Brands
Micromax joins hands with Sony Music to create cricket anthem
MUMBAI: In India, one’s language changes every hundred kilometers, but one of the few things which brings our diverse cultures together, is our love for ‘cricket’ and ‘music’.
Encouraging the fans across the country to come together and cheer for the Indian cricket team as they fight to retain their world cup title, Micromax Informatics has unveiled the ‘Micromax Unite Cricket Anthem’.
Recreating the cult Hindi song, ‘Chale Chalo’, the anthem brings together nine artistes, singing in nine languages set to a new age rock beat.
Launched in association with Sony Music Entertainment India, the Micromax Unite Cricket anthem has been rewritten and re-mastered in Hindi, Punjabi Tamil, Bengali, Gujrati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Assamese. The track has been produced by Gaurav Gokhindi and performed by Benny Dayal, Raghu Dixit, Shalmali Kholgade, Akriti Kakar, Karthik, Zubeen Garg, Shakthisree Gopalan, Kavita Seth and Hari and Sukhmani.
Taking the concept of Micromax Unite series forward, they are setting out to recreate the success of last year’s Roobaroo Unite Anthem, which celebrated the pride of speaking in your mother-tongue.
Micromax chief marketing officer Shubhajit Sen said, “In India, cricket is a passion, which cuts across any cultural divide to unite all of us in support of our team. Micromax Unite Cricket Anthem reflects this thought and tries to bring alive the spirit of belonging in the versatility of our country. We would like to thank all the nine artistes and Sony Music who extended their support for this magnificent initiative.”
“This is our second project with Micromax and an even more exciting one where we are showcasing one of our A R Rahman classics ‘Chale Chalo’ with nine talented artistes singing the song in nine different languages all dedicated to the Indian cricket team. The concept is unique and will connect with the passion that we all have for cricket,” said Sony Music national head – brand partnerships Kiran D’Cruz.
Benny Dayal added, “The Micromax Unite Cricket Anthem features several amazing artistes who are both young and edgy and I am just really glad to be a part of it. ‘Chale Chalo’ is one of the best songs about team-work, and it was a great feeling to be working on this.”
Hari & Sukhmani said, “We had an absolute party recording and shooting for the song. Great bunch of people from the music producer to the artistes to the video team to the production team. What fun!”
“The Micromax Unite Cricket Anthem is a wonderful platform to create that blissful feeling of togetherness by way of music and cricket – the two forces that invariably help bind people together,” added Shalmali Kholgade.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
