MAM
Mars Wrigley’s India biz elevates Varun Kandhari to director – marketing
NEW DELHI: Multinational confectionery maker Mars Wrigley has elevated Varun Kandhari to the post of director – marketing and customer marketing for India. He has been with the organisation for seven years, is based in the Gurugram office and succeeds Yogesh Tewari.
Kandhari joined Mars Chocolate Business in September 2014 as senior brand manager and was subsequently promoted to marketing manager – chocolates for Mars Wrigley business in October 2017.
In his new role, he will be responsible for leading the marketing and customer marketing functions for Mars Wrigley India across all categories.
Mars Wrigley- India general manager Kalpesh R Parmar said, “Through his tenure, Varun has played a crucial role in value creation and developing successful marketing strategies. In line with our goals to grow our business and develop our brands better, I am confident that Varun, with his energy, enthusiasm, and expertise, is the perfect lead to help us take Mars Wrigley to greater heights.”
Before joining Mars Wrigley, Kandhari was associated with Hindustan Unilever where he managed brands like Surf Excel and Wheel.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
