MAM
Suhaana replaces Anandi in Ormax’s character study
MUMBAI: Suhaana, the protagonist of Star Plus’ popular show Sauraal Genda Phool, has replaced Balika Vadhu’s Anandi to become the most popular character among the Hindi general entertainment channels (GEC) audiences.
This finding has come from the media research and consulting firm Ormax Media’s sixth edition of Characters India Loves (CIL) study.
Since CIL’s inception in August 2009, this is for the first time that a character has dislodged Anandi from her No 1 position. Surprisingly, Anandi is not even featuring among the top 10 list and is now on number 11.
As per CIL, Suhaana’s share among the fiction characters has grown by 66 per cent in the last three months.
Meanwhile, Jethalal (Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma) continues to maintain the second position followed by Pratigya (Pratigya), Archana and Maanav (Pavitra Rishta) at third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
This sixth track of the study was conducted during December last year and January. The interviews were conducted among 2,600 respondents in six cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore and Jalandhar, among 15-44 males and females, in SEC ABC.
CIL is a quarterly study to measure the popularity of characters on Indian television. The report lists the top fiction and non-fiction characters across gender, age, SEC and market segments. Further, a section of the report illustrates reasons for likeability of the top characters.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
