MAM
Ogilvy India ECD Syed Mohammed Talha Nazim passes away
MUMBAI: Ogilvy India’s executive creative director Syed Mohammed Talha Nazim has succumbed to Covid2019. The news of his demise was shared by Ogilvy’s group creative director Divya Bhatia and others on professional networking platform LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/divya-bhatia-1427a7146_i-lost-my-dearest-boss-this-morning-he-activity-6797379299788910592-urgD
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yash-marwah-he-him-117805b7_rest-in-peace-syed-mohammed-talha-nazim-activity-6797380608151695360-gcLi
Nazim joined Ogilvy India in March 2020. Prior to that had a brief stint as an entrepreneur and was also the creative head at Innocean Worldwide.
In a career spanning 21 years at Leo Burnett, Bates, McCann and Ogilvy and having worked in Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai, Nazim has been responsible for some amazing work on brands such as McDonald’s, Dutch Lady, Siemens, JSW, Exide, General Motors, Fiat, Asian Paints, Reebok, Penguin, Coca Cola and Philips, among others.
This has resulted in over 180 metals and nominations in international and domestic award shows such as Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, Clio, LIA, Andys, Adfest, Spikes, NY Festivals, Kyoorius and Abbys.
The Gunn Report listed his work as one of the most-awarded pieces in 2004 and 2013. In 2014, The One Show ranked him No.2 as a creative director and No.6 as a writer. His Penguin Author Audiobook campaign that he did with his ex-art partner Rohit Devgun is India’s most-awarded campaign internationally.
Brands
Kotak Mahindra Prime names Suraj Rajappan as managing director and chief executive
The car-finance arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank lines up a new chief and raises its borrowing limit
MUMBAI: Suraj Rajappan is getting the keys. Kotak Mahindra Prime Limited (KMPL), India’s veteran car-finance outfit, has named him managing director and chief executive, effective June 1st, 2026—the same day his predecessor drives off into retirement.
The board approved the appointment at its meeting on March 18th. Rajappan, currently a whole-time director at the company, has spent his entire 24-year career at KMPL, working across functions before rising to the top job. The three-year term remains subject to shareholder approval, and the company confirmed he faces no bar from SEBI or any other authority from holding the post.
He takes over from Shahrukh Todiwala, who superannuates on May 31st after more than three decades with the Kotak Group. Ashok Vaswani, managing director and chief executive of parent Kotak Mahindra Bank, was generous in his send-off. Todiwala, he said, “leaves behind a legacy marked by prudent growth, strong risk discipline, and a focus on customer-centricity.” Of his successor, Vaswani was equally bullish: Rajappan’s “deep industry experience and execution capabilities position KMPL well for its next phase of growth.”
The board also loosened the purse strings, raising the company’s overall outstanding debt limit from Rs 43,000 crore to Rs 48,000 crore. The expanded ceiling covers bank loans, debentures, commercial paper, treasury operations, credit facilities and external commercial borrowings.
KMPL has operated as a car-finance company since 1996, branching into two-wheeler loans in 2018 and loans against property in 2021. With fresh leadership, a bigger borrowing arsenal and an ambitious lender for a parent, Rajappan’s first task is clear: step on the accelerator.
