MAM
Percept launches CRM division
MUMBAI: Percept Advertising has launched a new division – Percept Customer Lifecycle Management (PCLM).
Harsh Vardhan will be heading PCLM, which will have customer relationship management (CRM), direct marketing, database storage mining and database storage analysis under its ambit.
PCLM is one of the initiatives that Percept Advertising CEO Rajesh Pant has undertaken in the continuing makeover of the business he has been instituting since taking charge eight months ago.
According to the former Sony Entertainment Number 2: “Today nobody is looking for ad agencies, they are looking for complete solution providers.”
To further his stated aim of taking Percept into the Top Ten in the next five years, Pant has just hired Elvis Sequiera from Lowe India as his new national creative director. In the recent past, among Sequiera’s noted campaigns are the ones he did for Bajaj and ICICI, Pant says.
Pant says that both in the south as well as in the north, Percept has been adding to its business. NEC Micron in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Power Corporation and the Ambition motorcycle account in Delhi among them he says.
On the company structure side as well, there have been significant developments. Percept concluded a deal two weeks ago wherein its JV with Hakuhodo, Japan’s second largest agency and the ninth largest in the world, was expanded. It is now a 50 per cent equity partner in all of Percept’s agency business under the Hakuhodo-Percept name. These include Percept Advertising, Image Ads, AMO Communications and Percept Gulf, Pant said.
Hakuhodo-Percept was in the news in September when it clinched the estimated Rs 120-150 million advertising accounts of Maruti’s flagship brand Maruti 800 and Zen from Rediffusion DY&R, Delhi. The “Japanese connection” has helped in getting the Epsom and Sharp accounts as well.
See related headline:
Rajesh Pant takes charge as Percept CEO
MAM
HUL appoints Pavan Bedi as CMO for Foods business
Veteran marketer with 22-plus years at Unilever takes charge of foods portfolio in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: HUL’s foods division just got a seasoned flavour boost because when it comes to seasoning success, Pavan Bedi knows exactly how to stir the pot. Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has elevated long-time leader Pavan Bedi to chief marketing officer for its Foods business, the company confirmed on 23 February 2026. Bedi, who has spent over 22 years with the FMCG giant, shared the news himself on LinkedIn, writing: “I’m delighted to share that I will be stepping into a new role as CMO Foods, HUL”.
Before this Mumbai-based appointment, Bedi served as global brand vice president for more than four years. His career is dotted with high-impact global roles: he was global brand director for Pond’s (based in Singapore), driving innovation across South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, led the high-profile rebranding of Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely as global brand director; and spent six years shaping Lifebuoy’s “Purpose agenda” and “Social Mission”, forging public-private partnerships with the United Nations and other platforms.
Now overseeing HUL’s sprawling foods lineup from staples to snacks and everything in between Bedi steps into one of the company’s most dynamic verticals at a time when consumer tastes are evolving fast. His track record blending global scale, brand transformation, and purpose-led marketing makes him a natural fit for steering strategic growth and creative campaigns in the category.
In his LinkedIn post, Bedi underscored his enduring commitment to Unilever’s vision, framing the move as another chapter in a career built on long-term impact rather than quick wins.
For an organisation that thrives on trusted, household names, Bedi’s elevation is less a surprise and more a reminder, the best recipes for growth often come from ingredients that have been simmering for over two decades. Whether it’s rebranding icons or building purpose at scale, he’s now tasked with making sure HUL’s foods business stays as appetising tomorrow as it is today.
