MAM
Nissan appoints Saurabh Vatsa as deputy managing director
Mumbai: Nissan Motor India (NMIPL) has announced the appointment of Saurabh Vatsa as deputy managing director effective 15 January. Saurabh will report to managing director Rakesh Srivastava and will support in implementing the ongoing transformation roadmap for India as the company gets ready to deliver on the mid-term plan (MTP) and drive into our ambition 2030 goals. This appointment is reflective of the company’s transformation plan to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead for the automotive industry in India.
Saurabh has joined Nissan from Stellantis where he was a member of the Stellantis leadership team and was spearheading the Citroen brand since its inception in India and was responsible for all aspects of the business as brand head. Prior to Stellantis, Saurabh worked with general motors (GM) for over two decades including long-term assignments in South Korea among several key leadership roles within the company.
Saurabh comes with extensive experience across Asian markets along with deep knowledge of the automotive industry having worked within multiple strategic business functions such as product planning, program management, sales planning, marketing, communications and retail/commercial sales. Saurabh is a graduate of Delhi University, with an MBA from the International Management Institute and has completed an executive management program at the London Business School.
Speaking on the appointment, Nissan India operations president Frank Torres said, “We are excited to onboard Saurabh at Nissan Motor India as deputy managing director at this crucial juncture for the company as we head into 2024. His appointment underpins our commitment to invest $600m (Rs 5300 crores) in India as part of the Alliance and introduce more products for the Indian consumer as part of the transformation plan. We are certain, the next phase of growth for Nissan is going to be exciting for all of us as we build on the success of the Nissan Magnite.”
In this new role, he will support the leadership for Nissan’s transformation plan and prepare the company for its next phase as outlined by the company in 2023.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
