MAM
Pepsi signs Blackpink as its APAC brand ambassador
NEW DELHI: Latching on to the growing K-pop craze gripping the region, Pepsi has recently named South Korean girl group Blackpink its brand ambassador for APAC. Pepsi will work with the popular group for its "Go all in for what you love" campaign, which encourages GenZ to be bold and push the boundaries of possibility when it comes to pursuing their passion in life.
PepsiCo senior marketing director, Asia Pacific, Salman Butt said, “Blackpink perpetuates a uniquely youthful attitude and zest for life that perfectly embodies the Pepsi brand.”
Butt added that the group's story of grit, tenacity and resilience over the years to realise its dream is exactly the admirable traits that can resonate with the younger generation and inspire them to emulate their idols.
Blackpink and Pepsi have co-produced an ad and a 360-degree marketing campaign will launch alongside to raise brand awareness through various media platforms. At the same time, limited-edition products featuring Blackpink members will launch in all participating 7-11 outlets in Malaysia and Singapore.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
