MAM
Rakuten India hires Jay Swamidass & Subhash Chandra to lead SixthSense
Mumbai: Rakuten India has announced the appointment of two senior executives: Jay Swamidass as VP and global head of sales and Subhash Chandra as head of global partnerships & alliances. These leadership appointments represent a significant step in Rakuten India’s ongoing efforts to expand its global footprint and enhance its enterprise software offerings.
In recent years, Rakuten SixthSense has witnessed impressive growth, broadening its reach and becoming a key player in the global technology space. This success has been fueled by the platform’s dedication to innovation, its capacity to tackle complex enterprise challenges, and its focus on cultivating strong strategic partnerships. With the appointment of Jay Swamidass and Subhash Chandra to the leadership team, Rakuten SixthSense is poised to accelerate its growth and drive further advancements in the industry.
Jay Swamidass brings over two decades of experience in enterprise software sales, having held key positions and leadership roles at Hewlett Packard, Commvault Systems, Veeam Software, and most recently, Apica. At Rakuten India, Jay will lead the sales strategy for Rakuten SixthSense, focusing on delivering innovative solutions to enterprise customers. His expertise in analytics, cloud, AI, and enterprise infrastructure will support the company’s goal of further expanding its footprint in this critical market.
“I am thrilled to join Rakuten India at such an exciting time,” said Rakuten SixthSense VP and global head of sales Jay Swamidass. “The company’s focus on cutting-edge observability solutions and its commitment to solving complex enterprise challenges align perfectly with my passion for leveraging technology to drive operational excellence and business resilience. I’m excited to work alongside this talented team to strengthen our market presence and deliver real value to our clients through unparalleled visibility and performance insights.”
Subhash Chandra, appointed as Rakuten SixthSense’s head of global partnerships & alliances brings 23 years of experience in building strategic partnerships across the technology sector, with prior leadership roles at AWS, Google Cloud, SAP, and IBM. Subhash will focus on expanding Rakuten India’s global partner network to enhance its technological capabilities and market reach, which will further fuel the company’s rapid growth.
“Rakuten India’s vision of innovation through collaboration is truly inspiring,” said Chandra. “I am eager to lead the global partnerships efforts and work closely with our partners to create synergies that empower our clients and elevate Rakuten India’s solutions on a global scale.”
Commenting on the appointments, Rakuten India CEO Sunil Gopinath said, “We are delighted to welcome Jay and Subhash to the Rakuten India leadership team. Their expertise and leadership will be pivotal as we continue to innovate and expand our global presence in enterprise software and observability. With their strategic insights and operational excellence, I am confident we will achieve new milestones and continue our significant growth trajectory for our Rakuten SixthSense business.”
MAM
Sleepwell unveils nationwide sleep study on World Sleep Day
79 per cent use screens before bed, 36 per cent of 18–25-year-olds sleep ≤5 hours.
MUMBAI: Sleepwell just dropped the pillow truth bomb because when India’s sleeping less and scrolling more, even the mattress wants to stage an intervention. On World Sleep Day 2026, Sleepwell released its nationwide Sleep Study, painting a stark picture of India’s escalating sleep crisis. The findings show that 79% of Indians use screens right before bed, fuelling restless nights and drowsy days. Alarmingly, 36% of young adults aged 18–25 sleep five hours or less making them the country’s most sleep-deprived group.
The study also busts the myth of “catch-up sleep”, 65% of respondents actually sleep even later on weekends, pointing to increasingly irregular patterns that spill fatigue into the working week. Mattress discomfort emerged as a frequently overlooked culprit behind late-night wake-ups and constant leak-anxiety checks.
To drive the message home, Sleepwell’s CMO Puneet Gulati appeared on Zee Business, stressing that quality sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational health. He highlighted how the right mattress can transform restless nights into restorative ones.
The brand doubled down with clever late-night activations, partnering with a quick-commerce platform to serve contextual ads between 11 pm and 3 am, gently nudging bleary-eyed scrollers to consider mattress discomfort as the reason they’re still awake and pointing them to the nearest Sleepwell store. Digital influencers and creators also shared relatable stories of how poor sleep fuels impulsive late-night behaviour.
In a nation that celebrates hustle but quietly pays for it in lost rest, Sleepwell isn’t just selling mattresses, it’s selling the radical idea that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is close your eyes and actually sleep well.
