Brands
Nameeta Saigal climbs the ranks at femtech startup Nua
MUMBAI: Nameeta Saigal has been elevated to senior vice-president and head of marketing at Nua, the Mumbai-based femtech startup, after nearly four years with the company building its direct-to-consumer presence.
Saigal joined Nua in December 2021 as vice-president of marketing and has now been promoted internally, marking a vote of confidence in her stewardship of the brand’s growth trajectory. The promotion comes as femtech companies face increasing pressure to differentiate themselves in a crowded wellness market.
Her career spans over two decades in consumer marketing, with notable stints at telecommunications giant Vodafone Idea Ltd, where she served as vice-president for consumer segments marketing and partnerships. Before that, she cut her teeth in brand management at Godrej Consumer Products, handling household names including Goodknight mosquito repellent and Kiwi shoe care products.
Saigal’s expertise in building consumer segments and partnerships may prove crucial as Nua seeks to expand beyond its core feminine hygiene offerings. The company operates in India’s burgeoning femtech sector, which has attracted significant investor interest despite regulatory challenges and cultural sensitivities around women’s health products.
The internal promotion suggests Nua is betting on continuity rather than external recruitment as it navigates the competitive landscape of health and wellness brands. For Saigal, the elevation represents the culmination of a marketing career that began in the spirits industry with Shaw Wallace Distilleries before progressing through pharmaceuticals and consumer goods.
Whether her brand-building credentials can help Nua capture greater market share in India’s evolving femtech space remains to be seen.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
