MAM
NITI Aayog, Nestlé India, Tata Global & Parle Agro execs pocket Excellence Awards
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club (TAC) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) jointly announced the first ever champions of excellence who would be felicitated at the Goafest on 7 April 2017.
The awards were conceived and curated by the AAAI and TAC for acknowledging and saluting visionary advertisers who have taken the leap of faith and invested resources, ensuring that “Great ideas transform into Great advertising”.
The jury consisting of senior members of the awards governing council of the Abby’s at Goafest were unanimous in selecting NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Nestlé India Ltd South Asia Region Sr. VP & Head of Communications and E- Commerce Chandrasekhar Radhakrishna, Tata Global Beverages chairman Harish Bhat and Parle Agro JMD and CMO Nadia Chauhan, GCMMF Ltd (Amul) managing director R.S.Sodhi as the first ever recipients of this new and prestigious industry award for their role in inspiring great advertising.
AAAI presdient Nakul Chopra said “For the first time we are honoring advertisers at the Goafest. This award is very special as it acknowledges the pivotal role played by these men and women we call “clients” but who have acquired a much larger status in the overall brand scenario. These are the select few individuals who have helped build and nurture brands, supporting their Agency partners every step of the way.
The Advertising Club president Raj Nayak added “As an industry we need to salute these Brand Custodians who stake the reputation and money of their Brands on the creativity of their advertising agencies. They literally take that leap of faith every day. Having them at Goafest would be very inspirational for the audience.
Goafest chairman Ashish Bhasin said, “We always celebrated advertising agencies, digital companies, production houses and media companies at the Goafest. Now with top advertisers being honoured, the festival is more complete.”
Awards’ Governing Council chairman Ramesh Narayan said, “This award really places the advertiser at the center of the communication effort, and rightfully so. The response for nominations from advertising agencies was quite good and I am confident this would go on to become one of the highlights of the Goafest in the years ahead. What is advertising without the advertiser?”
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
