Brands
Philips doubles ad budget for kitchen appliances; appoints chef Ranveer Brar as ambassador
NEW DELHI: Even as the advertising and promotions budget is being doubled from last year for its kitchen appliances category in India, Phillips India has taken on chef Ranveer Brar to promote its products.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Philips India director marketing and business head – domestic appliances Gulbahar Taurani said that the increase in marketing budget had been done in view of the rate at which the kitchen appliances business for Philips India had been growing. “The growth at Philips India has been three to four times faster than the rate at which the kitchen appliances market is growing in India,” he said.
Philips India will be taking a 360 degree approach to marketing the kitchen appliances products. “There will be television commercials, radio and print ads, outdoor hoardings and road shows, apart from social media and the digital space with interactive features,” Taurani informed.
Speaking about taking on board Brar as the brand ambassador, Taurani said, “He is someone who knows about food and can communicate well to the women at home. His programme Thank God its Fryday season 2 presents the magic of Philips AirFryer, transforms the experience of fried food and makes it a guilt free indulgence, to consumers across India.”
Additionally Taurani was also of the opinion that Brar could encourage the Indian woman to cook easily and spend more time with the family. “Brar will help consumers draw a closer connect with the brand and its products, which enable Healthy Living. Philips India being a health and well-being company is the only brand that offers a cohesive, integrated and dedicated Healthy Living Portfolio,” he added.
Some of the popular products from its Healthy Living Portfolio range are AirFryer, SoupMaker, Pre Clean Juicer and Food Steamer.
Taurani said that the association with Brar was not just a simple endorsement agreement, “but a partnership between two like-minded entities that have joined hands together to empower consumers to get more out of their appliances. Together, we intend to provide our consumers with holistic solutions for their lifestyle nutritional needs.”
Talking about his association with Philips, Brar said, “From the time I was growing up, Philips as a brand always stood for reliability and cutting edge technology. I strongly believe that in terms of reliability, durability and being current Philips is, was and will always be the brand to look out for. Philips Kitchen Appliances offer a range of intelligent devices that are designed to help you stay healthy and eat whatever you want without the guilt and without worrying about taste. I am privileged to be representing the brand and the product range that I personally believe in.”
Brands
UltraTech Cement appoints Jayant Dua as managing director
Dua will succeed K. C. Jhanwar after his term ends in December 2026
MUMBAI: UltraTech Cement, the flagship cement arm of the Aditya Birla Group, has elevated Jayant Dua as managing director, effective 1 April, 2026.
The company’s board also approved his appointment as additional director, managing director and key managerial personnel, effective 1 January, 2027, following the completion of the current managing director K C Jhanwar’s term on 31 December, 2026, according to a regulatory filing.
Dua will serve as managing director for a four-year term from 1 January, 2027 to 31 December, 2030.
A veteran executive with more than 37 years of professional experience, Dua joined the Aditya Birla Group’s cement business in 1996 and spent nearly a decade in various functional and leadership roles.
Over the past two decades, he has held several profit-and-loss and chief executive responsibilities across multiple group businesses, including insulators, insurance, Century Cement and the chlor-alkali segment. In 2023, he was elevated to lead the group’s renewables and textiles businesses.
Within the group, Dua has received several internal honours, including the chairman’s individual award for exceptional contribution in 2002, the outstanding leader award in 2009 and the leader of leaders recognition in 2022.
He holds an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, an MBA from International Management Institute and has completed the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School.
