MAM
Susan Whiting to succeed Connor at VNU’s MMIG
MUMBAI: After the recent exit of Mike Connor from VNU’s Media Measurement & Information group (MMIG), Nielsen Media Research’s president-CEO Susan Whiting will be taking over from Connors VNU EVP MMIG.
Whiting although, will continue to serve as head of Nielsen Media Research which is currently the fastest growing division of VNU.
In a related move, VNU appointed Michael Marchesano as head of Nielsen Entertainment, in addition to his current role as president-CEO of VNU Business Media US.
The moves come at a time when VNU has been extensively extending its Nielsen brand name into an array of new products and services that leverage its position in new and expanding markets ranging from product placement to sports and entertainment marketing, as marketers and Madison Avenue break down definitions of what traditionally constitutes media. It also indicates that Nielsen Media Research and its management team are increasingly important properties within VNU, which is in the process of relocating its headquarters from Haarlem, Netherlands, to Nielsen’s New York base of operations.
The division could rise in importance depending on the outcome of one or more key acquisitions VNU plans to make in the media or marketing research field.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
