MAM
PUMA India signs Mohammed Shami for specialised pacer spikes
Mumbai: Sports brand PUMA has roped in Team India fast bowler Mohammed Shami as its Brand Ambassador. Shami joins PUMA’s illustrious roster, which consists of some of the greatest names from the world of sports, including batting icon Virat Kohli, champion sprinter Usain Bolt, football stars Neymar Jr and Sunil Chhetri, celebrated boxer MC Mary Kom, cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur and Harleen Deol, and para-shooter Avani Lekhara.
Under this partnership, the Indian pacer will endorse PUMA’s footwear, apparel and accessories through multiple activities and campaigns throughout the year.
Fast bowlers play a critical role in cricket. The long-distance sprint followed by leap, high-pressure landing and usage of back and shoulder to bowl, makes fast bowling intense. PUMA has created a new bowling spike with a mid-sole meant for runners, to support fast bowlers.
“Bringing Mohammed Shami into the PUMA family reinforces our dedication to the sport of cricket. We are delighted to support and welcome Shami into the PUMA family which has been home to cricket icons Virat Kohli and Harmanpreet Kaur. Shami is an outstanding fast bowler with an impressive track record across cricketing formats. His relentless courage, unwavering spirit and the finesse he brings to the game perfectly resonates with our brand values. We strongly believe that Shami’s association with PUMA will not only inspire fans and athletes but also drive our commitment to further sports culture in the country,” commented PUMA India managing director Karthik Balagopalan.
Commenting on the association with PUMA India, Mohammed Shami said, “Just as every fast bowler in the world, I love speed and when you talk about speed, nothing beats forever faster PUMA. While I strive for excellence on the cricket field, PUMA continues to create path-breaking products that aid athletes like me to be the fastest in their game. I am delighted to be part of the PUMA family and it’s an amazing feeling to join their star-studded roster.”
Shami has been a key member of India’s pace bowling unit. He made his debut against the West Indies in 2013 at the Eden Gardens, picking up nine wickets in the match, the most by an Indian fast bowler on debut. The right-arm fast bowler has played 64 Tests and picked up 229 wickets at an average of 27.7.
He bowled four maiden overs on his One Day International debut against Pakistan in January 2013. He has scalped 171 wickets in 94 matches.
In 23 T20 matches, Shami picked up 24 wickets with 3 for 15 being his best figure.
Brands
Hardik Jhaveri named senior director marketing at Colgate-Palmolive Asean hub
Former Hill’s Pet Nutrition general manager returns to the company to steer marketing for South Asean from Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR: Hardik Jhaveri has been appointed senior director marketing for the South Asean hub at Colgate-Palmolive, marking a return to the consumer goods major after a three year stint with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. He will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will lead marketing strategy for the region.
Jhaveri joins the role after serving as general manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Taipei, where he led a cross functional team and oversaw the business with full profit and loss responsibility. The role placed him at the helm of operations in Taiwan, managing growth in what he described as a start-up style environment within a global multinational.
Before that, Jhaveri spent over a decade with Colgate-Palmolive across several marketing and innovation roles in Asia. As associate director innovation for Apac excluding China, based in Hong Kong, he led new product development and launches across multiple markets.
His portfolio ranged from developing specialised oral care products such as a diabetes focused toothpaste for the Indian market to launching premium oral care experiences under the Colgate Total brand in Australia. Alongside innovation, he also worked on launch planning, brand strategy and communications for the company’s oral care portfolio.
Earlier in his Colgate-Palmolive journey, Jhaveri held roles including marketing manager innovation, senior brand manager and brand manager. His work spanned urban and rural markets in Mumbai and customer development responsibilities in the Greater Kolkata Area.
Prior to his long association with Colgate-Palmolive, Jhaveri worked as brand officer home care at Unilever, where he helped drive marketing initiatives for the Rin detergent brand, including nationwide relaunch and on ground activation campaigns.
He began his career in advertising with Bates David Enterprise, working on brands such as IDBI Bank, The Leela Hotels and The Times of India.
Jhaveri holds a post graduate programme in management from the Indian School of Business and has also completed a level 4 diploma in wine from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Announcing the move, Jhaveri said he is excited to begin his new chapter at Colgate-Palmolive’s South Asean hub and thanked colleagues and mentors who supported his journey at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
