MAM
Sharmila Malekar returns to Mudra as senior VP
MUMBAI: Mudra India has appointed Sharmila Malekar as senior vice president for Mudra West. This is Malekar‘s second innings at Mudra, having earlier worked as VP in 2004.
Malekar moves in from Mind Mirror, a research & strategic consultancy, where she was designated as managing partner.
In her new role, she will report in to Mudra West president Arijit Ray and will help strengthen brands on businesses like ITC, Jyothy Laboratories, Electrolux, Kalpataru,
Emami, HPCL and Godrej.
Malekar comes with over 18 years of experience in brand building and consumer research. She started her career with Lintas where she worked on brands like Liril and J&J feminine hygiene for their Stayfree, Carefree range, among others.
She has also worked with Ogilvy and Mather and Publicis Ambience Advertising.
“Malekar comes on board with a rich experience of overseeing a wide spread of brands in the FMCG, automotive entertainment and beverages space, across few of the best agencies of the country like Ogilvy, Lowe and Publicis. We are looking forward to her experience in consolidating and building on some of our most important client relationships at Mudra West,” Ray said.
MAM
Toyota appoints Kenta Kon as President & CEO
New leader to steer EV push and global innovation amid industry shift.
MUMBAI: Toyota just handed the keys to a new driver because when the road to electric mobility gets twisty, you need someone who knows how to accelerate without skidding. Toyota Motor Corporation has named Kenta Kon as its new president and chief executive officer, a key leadership transition as the Japanese giant doubles down on its transformation in the fast-evolving global automotive landscape.
Kon brings deep expertise in automotive innovation, business strategy, and operational leadership to the top job. His appointment signals Toyota’s intent to sharpen focus on accelerating electric mobility, strengthening worldwide operations, and pushing customer-centric breakthroughs in next-generation technologies.
The company is betting on Kon to guide it through the industry’s pivotal shift toward sustainability, digital integration, and smarter mobility solutions. Key priorities under his watch include ramping up electric and hybrid lineups, expanding global market reach, driving cutting-edge automotive R&D, tightening supply-chain efficiency, and scaling connected and intelligent vehicle ecosystems.
This move comes at a time when legacy automakers face intense pressure to balance heritage strengths with aggressive electrification timelines and software-defined vehicle demands. Toyota aims to reinforce its position as a leader in sustainable, reliable, and future-ready mobility while navigating competitive challenges from both traditional rivals and new-age EV players.
For a brand that’s long defined durability and innovation, Kon’s elevation isn’t just a title change, it’s Toyota flooring it toward the next lap, ready to turn today’s tech talk into tomorrow’s showroom reality.
