MAM
McCann Worldgroup realigns global leadership
NEW DELHI: McCann Worldgroup has realigned its senior leadership across its global agency networks. Chris Macdonald has taken on the role of chairman and CEO of McCann, the advertising agency brand, and Harjot Singh has been promoted to global chief strategy officer.
Macdonald, who previously served as president – advertising and allied brands for McCann, will now focus on leading the advertising network, along with Singh, previously chief strategy officer for McCann Worldgroup EMEA. Since its first major international expansion over 90 years ago, McCann has been recognised as a leader in global advertising.
The two global appointments follow other recent moves by incoming McCann Worldgroup CEO Bill Kolb to underline the importance of the individual agency brands in the global integrated marketing services network.
"The foundation of McCann Worldgroup, since its inception over 20 years ago, has always been to offer both best-in-class expertise through each agency and best-in-class integrated solutions to meet our clients' needs," Kolb said. "The work, the talent, and most critically, the creative effectiveness that we have been recognised for—more than any other network over the last five years—must flourish within each of our agency brands. And each of these brands has its own unique culture while all sharing the same McCann Worldgroup core mission, values, and methodologies."
Macdonald said, "I have been lucky enough to work for McCann in many different roles over the last 15 years. McCann has an incredibly rich history of creativity and innovation, partnering with some of the world's biggest and best brands and is full of fantastically talented people. I look forward to building the best future for our clients, partners and all our people around the world."
McCann Worldgroup global president & CSO Suzanne Powers said, "Harjot is one of the world's best and brightest. His strategic chops, deep passion for bringing out the best in our talented teams, and overall leadership abilities make him the perfect choice to lead McCann into the future strategically. Further, through this appointment, we now have in place the industry's top leadership across all of our agency networks, further cementing our belief that the triumvirate of leadership (creative, strategy and business) leads to best-in-class creative effective work."
Macdonald added, "Colleagues and clients consistently credit him with bringing clarity and delivering measurable impact. He has led our network in Europe to an unprecedented industry record of being ranked the most creatively effective agency network in the region for five consecutive years and I am delighted that he will be bringing that track record of success to the global McCann team."
In addition to the current promotions of Macdonald and Singh, Kolb announced that Kate MacNevin, the CEO for MRM, will add the title of chairwoman.
"Kate has one of the most passionate, deliberative and exceptional minds in all of marketing," remarked Kolb. "She is respected not just among our partners, but across every level of our organisation because of her relentless dedication and determination. I have worked with Kate for over a decade, and she has earned this role based on her historic success of advancing growth, capability expansion and overall leadership of our global MRM team."
MAM
Raymond Lifestyle appoints Kalpana Singh as CMO
20-year HUL veteran to lead marketing and brand growth from 5 March 2026.
MUMBAI: Raymond Lifestyle just stitched a marketing masterstroke because when your profits are feeling the pinch, you bring in someone who knows how to make brands irresistible. Raymond Lifestyle Limited has appointed Kalpana Singh as chief marketing officer (CMO), effective 5 March 2026. She will report to the CEO and join the senior management team, leading marketing strategy, brand development and customer engagement across the company’s fashion and lifestyle portfolio.
Singh brings 20 years of experience in brand building, consumer insights and category strategy, largely from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). Most recently she served as marketing director at HUL, driving integrated campaigns to strengthen brand positioning and customer engagement. Her earlier roles at HUL included Personal Care Business Group Director for the Middle East, Turkey and North Africa region, and Brand Development Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Russia and Turkey. She holds a Master of Arts in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The appointment arrives as Raymond Lifestyle navigates a challenging quarter. Consolidated net profit fell 33 per cent year-on-year to Rs 42.86 crore in Q3 FY26 (from Rs 64 crore in Q3 FY25) and dropped 44 per cent sequentially from Rs 75 crore in Q2 FY26. The company cited headwinds in its international business, particularly garmenting and B2B exports, due to higher US tariffs causing deferred orders and margin pressure.
The company is focusing on brand repositioning, innovation in marketing and deeper consumer connections to support growth in India’s fashion and lifestyle market.
In an industry where every thread counts, Raymond Lifestyle isn’t just adding a CMO, it’s weaving fresh vision into the fabric, hoping the right marketing stitch turns the tide one campaign at a time.
