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Mercedes-Benz India appoints Dr Shyam Sunder as head of external affairs and corporate citizenship
Mumbai: India’s most desirable luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz, today announced an organizational change in its External Affairs and Corporate Citizenship function. The company has appointed Dr Shyam Sunder as the head of external affairs and corporate citizenship, effective from 26 August 2024. Dr Shyam will report to Santosh Iyer, managing director & CEO. In his new role, Dr Shyam will lead Mercedes-Benz India’s government relations, public policy advocacy, and policy initiatives. He will foster close collaboration with policymakers and industry leaders, and work to build communities through Mercedes-Benz’s diverse corporate citizenship programmes.
Mercedes-Benz India managing director and CEO Santosh Iyer“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Shyam Sunder as the Head of External Affairs and Corporate Citizenship at Mercedes-Benz India. His extensive experience and deep understanding of external affairs will be invaluable in conveying our views to policymakers and actively participating in various industry associations. Dr. Shyam’s expertise aligns with our commitment to fostering close collaboration with policymakers and external stakeholders, and driving impactful corporate social initiatives at Mercedes-Benz.”
Dr Shyam Sunder holds a master’s degree in Econometrics and a Ph.D. in Economics. With an impressive career spanning approximately 24 years, he has held pivotal roles related to driving public policy & advocacy and Government engagements at prominent automotive OEMs in the past. He has also worked with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), where he played a vital role in shaping public policy and fostering industry collaborations. His extensive expertise in public affairs, policy advocacy and strategic stakeholder engagements firmly underscores his adeptness in managing external affairs and navigating intricate regulatory landscapes for the company.
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WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
