MAM
playR becomes KKR’s global merchandise partner for T20 tournament
Mumbai: playR, sports and lifestyle brand, has announced that they have associated with Kolkata Knight Riders, the two-time champions of the T20 tournament, as the team’s global merchandise partner starting with the 2024 season.
This partnership will enable Kolkata Knight Riders to create a vast range of fan merchandise for their supporters worldwide. The merchandise range will include jersey and apparel, cricket equipment, fitness and accessories apart from lifestyle products for fans to show their loyalty to the team.
The objective of this partnership is to increase the brand’s visibility and reach a global audience. This will allow the team to further expand their already massive international fanbase and attract new supporters. The partnership will also enable Kolkata Knight Riders to provide their fans with unique and exclusive merchandise.
Knight Riders Group CMO Binda Dey stated, “in line with our continued commitment to KKR fans, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with playR as the Global Merchandise Partner for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming T20 Tournament. This collaboration opens up exciting opportunities for us to engage with our fans worldwide and offer them an extensive range of merchandise to showcase their support for their favourite team. With playR’s and our shared vision for enhancing fan experience, we are confident that this partnership will further elevate the fandom around Kolkata Knight Riders on a global scale.”
playR co-founder, director Ravi Kukreja expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, saying, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2024 season and onwards. This partnership will allow us to create a unique range of merchandise for KKR fans around the world. We look forward to working with the team and helping them further strengthen and cater to their already strong fan base.”
playR is a sport and lifestyle brand founded in 2021 and strives to provide customers with unique and edgy apparel, sports equipment, bicycles and accessories that celebrates their style and encourages them to express themselves. Currently present in over 300 retail stores in India and International and e-commerce, playR strives to cross 800 plus stores over a period of two years. playR provides a wide range of products that includes t-shirts, jackets, shorts, tracksuits, bats, balls, leg-guard, gloves, bicycles, bags, yoga mats, bottles, etc, as well as limited-edition items. playR’s mission is to inspire customers to be creative, confident, and fearless by providing them with a unique and fashionable style.
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.
