MAM
MPG launches mobile marketing arm MOBEXT
MUMBAI: Havas Media’s flagship brand, MPG India, has launched its mobile marketing brand Mobext in Asia with India being chosen one of the first markets for the roll out.
As part of the launch the agency has also made three senior appointments: Arnav Neel Ghosh joins as general manager for South Asia, while Ashutosh S Srivastava is appointed as the business director and Rahul Shinde as senior business executive. The team in India is also expected to expand in the next few months.
Ghosh moves in from Digital at Iris Nation, where he was executive vice-president and has previously worked in senior roles at Publicis Modem and Active Media Technology, a UK based mobile marketing company. Ashutosh was most recently the associate director of mobile marketing at ACL Wireless and has had stints at Mobile2Win and ConnectTurf.
Mobext, a network brand of Havas Media specialising in Mobile Marketing, is currently present in eight markets globally. The new brand is expected to strengthen the digital offerings of Havas Media, which currently has a digital media agency brand in Media Contacts.
Within this year, the brand is slated to be launched in China, Indonesia and Philippines and the company will look at both greenfield as well as partnership entry strategies.
Mobext will offer messaging services such as sms and download; mobile internet services like WAP consulting and development, mobile display, mobile search and proximity based services including LBS and mapping. It will also offer integration through reporting and analytics by Havas Digital’s campaign management platform.
The network agency currently handles a host of blue chip clients in different parts of the world including Nike, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Fanta, Kia, Volvo, BMW, Peugeot, Citroen, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, BBC, Dell and Sears.
Mobext Havas Media CEO Asia Pacific Vishnu Mohan said: “Asia presents an enormous potential in the mobile space with high levels of penetration, installed base and growth rates. All our clients have needs in this space and we want to ensure that as a media agency we are not neglecting such an important medium and one that will gain even more prominence in the future.
Mohan also said that mobile allows advertisers to reach their audience on a more engaged basis and Mobext will be helpful in this process.
“Mobext has been doing very well in other markets and we have been waiting for the right time and the right people to launch it in Asia. What better market to launch than India, which has whopping 790 million mobile users currently and is also a key market for the group in Asia Pacific region”, Mohan added.
Further enhancing the importance of Indian market, Mohan clarified that with 790 million mobile users, there was no better market in Asia to launch this product.
“Mobile offers advertisers an interesting media to reach their audience on a more engaged basis and the launch of Mobext will fulfil this need. We are looking launch the brand in China, Indonesia and Philippines within the year and will look at both greenfield as well as partnership entry strategies”, Mohan concluded.
Havas Media MPG CEO South Asia Anita Nayyar said: “Mobile marketing is gathering steam and it is the right time for us to offer specialised mobile marketing expertise to help our clients leverage this platform. In Arnav and Ashutosh we have identified the right candidates to take charge of Mobext. Arnav’s experience in successfully launching and managing agencies will be invaluable for us while Ashutosh’s hands on experience with cutting edge mobile campaigns will be a real asset for our clients.”
MAM
Collective Artists Network reshuffles talent leadership
Fiona D’Souza, Jinal Jhaveri and Arjun Banerjee take expanded roles in core division.
MUMBAI: Collective Artists Network just handed the talent baton to its homegrown stars because when your agents have been building careers this long, it’s time to let them run the show. Collective Artists Network has announced the next phase of leadership for its talent management business, elevating senior agents Fiona D’Souza, Jinal Jhaveri and Arjun Banerjee to expanded roles within the division. The move strengthens the company’s foundational talent arm while it continues to grow into content creation and production-led ventures.
Each of the three has played a significant part in shaping artist careers across films, digital platforms and brand partnerships. Together they now represent the next generation of leadership for Collective’s talent operations, with a continued focus on long-term career building, strong partnerships and adapting representation to a fast-changing media landscape.
Collective Artists Network founder and Group CEO Vijay Subramaniam remains actively involved in guiding artist strategy and key relationships. He said, “Talent management has been the foundation on which Collective was built, and that philosophy continues to guide how we grow the company. As we enter this next phase, it’s important that the people leading this business have both deep context and long-term convictions.”
Collective Artists Network partner and head of talent Janahavi Rawal added, “Collective’s talent business has always been built on trust, long-term thinking, and a deep understanding of where artists want to go next. Fiona, Jinal, and Arjun have each played an important role in shaping the careers of the artists we represent, and this phase is about empowering our senior agents further while building the right support systems around them.”
The leadership evolution reflects Collective’s belief in promoting from within and creating clear ownership across verticals. In a talent world where yesterday’s agent is tomorrow’s partner, Collective isn’t just reshuffling chairs, it’s handing the spotlight to the people who’ve been quietly directing the show all along.
