MAM
Mallikarjundas joins as media director, Rangnekar as account group head Starcom
MUMBAI: The prodigals return. Two executives who’d left Publicis Groupe owned Starcom Worldwide for other opportunities have “returned to the fold.”
CR Mallikarjunadas, currently with Asian Paints as media manager, is coming aboard as media director. Nikhil Rangnekar joins as account group head in the Mumbai office.
That Starcom is on an aggressive head-hunting drive is borne out by the fact that some more executive appointments are expected to be announced soon.
Talking about the new appointments, Ravi Kiran, managing director, Starcom Worldwide, India-West & South, said the fact that people wanted to return to the company was indicative of the heightened value proposition Starcom offered in today’s competitive market.
Mallikarjundas will head one of Starcom’s seven key business units in India and will look after the media portfolio of clients such as Heinz, Sony Columbia Tristar AOR, SPE Films of India AOR and Parle Bisleri. Currently heading the media function at Asian Paints, he has also handled diverse functions that include market research, marketing PR and corporate initiatives. Mallikarjundas is expected to join Starcom next Monday (4 August).
“Malli has been very active in many industry research and technical bodies and he will certainly help us consolidate and grow our strategic planning and research capabilities, working closely with Puneet Arora, our director, research.”
“As part of our brain trust and head of one of our key business units, Malli will play an important role in our new business efforts and will be an active contributor to Starcom’s future in India.”
In his capacity as media director, Mallikarjundas will also oversee at least one agency function, the details of which are expected to be decided shortly.
Rangnekar, meanwhile, will look after the media portfolio of accounts such as the Balsara AOR, the Principal Group, Raymond Apparels and Hitachi Home and Life Solutions amongst others. Rangnekar will report directly to Kiran.
Rangnekar left Starcom in June 2000, to take a break from media and joined his brother in his family business.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
