MAM
Ogilvy & Mather India establishes new management structure
MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) India has put in place a new management structure, which will be effective 1 March, 2015.
The announcement was made by O&M executive chairman and creative director – South Asia Piyush Pandey and O&M executive co-chairman and group chief operating officer – South Asia SN Rane.
In a statement, the duo said, “It is time that our very strong senior team joins us in all key management decisions of Ogilvy & Mather. Our clients should look forward to even greater impact from Ogilvy & Mather in the days ahead.”
In the new structure, the current Ogilvy India group chief digital officer Kunal Jeswani is promoted to Ogilvy & Mather India CEO. He will report directly to the chairmen’s office and will work in very close association with Geo/discipline heads, creative, planning and business leaders.
The current Ogilvy India executive finance director Hufrish Birdy is promoted to chief financial officer (CFO). She will also report directly to the chairmen’s office and work in close partnership with Jeswani, Geo and discipline heads and other key stake holders of the company.
Hephzibah Pathak will assume a new role as Ogilvy & Mather India global clients’ director. She will be associated with Vodafone, Mondelez (India+Global), KFC, Unilever, Coke and Fiat. Pathak, working with operation heads of 360 degree offerings, will be responsible for delivery that will meet client expectations. A detailed scope of work is being circulated amongst Geo/discipline heads and their business leaders.
The man who can be credited in building strong planning teams, Kawal Shoor has been promoted to national planning director. He will spearhead the next phase of development of planning and be responsible for the national planning agenda.
To top it all, the board of directors list has also been expanded. The existing India board comprising Pandey, Rane, Madhukar Sabnavis, Poran Malani, Pathak, Miles Young, Paul Heath, Paul Cocks and John Goodman is being expanded. The company has nominated Jeswani (CEO, India), Rajiv Rao (national creative director), Navin Talreja (president – Mumbai and Kolkata geography head) and Birdy (CFO, India) as additional Directors, which will be effective as soon as the legal compliances are completed.
Brands
Balaji Krishnamurthy becomes chief financial officer at Uber
Internal finance veteran steps up as Uber enters next phase of growth
SAN FRANCISCO: Uber has handed the keys of its finance function to Balaji Krishnamurthy, who has taken charge as chief financial officer, marking a promotion from within the company’s strategic finance ranks.
Krishnamurthy steps into the role after more than six years at Uber, where he most recently served as VP, strategic finance and investor relations. Over that time, he worked across the company’s mobility and delivery businesses and led its investor relations efforts, building a reputation as a steady hand behind the numbers.
Announcing his first day in the new role, Krishnamurthy thanked outgoing CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah and chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi for their support, calling the appointment both a privilege and a responsibility.
He said he was stepping into the role at a “moment of strength” for the company, pointing to accelerating growth across consumers, drivers, couriers and merchants, along with expanding cash flows that would be used to invest in long term growth while returning excess capital to shareholders.
Krishnamurthy also highlighted Uber’s focus on innovation, particularly in autonomous vehicles, and praised what he described as a “go get it” culture within the company.
Before joining Uber in 2019 as senior manager, investor relations, he spent more than eight years at Goldman Sachs as vice president in equity research, covering US hardware and communications technology companies. His earlier roles included stints at Irevna and iTrust Financial Advisors in India, where he worked in equity research and wealth management.
In addition to his responsibilities at Uber, he also serves as a board member at autonomous trucking startup Waabi.
With an internal finance veteran now at the helm, Uber appears to be betting on continuity as it shifts from growth-at-all-costs to a more measured, cash-generating ride.
