MAM
Saatchi & Saatchi hires Hari Ganesh Desikan as senior planner
MUMBAI:Saatchi & Saatchi India has appointed Hari Ganesh Desikan as senior planner at its Mumbai office. Desikan will be responsible for regional planning for Pampers as well as some other key brands.
Talking about the appointment, Saatchi & Saatchi, Mumbai GM Nisha Singhania said, “With Hari joining the planning department in Saatchi Mumbai, we now have a truly fantastic team of planners with a diverse set of experiences and talent.”
Desikan, an electronics and communications engineer, comes with a rich experience of over 10 years in marketing, brand management and advertising. Having started his career as a sales engineer for Siemens India, his passion for marketing & advertising drew him to Trigger Jeans. As a brand manager, he played a key role in scripting a revival of the brand‘s fortune.
Stepping into the agency six years ago, Desikan has worked on multiple brands across categories. He has worked with some of the well-known names in the industry including Hakuhodo Percept, Ogilvy & Mather and TBWAIndia and serviced brands like CavinKare, Henkel, Panasonic and Odyssey among others. His last assignment was with a Chennai-based brand communications start-up – Gutfeel, as a co-founder and partner – strategy.
Brands
Hyundai and TVS Motor partner to develop electric three wheelers
Joint development pact targets last mile mobility with localisation push
MUMBAI: Three wheels, one big ambition and a charge towards the future. Hyundai Motor Company and TVS Motor Company have signed a joint development agreement to co-create electric three-wheelers (E3Ws), aiming to crack India’s complex last-mile mobility puzzle. The collaboration moves beyond concept talk into execution mode, building on the E3W prototype first showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025. The goal now is clear, design, develop and commercialise a purpose-built vehicle tailored to Indian roads, riders and realities.
Under the agreement, Hyundai will lead design and co-development, bringing its global R&D muscle and human-centric engineering approach to the table. TVS Motor, meanwhile, will anchor the product on its electric platform, leveraging deep three-wheeler expertise and local market insight. It will also handle manufacturing and sales in India, with an eye on exports down the line.
The timing is strategic. India remains the world’s largest three-wheeler market, where affordability, durability and adaptability often outweigh sheer innovation. The upcoming E3W aims to strike that balance combining advanced technology with practical features such as adaptive ground clearance for monsoon-hit roads, improved thermal management for tropical climates, and flexible interiors suited for passengers, cargo or emergency use.
A key pillar of the partnership is localisation. Major components will be sourced and manufactured within India, a move expected to strengthen the domestic supply chain, create jobs, lower costs and improve after-sales support.
The shift from prototype to production will involve rigorous testing, certification and refinement to meet regulatory standards and consumer expectations. Dedicated cross-functional teams from both companies are already in place to accelerate timelines.
At a broader level, the tie-up reflects a growing trend in mobility, global players partnering with local specialists to navigate emerging markets. For Hyundai and TVS, the bet is that combining scale with street-level insight could unlock a new chapter in sustainable urban transport, one that runs not just on electricity, but on relevance.
