MAM
Shailesh Pathak joins as executive director of Bhartiya Group
MUMBAI: Bhartiya Group has announced the appointment of Shailesh Pathak as its new executive director.
Pathak will be responsible for the company’s foray into new ventures in city development and affordable housing, as well as public-private partnership initiatives.
He will also lead the Group’s relationships in finance, industry and international bodies and report to the group founder and chairman Snehdeep Aggarwal.
Welcoming Pathak to the company, Aggarwal said, “We are extremely pleased to have an eminent professional like Pathak join the Bhartiya team. With his strengths in finance, infrastructure and public policy, Pathak will spearhead our foray into new ventures. We are confident that given his in-depth know-how and vast experience, he will propel the Group to greater heights adding a new dimension to our business vision.”
After starting his career as an investment banker with ICICI in 1986, Pathak worked with SREI Infrastructure Finance as president – corporate strategy for four year before joining Bhartiya Group, where he focused on international capital for Indian Infrastructure. Prior to this, he was managing director, PE Indian Infrastructure Fund out of London/Geneva.
Post ICICI, he subsequently joined the government in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and served in various capacities during his 16 year tenure. He served as managing director of state infrastructure development corporation and secretary PWD for six years. Rejoining the private sector in 2006, he came to IDFC as head-PPP, and returned to the ICICI group to lead private equity investments into infrastructure as senior director-investments with ICICI Venture, Mumbai for two years.
Pathak is an MBA from IIM Calcutta and holds a bachelor’s degree from Shriram College of Commerce, Delhi. He is also a law graduate.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
