MAM
Sam Balsara unveils 2nd OOH agency Platinum; ropes in Arminio Ribeiro as CEO
MUMBAI: Madison’s chairman Sam Balsara has unveiled a second outdoor agency – Platinum Outdoor. Set to function as an independent agency, the company has roped in former Portland India president Arminio Ribeiro as chief executive officer. Ribeiro will join in early April.
Commenting on the new venture Balsara said, “I see Outdoor as playing a more important role in the Advertisers’ marketing plans in the near future, given the clutter in established mass media like Print and TV. Whilst some sectors like Telecom, Financial and Media Sectors have used Outdoor to their advantage, many others haven’t, because Media Agencies are not convinced or are not alive to the opportunities that Outdoor can offer.
“We need an Agency that can evangelise the medium and exploit every out-of-home opportunity. I am confident that Arminio with his wealth of experience in Advertising and Out-of-Home will do just that. We are looking to making Platinum our second network with its own repertoire of specialist units including Media.”
On being asked what will be different about the offering of the new outdoor agency Ribeiro said, “At Platinum Outdoor, we will deliver a market advantage to potential clients’ OOH needs – one that moves beyond a business-as-usual approach to delivering the right OOH solution and demonstrates the value in a confident manner.
“The focus will be on creative and innovative planning and spending, adding value and ensuring clients are delighted with their Return on Investment. We believe that if we want to be a significant player in developing the brand activation market and get into the new consumer congregation points we then need to build those capabilities.”
Additionally, former Primesite vice president Gour Gupta and former Poster Publicity GM Lokesh Kumar have been appointed as COO and VP – business director respectively, informs an official release.
To achieve this offering, a paradigm shift in talent base has been planned; a team consisting of brand and idea – thinking and experienced individuals with a culture of partnering clients is being put together. “Platinum Outdoor will make every effort to lift the bar in all out-of-home activities and from traditional formats to new formats coupled with accountability and measurability,” said Gupta.
“The specialist OOH agency that adapts effectively to the increasingly changing outdoor environment and societal trends and invests in people and productivity tools will succeed in the near future,” said Kumar.
MAM
Coca-Cola appoints Tapaswee Chandele as Global Chief People Officer
Succeeds Lisa Chang from May 1, reports to CEO Henrique Braun
MUMBAI- When leadership refreshes, culture often follows and The Coca-Cola Company is pouring a new mix into its global people strategy. The company has appointed Tapaswee Chandele as its Global Chief People Officer, marking a key transition in its human resources leadership as long-time executive Lisa Chang steps down after seven years in the role.
The appointment, effective May 1, positions Chandele at the helm of Coca-Cola’s global people agenda at a time when multinational organisations are rethinking talent, culture and leadership pipelines in an increasingly hybrid and competitive workforce landscape.
In her new role, she will report to chief executive officer Henrique Braun, signalling the strategic importance of HR within the company’s top leadership structure.
Chandele brings over two decades of institutional knowledge to the role. She currently serves as senior vice president and executive assistant to president and chief financial officer John Murphy, a position she has held since May 2025, placing her at the centre of the company’s financial and operational decision-making. Prior to this, she spent six years, from 2019 to 2025, as senior vice president of global talent, development and HR system partnerships, where she led Coca-Cola’s worldwide talent strategy and worked closely within Chang’s leadership team.
Her journey with Coca-Cola began in 2001 in India, and over the years she has built a cross-market perspective through roles spanning human resources and talent development. Her international assignments across Turkiye and South Africa, followed by a relocation to the United States in 2017, reflect a career shaped by both geographic and functional diversity, an increasingly critical trait for global leadership roles.
The transition also marks the end of Lisa Chang’s seven-year tenure, during which she played a central role in shaping Coca-Cola’s global people practices through a period defined by organisational transformation and evolving workforce expectations.
Chandele’s elevation comes at a time when HR is no longer a back-office function but a strategic driver of growth, culture and resilience. As Coca-Cola looks ahead, the focus will likely be on aligning talent strategy with business agility ensuring that the people behind the brand remain as globally adaptive as the product itself.
