MAM
PDS onboards Saurabh Saxena as group CIO
Mumbai: PDS, a design-led sourcing, manufacturing and supply chain platform has announced the onboarding of Saurabh Saxena as group chief information officer (CIO). The appointment further reinforces the company’s commitment to its ‘digital’ pillar and a future ready PDS platform, it said.
Prior to joining PDS, Saxena was with IBM for over 10 years where he was the head of analytics, strategy, insights & operations for IBM Cloud (data & AI, automation and security) business in the Middle East and Africa.
“As a design-led sourcing and manufacturing company, our business is a synchronised function across geographies and skill,” said PDS Ltd vice chairman Pallak Seth. “An agile and creative business such as ours places a strong emphasis on foresight, therefore the pace of technological advancements will be instrumental in charting out the company’s growth story. It is great to have Saurabh join PDS to navigate our digital transformation journey.”
“PDS’ digital and IT transformation agenda is focused on integrated business processes that enable collaboration for our customers and suppliers alike. Data analytics and insights from our global operations will enable improved visibility, insightful product design & development, and better decisions leading to operational excellence,” added PDS Group CEO Sanjay Jain.
A seasoned professional, Saxena has over 20 years of experience with management consulting and advisory, P&L ownership, operational leadership including various disciplines like data analytics & insights, project management, sales and business operations, enterprise solutions, and product management. Previously, he has consulted CXO’s and entrepreneurs on data and AI solutions.
He holds an MBA (IT systems, strategy and marketing) and a BE degree in computer science and engineering.
MAM
WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
