MAM
Lodestar UM taps Vijayalakshmi Ramesh to drive its strategy function
Mumbai: In a bid to strengthen the strategy function for the Southern market, media agency Lodestar UM has appointed Vijayalakshmi Ramesh as head of strategy – South.
In this new role, Vijayalakshmi will be responsible for enhancing the strategy product for existing and new clients for the South market and will be based out of Lodestar UM’s Bengaluru office.
In her previous role, Vijayalakshmi was associated with Mindshare. Her professional experience includes an analytics role at IMRB, account planning at HTA, Media planning at Mudra & Initiative Media, as well as a stint as a marketing strategist for IBM at GPJ.
“We are delighted to have Viji as an integral part of our strategy function,” said Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias. “Bengaluru is home to several established technology-based businesses and our office has shown a robust growth rate across categories in the region over the last couple of years. Bangalore office handles many prestigious businesses like Wipro, Accenture, PhonePe, Ather Energy, Exide Life, Inbisco, etc.”
“The ever-evolving media landscape compounds the challenge,” commented Lodestar UM executive vice president Laya Menon. “Viji’s deep understanding of this entire spectrum will further strengthen our product that’s underpinned by Lodestar UM’s philosophy of Better Science Better Art Better Outcomes.”
During her career of 18 years in media and communications, Vijayalakshmi has worked with both B2C and B2B clients extensively. Her vast area of experience ranges from FMCG, retail, fashion, technology (B2B & B2C), new age services and startups.
“Lodestar has several cutting-edge products & planning tools, and I would endeavor to strengthen our strategic offerings to our clients on the back of those products to drive better business outcomes. I am looking forward to working closely with Laya and the Lodestar UM leadership team in driving this agenda,” said Vijayalakshmi Ramesh about her new role.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
