will be held at Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday.
With his passing, Indian photojournalism loses not just a pioneer, but a patient observer of history, one frame at a time.
