MAM
Rajiv Gopinath new CCO at Starcom India
MUMBAI: In a bid to enhance strategic product and delivery and usher in greater opportunities, Starcom India (Starcom) has appointed Rajiv Gopinath as its chief client officer (CCO). Gopinath will interface with key clients and will bring in perspective on businesses, enabling the company to develop strong client relationships.
Gopinath’ s last stint was in East Africa where he headed planning on Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and other local businesses across seven sub-Saharan African markets. Prior to that, he was in China where he did extensive planning on P&G.
“The dynamic marketing communications landscape is both a challenge and an opportunity. It calls for upstream strategies that bring in radical business transformation for brands,” said Starcom India group CEO Mallikarjun Das. “Starcom today is as much a business partner as a communications partner, offering deep-level category insights, data-driven personalised communication, real-time marketing and predictive models. We map the full consumer journey and come up with effective, media-neutral, integrated solutions.” Das said that Gopinath, with his experience and thought leadership, would enhance Starcom’s strategic offering still further and deliver the desired business results for clients.
Said Gopinath, “Starcom is one of the few agencies that has truly has a pulse on the consumer and can leverage the power of integrated communications. It has great expertise on the evolving media product and a wonderful set of clients. I am delighted to get this opportunity and look forward to it.”
MAM
Toyota appoints Kenta Kon as President & CEO
New leader to steer EV push and global innovation amid industry shift.
MUMBAI: Toyota just handed the keys to a new driver because when the road to electric mobility gets twisty, you need someone who knows how to accelerate without skidding. Toyota Motor Corporation has named Kenta Kon as its new president and chief executive officer, a key leadership transition as the Japanese giant doubles down on its transformation in the fast-evolving global automotive landscape.
Kon brings deep expertise in automotive innovation, business strategy, and operational leadership to the top job. His appointment signals Toyota’s intent to sharpen focus on accelerating electric mobility, strengthening worldwide operations, and pushing customer-centric breakthroughs in next-generation technologies.
The company is betting on Kon to guide it through the industry’s pivotal shift toward sustainability, digital integration, and smarter mobility solutions. Key priorities under his watch include ramping up electric and hybrid lineups, expanding global market reach, driving cutting-edge automotive R&D, tightening supply-chain efficiency, and scaling connected and intelligent vehicle ecosystems.
This move comes at a time when legacy automakers face intense pressure to balance heritage strengths with aggressive electrification timelines and software-defined vehicle demands. Toyota aims to reinforce its position as a leader in sustainable, reliable, and future-ready mobility while navigating competitive challenges from both traditional rivals and new-age EV players.
For a brand that’s long defined durability and innovation, Kon’s elevation isn’t just a title change, it’s Toyota flooring it toward the next lap, ready to turn today’s tech talk into tomorrow’s showroom reality.
