MAM
Times of India hires WPP talent chief for recruitment overhaul
MUMBAI: Bennett Coleman & Co, publisher of the Times of India, has hired Roshin Mascarenhas as its new head of talent acquisition, luring her from WPP Media where she led recruitment across South Asia.
The appointment signals the Indian media conglomerate’s push to revamp its hiring strategy as traditional publishers grapple with digital disruption and fierce competition for top talent. Mascarenhas brings 15 years of recruitment experience, including stints at Viacom18, Disney, and the Aditya Birla Group.
Her move to the Times of India building in Mumbai marks something of a homecoming. Early in her career as a search consultant, she worked on critical roles for the newspaper group. Her husband also spent his formative professional years at the company, making this appointment as much personal as professional.
At WPP Media, Mascarenhas managed geographically dispersed recruitment teams and standardised hiring practices across the advertising giant’s Indian operations. She oversaw campus programmes, implemented data-driven recruitment metrics, and championed internal mobility initiatives.
Her LinkedIn announcement is peppered with rocket ship emojis and effusive praise for her new employer’s “heritage and integrity.” She describes herself as a “talent magnet” and “mindfulness champion” who believes technology cannot replace the “human touch” in recruitment.
The hire comes as India’s media landscape undergoes rapid transformation. Traditional publishers like Bennett Coleman face pressure to attract digital-native talent while competing with technology firms and streaming platforms for the best candidates.
Mascarenhas’s track record includes notable achievements such as recruiting 120 people in two months for UTV Stars’ Bollywood channel launch in 2011 and implementing hiring automation systems. Her appointment suggests Bennett Coleman is serious about professionalising its talent acquisition function.
Whether her “positive vibes” approach and emphasis on creating “meaningful careers” can solve the structural challenges facing India’s traditional media remains to be seen. But for a company seeking to blend legacy with innovation, hiring someone who describes every recruitment as “a story” seems oddly appropriate.
Brands
SatLeo Labs raises $5.5m seed funding led by Unicorn India Ventures
Fresh capital to power thermal satellite mission and AI data platform
MUMBAI: SatLeo Labs has raised $2.2 million in a fresh seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures, taking its total funding to $5.5 million as it steps up efforts to scale its space-based thermal intelligence platform.
The funding round also saw participation from existing backers including Merak Ventures, Java Capital, IIMA-CIIE and deep-tech investor Manish Gandhi.
The capital will be used to accelerate SatLeo’s flagship thermal satellite mission and further develop its AI-powered platform designed to deliver high-resolution thermal and visible data from low Earth orbit. The company aims to turn this data into actionable insights for sectors ranging from climate monitoring to urban planning.
Over the past year, SatLeo has scaled rapidly, growing its team from 8 to 30 specialists across satellite engineering, thermal sensing and AI-led geospatial analytics. It has also achieved a key milestone with the development of its first experimental payload, TAPAS-1, which reached near flight-ready status within six months and is now positioned for launch.
On the ground, the startup has begun translating its technology into real-world use cases. Pilot projects in cities such as Ahmedabad and Tumakuru have focused on monitoring urban heat islands and air pollution, impacting over 400,000 citizens. At the same time, its commercial pipeline has expanded sharply, with letters of intent rising from around $15 million to over $42 million within a year.
SatLeo Labs co-founder and CEO Shravan Bhati said, “Sustainability has become imperative amid accelerating climate change and rapid urbanisation. This fundraise represents a critical milestone as we move into the execution phase of our next mission.”
He added that the company is focused on scaling its satellite constellation and enhancing payload performance to deliver thermal intelligence at a global level.
Backing the startup, Unicorn India Ventures managing partner Bhaskar Majumdar said, “Space is an arena where the next wave of technological innovation will emerge. SatLeo’s ability to combine thermal and visible satellite data into real-time insights positions it strongly for long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, SatLeo plans to focus on launch readiness, expanding commercial deployments and scaling its technology stack over the next 12 months.
As demand for climate and environmental intelligence grows, SatLeo’s latest fundraise signals rising investor confidence in space-tech solutions that bring data from orbit down to everyday decision-making.
