Brands
Sonia Arora named director, consumer insights at Pernod Ricard India
Insights leader steps up to shape innovation and strategy at spirits major
MUMBAI: Sonia Arora has been elevated to director of consumer insights at Pernod Ricard India, marking a new chapter in a career built on decoding what consumers think, feel and, crucially, buy.
Arora steps into the role after serving as innovation insights and planning lead at the company, where she spent over four years sharpening the link between consumer understanding and business strategy. Her work has consistently revolved around turning data into direction, helping brands stay culturally relevant while driving growth.
Before joining Pernod Ricard India, she held leadership roles at NielsenIQ and Nielsen, where she specialised in Babes, the firm’s flagship innovation practice. During this time, she led initiatives across India, South Asia and North Asia, working with multinational clients to fine-tune product launches and expand research into newer categories.
Her earlier stint with Diageo India and United Spirits Limited further strengthened her grounding in the spirits business, where she focused on innovation planning, cultural insights and end-to-end research across the product development lifecycle.
Across roles, Arora has built a reputation for blending qualitative and quantitative research with cultural intelligence, ensuring that brands don’t just follow trends but anticipate them. From early-stage concept testing to post-launch evaluation, her work has helped shape innovations that resonate in a fast-evolving market.
An alumna of K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research and Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues College of Engineering, Arora brings both analytical rigour and marketing instinct to the table.
In her new role, she is expected to steer consumer insights as a strategic engine, guiding Pernod Ricard India’s portfolio in a market where tastes shift quickly and staying relevant is half the battle won.
Brands
Vodafone Idea elevates Vineeth Jayendranath as VP, marketing head Mumbai
Telecom marketer takes charge of Mumbai circle with growth and brand focus
MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea Limited has promoted Vineeth Jayendranath to vice president, marketing head for the Mumbai circle, marking a key milestone in his career as the telecom operator sharpens its regional strategy.
In his new role, Jayendranath will lead marketing efforts across prepaid and postpaid segments in one of the country’s most competitive telecom markets. His mandate includes driving revenue growth, strengthening brand positioning, and deepening customer engagement, while also managing profit and loss responsibilities for the circle.
Sharing the update, Vineeth Jayendranath said, “Excited to share, I am starting my new stint as Vice President, Marketing Head for Mumbai circle at Vodafone Idea Ltd. Would like to thank everyone who has supported me in this journey.”
Jayendranath brings over 12 years of experience spanning telecom and IT, with a strong focus on customer value management and data-led marketing. Since joining Vodafone Idea, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently serving as general manager leading customer value management and prepaid business across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.
During this period, he handled large subscriber bases and multi-billion rupee revenue portfolios, while rolling out hyper-personalised campaigns and a “segment of one” strategy to improve customer retention and upgrades. He also championed a digital-first approach, pushing adoption of data services and unlimited plans through targeted, insight-driven initiatives.
Earlier, he worked with Idea Cellular Ltd in strategy and business intelligence roles, and began his career at Infosys as a systems engineer. A brief stint at Hyundai Motor India Ltd during his internship added early exposure to marketing strategy.
An alumnus of SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Jayendranath has steadily built a reputation for combining analytics with marketing execution.
His elevation comes as telecom players double down on circle-level strategies to stay competitive, and Vodafone Idea appears to be betting on data-backed marketing to keep Mumbai firmly in its corner.
