MAM
Sercon 141 ups Rajesh Ghatge to CEO
MUMBAI: Bates 141 has promoted Rajesh Ghatge as the chief executive officer of its specialised “below the line” marketing services agency, 141 Sercon.
Ghatge was formerly the executive director and COO at 141 Sercon.
In addition, Ghatge is also appointed to the Executive Committee (EXCO) of the Bates India Group. The Board is headed by Group CEO Sandeep Pathak and includes India chairman and regional ECD Sonal Dabral, regional planning director Dheeraj Sinha, 141 Wallstreet VP Praveen Vadhera and finance director Dinesh Shetty.
In his new role as the CEO, Ghatge will build on the agency‘s expertise in “intelligent activation” – solutions which engage consumers across touch points and enable them to experience brands, products and services. With the use of proprietary tools and technology, the agency is able to deliver large scale, ROI-driven activations for B2B and B2C clients across Asia.
Ghatge co-founded Sercon in 1996, which was later acquired by Bates in 2007. He was instrumental in leading Sercon to become one of India‘s largest activation and marketing services agencies with a footprint across India and Southeast Asia.
Ghatge has more than 15 years of experience in planning, creative and execution of regional and local campaigns for leading brands including Bausch & Lomb, Carlsberg, Castrol, Nokia, Oracle, Shriram Life Insurance and Sun Microsystems.
Pathak said, “Since Sercon joined the Bates family, it has played a very strategic role. Together with our advertising and design units, and out-of-home and retail offering, we have the full capability to help our clients drive maximum engagement, by getting brands to become the subject of new conversations.”
Ghatge added, “Rapid change is happening constantly and all around us in. Clients want to understand changes in consumer‘s media and shopping habits and what are the implications for engaging them effectively. I look forward to working closely with the Bates regional and local leadership teams to grow our expertise, so that we can deliver more innovative and effective solutions for our clients, and bring people closer to brands.”
Dabral stated, “Rajesh has been key to driving Sercon to become one of the top ranking activation agencies in India and Southeast Asia. Rajesh will continue to grow our specialized skills and solutions for India and regional clients by helping them to better engage consumers, generate demand and influence preference.”
In India, the Bates operations spans Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, and includes the largest retail and OOH network in India across 20 states and into 400 rural towns. It offers full integrated disciplines – brand strategy, advertising, design, outdoor/OOH, retail, B2B and B2C activation, digital, CRM and event management.
MAM
Cipla appoints Achin Gupta as MD and global CEO
Veteran pharma leader with 20-plus years takes charge from 1 April 2026, succeeding current MD.
MUMBAI: Cipla’s next chapter just got a seasoned prescription because when it comes to leading a pharma giant, Achin Gupta knows exactly which dose delivers results. The Mumbai-based drugmaker announced on 23 February 2026 that Achin Gupta, currently global chief operating officer, will step up as managing director and global chief executive officer from 1 April 2026. He succeeds the outgoing leadership team and will steer Cipla’s worldwide operations, market expansion, operational efficiency, and innovation pipeline across its broad portfolio of generics, specialty drugs, and consumer healthcare treatments.
Gupta brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience to the corner office. Before rejoining Cipla, he spent over eight years at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals in senior roles, having also worked there earlier between 2004 and 2012. His career path also includes key stints at Abbott Laboratories and management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, giving him a well-rounded view of global pharma strategy, operations, and growth.
In his current COO role, Gupta has already been deeply involved in streamlining Cipla’s supply chain, boosting manufacturing agility, and driving digital transformation moves that positioned the company strongly amid post-pandemic supply challenges and rising competition. As MD and Global CEO, he’ll now have full accountability for executing Cipla’s long-term vision, from deepening presence in key markets like the US, Europe, and emerging regions to accelerating R&D in complex generics and biosimilars.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Cipla, as the industry navigates pricing pressures, regulatory shifts, and the push for affordable innovation in chronic therapies. Gupta’s track record of scaling operations and delivering consistent performance makes him a logical internal choice to keep the momentum going.
For a company that’s long been a household name in affordable medicines, this leadership handoff is less about a big shake-up and more about steady continuity with fresh energy ensuring the next dose of growth is as effective as the last.
